Okay I made it to Mexico City but I have no internet....so I am typing on wordpad & will then cut & paste it to my blog but I am afraid if I dont write it now I will forget!!! Today was really a travel day & not bad at all I left Salt Lake at 10 a.m. I was certain when I read the AeroMexico Website I could travel with 55 lbs of luggage in 1 bag....well that is within Mexico not to Mexico???? So my 59 lb bag required some last minute readjustment & I got it down to 52 lbs but I am pretty sure that my carry on & my backpack were pretty close to 50 lbs each as well!!! Yes packing light is not my strength! But I brought a bunch of baby outfits, plus some toys (thanks Vicki!) & paper & stickers to label the kids beds (thanks to TT & MAMBI) & medical stuff. SO I will be MUCH lighter returning.
My nephew Marc met me at the airport & got me to the other terminal, helped me exchange $$ & brought me 12 pack of "Coke Light" aka diet cokes - for the week :) We found he Op Smile meeting place & then he & I went & had a nice "real mexican" dinner - Mole it was great. Then I had to get on the bus to come to Tlaxcala in the pouring rain - I guess it rains her most every afternoon or evening - it was actually nice. The bus ride was supposed to be 1 1/2 hours but it took us over 2 hours - there was crazy traffic that could compete with the 405 on a bad day. I spent most of the drive trying to get my phone to work....seems there was a system upgrade I needed to allow me to text so once again after I told everyone to text me cause its only 5 cents I havent had much luck - despite a lovely 45 min conversation with the verizon help desk! But I did just get a few from Doug so maybe there's hope.
The little pueblo (town) of Tlaxcala seems nice although it was dark when we arrived & we went direct to a 2 hour team mtg.....people that were here earlier said we are right in the middle of the pueblo & its very quaint. Supposedly there are some internet cafes near by so maybe tomorrow I will go there cause the internet at the hotel isnt working. Our team will have 80 people & 68 are from Mexico...yep wishing I had some spanish I could speak!
Tomorrow is our screening day & we are going to be set up outside a hospital under ez ups supposedly the hospital is "nice" but I have learned that word means different things to different people & cultures They expect only about 100 at screening tomorrow so we will see.
My roomate is Janet & she is an OR nurse from Florida & has done 8 missions so I am sure I will get some tips from her I am fairly certain that the man in the room next to us is a Mexican Opera Singer & he was practicing with his coach for about an hour tonight...sounded like he was right there in our room :) We just finished unpacking & Between Janet & I we can feed most of the team with the snacks we brought & several of the little ones will have a cute outfit & blanket from us - I brought outfits & she brought blankets....Its after midnite so I better get to bed....Buenos Noches!
Monday, September 5, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
A week from now I will be in Tlaxcala Mexico!
Wow - it doesn't seem possible but yes a week from now I will beat the Op Smile Team meeting in Tlaxcala Mexico. I have gotten 3 team mailings so I am getting more informed about this mission but since I just got home from vacation last night & these next 4 days are a little crazy before I fly to Utah Thurs night then fly from Utah to Mexico City Sun morning I am starting to feel a bit unprepared....
I have made list after list of what needs to happen...at CHOC, at home, packing, at my store etc to get me out of the door & leave things in order but the lists are a little daunting. I did start packing tonight (got my suitcase out & threw in 5 pairs of scrubs), I hit up the clearance areas at Kohls & old Navy last night & got some good deals on onesies in sizes 6-24 mos as they said we will be seeing alot of babies in this area. Have a trip to Target (for my stuff) & the 99 cent store for bubbles & toys on the plan for tomorrow, as well as right sided passport photos for my Mexican Medical License.
I found out a few things....Our hotel looks nice it is the is Mision San Francisco in Tlaxcala, Mexico. You can view the hotel online at http://www.hotelesmision.com/mexico/tlaxcala/tlaxcala/hotels/Hotel-Posada-San-Francisco/description.aspx The weather should be nice in September, temperatures in Tlaxacala will range from 55-70 °F/ for an average around 61°F & the coordinators who are already there prepping for the mission said it has been cool in the mornings & evenings. In bold they say something I already knew....Do not drink the tap water in Mexico.
