Monday, November 9, 2015

Really Quick Post - Monday First Day of Surgery In Managua!

This is going to be a quick post & perhaps some things I can save until tomorrow but it has been a 18 hour days since I got up, 16 hour day at the hospital & I have to get up in about 5 hours from now. But there are a few quick things to share & remember!
The first day is always a slower start...we had to set up the PACU all the OR rooms have to be checked & surgeries started safely in one room at a time. Plus we do a mock code to prepare for emergencies. So while we got to the hospital about 7 the first patient was on an operating table about 9:30 & in the recovery room about 11. At first it seemed like for us it was going to be "boy day" as the first 6 patients were all little boys...but that was being balanced out by births at the hospital & the babies were brought to a room next to us - 5 girls & 1 boy born at that hospital in Nicaragua today!
It was ALL I could do to not ask to hold them!!!
we did start getting some girls & overall I was able to give away some dresses, some boy outfits & flip flops & CHOC T shirts....the patients & parents loved the gifts.
There was a small orthopedic team here from Wisconsin doing orthopedic surgeries. 6 of them come here twice a year...it is wonderful to see so much goodness in the world!
I found out today that Kim the Program Coordinator of this mission will also be the Program Coordinator of Sarah's mission to Peru in May!!!
When at 2 pm we realized we had only gotten 25% of our patients back we knew it was going to be a long day but we all expected that...but maybe not this long??? As is often the case we went from  quiet 1 patient in the PACU to 4 patients & total chaos - one vomiting, another bleeding, another fussy & one family that is from a far away tribe & spoke Mosquito? so we couldn't really communicate with her..just a typical mission day! We did a total of 20 cases whihc we will do each day or 100 patients this week. The site in Estelli will also do about that same # & in fact herr in Managua Op Smile sent 23 patients to that site today that we couldnt do here. It is a 3 hour drive but I am sure none of those families were bothered by that....we could not offer them suregery here but were able to offer it to them there & provide them the transportation. I am pretty sure thay all had a GREAT DAY with that news!
I am always surprised by the "specific rules that each hospital has...here we had to take patients on an "inside wheelchair or gurney to the exit door of the Operating Room area & then change them to a different wheelchair or gurney for the rest of their ride to the post op ward??? we figured it all out but is was initially a challenge!
This time difference while not much has still not made ti easy to connect with my family as I only ever have service at the hotel so before we leave early in the morning & when we get back & I am tired...Hoping to catch up with them tomorrow but for now I need to sleep!

 

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