Tlaxcala is about 80 miles east of Mexico City & is a town of about 75,000. It is home to three famous bullrings one seats up to 5,500 people and features a bullfighting museum. Not sure that I will get there but maybe?
There are 81 volunteers on our team & 68 are from Mexico or other South American Countries...so only 13 Americans or Canadians - yep I'm wishing I had better recall of my 2 years of high school Spanish or could have a 2 day crash course in conversational Spanish with the Rosetta Stone. I arrive in Mexico City at 3 on Sunday then am scheduled to take a bus at 5:30 for Tlaxcala. My nephew Marc is in Mexico City teaching at a private school & he is going to meet me at the airport & hang out w/ me the 2 hours I have there so I am really excited about that & having him there will get me off ot a good start - he's even going to meet me w/ a Diet Coke :)
The Mission Schedule is:
Sun: Team Mtg from 8-10 pm
Monday: be at the "hospital" for screening beginning at 7 am
Tues: OR & Recovery Room Set up for me while others continue screening
Wed/Thurs/Fri Surgery days - they hope to do 90 surgeries or about 30 per day so those will be long days & in the Recovery Room we are the last to leave at night
Sat: Team Day & farewell event - maybe that is when I will see the bullring?
Sunday the 11th I will take a bus back to Mexico City & then fly home to LA
I am really excited....just need some "extra help from above" to get things ready & me out the door Thursday night. Please keep me & the entire team in your prayers next week from Sept 4-11 - that we will be safe, that we will be able to provide care for the children & families in Mexico who come to us & that everyone on the team will be blessed in fulfilling their individual roles. I sort of think that going on these missions is like having babies...you forget how intense the work is & how long the days/nights will be but they remind us that
if we ever fel frustrated, remember what ultimatley inspires your work, and that everyone on the mission is working toward the same goal - while the work is long, hard & tiring the experience is uniquely rewarding :)
Next post will come from Mexico next week - wish me luck in packing
Nancy
I have made list after list of what needs to happen...at CHOC, at home, packing, at my store etc to get me out of the door & leave things in order but the lists are a little daunting. I did start packing tonight (got my suitcase out & threw in 5 pairs of scrubs), I hit up the clearance areas at Kohls & old Navy last night & got some good deals on onesies in sizes 6-24 mos as they said we will be seeing alot of babies in this area. Have a trip to Target (for my stuff) & the 99 cent store for bubbles & toys on the plan for tomorrow, as well as right sided passport photos for my Mexican Medical License.
I found out a few things....Our hotel looks nice it is the is Mision San Francisco in Tlaxcala, Mexico. You can view the hotel online at http://www.hotelesmision.com/mexico/tlaxcala/tlaxcala/hotels/Hotel-Posada-San-Francisco/description.aspx The weather should be nice in September, temperatures in Tlaxacala will range from 55-70 °F/ for an average around 61°F & the coordinators who are already there prepping for the mission said it has been cool in the mornings & evenings. In bold they say something I already knew....Do not drink the tap water in Mexico.
Tlaxcala is about 80 miles east of Mexico City & is a town of about 75,000. It is home to three famous bullrings one seats up to 5,500 people and features a bullfighting museum. Not sure that I will get there but maybe?
There are 81 volunteers on our team & 68 are from Mexico or other South American Countries...so only 13 Americans or Canadians - yep I'm wishing I had better recall of my 2 years of high school Spanish or could have a 2 day crash course in conversational Spanish with the Rosetta Stone. I arrive in Mexico City at 3 on Sunday then am scheduled to take a bus at 5:30 for Tlaxcala. My nephew Marc is in Mexico City teaching at a private school & he is going to meet me at the airport & hang out w/ me the 2 hours I have there so I am really excited about that & having him there will get me off ot a good start - he's even going to meet me w/ a Diet Coke :)
The Mission Schedule is:
Sun: Team Mtg from 8-10 pm
Monday: be at the "hospital" for screening beginning at 7 am
Tues: OR & Recovery Room Set up for me while others continue screening
Wed/Thurs/Fri Surgery days - they hope to do 90 surgeries or about 30 per day so those will be long days & in the Recovery Room we are the last to leave at night
Sat: Team Day & farewell event - maybe that is when I will see the bullring?
Sunday the 11th I will take a bus back to Mexico City & then fly home to LA
I am really excited....just need some "extra help from above" to get things ready & me out the door Thursday night. Please keep me & the entire team in your prayers next week from Sept 4-11 - that we will be safe, that we will be able to provide care for the children & families in Mexico who come to us & that everyone on the team will be blessed in fulfilling their individual roles. I sort of think that going on these missions is like having babies...you forget how intense the work is & how long the days/nights will be but they remind us that
if we ever fel frustrated, remember what ultimatley inspires your work, and that everyone on the mission is working toward the same goal - while the work is long, hard & tiring the experience is uniquely rewarding :)
Next post will come from Mexico next week - wish me luck in packing
Nancy
Monday, August 15, 2011
Here I go again.....
I guess I need to change a few things on the header of my blog....because HERE I GO AGAIN......I got another one of "those phone calls" this morning from Operation Smile...asking if I could join them as a recovery room nurse on an upcoming mission that takes place in just 3 weeks. This time the destination is Tlaxcala Mexico a small village about 75 miles outside of Mexico City. This is not a co-sponsored trip it is just an Op Smile trip but the Coordinator from my Africa trip was reviewing the LDS Social Services volunteer list from the Nakuru mission when another coordinator came up to her saying she needed a strong Recovery Room Nurse & my name came up & then I got the call. I have to say I was SUPER EXCITED...I quickly checked my CHOC Calender for conflicts then the family calender....I was scheduled to be in Salt Lake City for Labor Day weekend for Doug's Nutrition store grand Opening & to help Kelli set up her apartment. We fly in there Thurs night so I figured I could do all that Fri & Sat. The next schedule to check was with Sarah & her 1st day of school - her concerns - pictures & our tradition of homemade cookies after school...a few calls later & I think both of those can be covered. Next check talk to the COO of CHOC & see if what I would miss meeting wise was okay - alot of hesitance because i have quite a bit of responsibility these days but w hen I said I really felt strongly that I needed to do this & that it truly keeps me connected to my passion of caring for children the answer was YES...so by noon I had confirmed my participation to a trip to somewhere in Mexico I know nothing about. All I know is that I have been blessed with the talents I have & I will share those talents to bless the lives of others. It's gonna be a crazy few weeks - lots going on this week then vacation for a week, then home a week, Utah for a weekend & I will fly from Salt Lake City to Mexico City. Lots of paperwork to fill out tonight to get a Mexico Nursing License - who knew I needed one? But I am excited to go on another adventure...so grateful to my family who supports me in this & so grateful that I am blessed with this opportunity to serve....I will keep you posted as I know more :)
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Final Day of Surgery & the last 2 dresses
Last Day & Night in Nakuru & last day of the mission…wow where has the time gone??? I have worked about as hard as I did in Houston after Hurricane Katrina & I left there thinking there were still so many great needs & I felt the same way at the end of today but IT WAS A REALLY GREAT DAY!!! First of all after we got back late last night Donna told me that since our patients don’t hit the recovery room til about 9 & since we had the night we did that why didn’t I sleep in an extra hour & the “local nurses” who volunteer like shift work 7 am-7 pm could get things set up. I did not argue & felt like I was just given the best gift ever. So I slept in til 7 & then proceeded to take a taxi by myself to the hospital - the fare was $4 & it was quite a ride. The driver stopped at 2 different gas stations & got gas at the 2nd one….no idea why? The taxi drivers gas gages are always on empty I think its because they only put in the amount of fuel based on each ‘job” they get - they don’t have money to “fill up” - another simple thing we take for granted…having money for gas in our cars. The streets were totally bustling with activity…when we leave at 6:30 am & get back between 9 & 10 pm we miss all this activity & it is CRAZY!!!
A few things I have forgotten to write about in my blog…Jannae & I would text back & forth to coordinate patient from Recovery to Post Op they did have one phone in most wards - yep a rotary phone complete with the rotary dialing sound - the 1st time I used it I was instantly catapulted back in time to my childhood home on Memphis Ave in Whittier with our old rotary phone! I even took a picture with it! I think I forgot to blog about 2 patients yesterday…Gladys who was 6 mos old & from a distant Masai Tribe. Her mom & dad had traveled with her 1200 km (over a week) to get to us!!! She was put on the schedule for today & was so stinking cute..I know I took a picture of her with the child life specialist Donna (who I also adored!)
And yesterday I made several trips back & forth to post op & on my 1st trip outside the ward that connected to ours was a mom that I think our plastic surgeons helped & her 2 children..the little girl was about 3 & had beautiful sparkling brown eyes & the most beautiful smile & she waved at me as I walked by with a patient that I was taking in to the post op ward. On my way back to the “recovery room - I use that term lightly” I stopped & talked to her & her mom & found out her name was Faith & I was immediately in love!!! The next trip an hour or so later she was still out there so this time I asked if she would be there in another hour & that time I came back without a patient & with a dress for her - the cute striped one that had a little purse with it…she (& her mom) were so excited & grateful..I took MANY pictures - she was SO DARLING..Kelli & Sarah wanted me to bring An African baby home & if I could’ve I would because there were actually some moms who said this is my 5th or 6th child & I cant care for him/her so please take them…which many of us on the Op Smile International tram might have considered but there is a new law that you have to live in Kenya for 6 mos before you can adopt child. Personally I have always loved toddlers so if I could have I would have snatched Faith in a minute!!! But she had a very loving mother & perhaps that is why she was so happy J I was out of T shirts but I brought her brother some toys & he liked that too! Then today when I was taking some of our last patients to post op she was outside again & ran up to me & gave me a BIG HUG….ohh she made my day! (FYI any patient that can get outside does for the sun & also to get away from the pretty nasty stench that exists in all the wards)
Since it was our last day I brought all my scrubs with me to give to the nurses I was working with, I had also packed some other small gifts for them - they lack simple things we have all the time - bandage scissors are highly valued & I even brought & gave away a few stethoscopes. I even gave my VERY LARGE empty suitcase that brought all my dresses etc in it to John & he was going to use it to cart around baby manikins from place to place when he taught Pediatric Advanced Life support around Kenya J Nothing “extra” would go unused! When I got to the recovery room at 8:30 we hadn’t had our 1st patient yet so all I missed was my morning trip to the Post Op Ward. All the other Kenyan nurses in Recovery room (John & Florence Sr - both with Op Smile & then Florence Jr, Beatrice &Wamboi - 3 from this local hospital) gave me a really cute purse made in Kenya & gave Andreas a safari cap with “The Big 5” on it (the 5 animals you want to see on safari - rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo). It was so sweet of them J I asked about the mom from last night if she made it & they said they thought so but the staff didn’t want to talk about it & so I let it go & wanted to be respectful of that.
It was a shorter surgery day with the plan we would be done by 2 pm…and we were pretty close to that time frame. Many of the kids who came to be screened later in the week were on todays schedule so we ended with a lot of cleft lips & that seemed to make the entire team happy - a one year old patient w/ a cleft lip even showed up today & the baby hadn’t eaten so we added him on for surgery. Joyce was also scheduled for her burn dressing changes today under Genl anesthesia - the plastic surgeons knew this would be her last “Western medical Treatment opportunity” so I think they wanted to do all they could. They had one of the Kenyan general surgeons assist them so that perhaps he would follow her & help her continue to get care & heal well after we left. She had colored me a zebra that her mom gave me so I attached it to my Op Smile nametag & wore it all day J
I had a few dresses remaining so the students went with one of the hospital nurses & took them to another pediatric ward…it was great to be able to bless over 100 childrens lives with the clothes & toys I brought from the service of so many - I was simply the instrument to share the love of A LOT of really Christ like people in California….
The end of the surgery day came quickly compared to the 8 or 9 pm nights we were used to & even the last surgery on the 1 year old who arrived today was as important as the 1st to that child & family. When we were “all done” we basically dismantled the entire recovery room we had set up - monitors, equipment, meds everything & in about 90 min it was like we were never there (aside from 2 HUGE boxes of extra medical supplies we were leaving them)…. There was this sense that everyone just wanted to linger in the OR or at the hospital a little longer before we went back to the hotel.
I had 2 dresses still in my bag….and I wasn’t sure what to do with them….one of the locals was taking some extra toys back to a far away village so I thought maybe I would give them to him…then as I was walking to the front of the hospital to get to the bus I passed an adult ward & outside was a mom & 2 little girls…I stopped & gave them my last 2 dresses….it was the storybook ending to the 112 dresses….they held the dresses up to themselves & danced around & yes I took pictures!!!
Instead of taking the bus back John my Kenyan recovery room friend said I needed to ride in a “Tuk Tuk” so he got one & we went back to the hotel in this fun 3 wheeled cart. Reminded me of a golf cart w/ only 3 wheels & canvas flaps around it to enclose it - we got back to the hotel about 4:30 & the “Final Party” was at 6.…some of us went across the street to the “open market” to make some final purchases - ever since Monday the market wasn’t open when we left in the morning & was closed when we got back…I found my friend Moses & bough a hat for Doug from him as I had promised….I also got some final gifts for friends & family & found myself less concerned about “bartering” with them & mostly just wanting to give business to ones who were nice…paying an extra 100-200 shillings for something equals about $1-2 American….I am sure that the extra $20 or so I paid after all my shopping will have a bigger impact on their lives than mine at home.
The final party was nice….lots of speeches & thank yous from the Op Smile leadership, local Kenyan leaders in the country & in medicine - even the bus company owner who donated buses & drivers to take us back & forth every day & the people who cooked our lunch each day spoke .it takes SO MANY PEOPLE…yes an African Village worth to coordinate all the local details & needs of an Op Smile Mission The party/dinner ended about 11 but the “younger” team members continued the evening dancing at a local club near the hotel…as for me I needed to pack & even though I gave away so much stuff & offloaded one huge suitcase I filled up my 2 bags to come home. My “roommate” had left the day before so the last 2 nights I had my hotel room to myself & I just appreciated the quiet time to think about these 2 weeks & the truly amazing personal, spiritual, medical, emotional & truly “person to person” or “mom to mom” experiences I had….it has been a LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE to have been here on this mission & such a blessing in my life but…I do miss my family & will be ready to start the journey home in the morning.
A few things I have forgotten to write about in my blog…Jannae & I would text back & forth to coordinate patient from Recovery to Post Op they did have one phone in most wards - yep a rotary phone complete with the rotary dialing sound - the 1st time I used it I was instantly catapulted back in time to my childhood home on Memphis Ave in Whittier with our old rotary phone! I even took a picture with it! I think I forgot to blog about 2 patients yesterday…Gladys who was 6 mos old & from a distant Masai Tribe. Her mom & dad had traveled with her 1200 km (over a week) to get to us!!! She was put on the schedule for today & was so stinking cute..I know I took a picture of her with the child life specialist Donna (who I also adored!)
And yesterday I made several trips back & forth to post op & on my 1st trip outside the ward that connected to ours was a mom that I think our plastic surgeons helped & her 2 children..the little girl was about 3 & had beautiful sparkling brown eyes & the most beautiful smile & she waved at me as I walked by with a patient that I was taking in to the post op ward. On my way back to the “recovery room - I use that term lightly” I stopped & talked to her & her mom & found out her name was Faith & I was immediately in love!!! The next trip an hour or so later she was still out there so this time I asked if she would be there in another hour & that time I came back without a patient & with a dress for her - the cute striped one that had a little purse with it…she (& her mom) were so excited & grateful..I took MANY pictures - she was SO DARLING..Kelli & Sarah wanted me to bring An African baby home & if I could’ve I would because there were actually some moms who said this is my 5th or 6th child & I cant care for him/her so please take them…which many of us on the Op Smile International tram might have considered but there is a new law that you have to live in Kenya for 6 mos before you can adopt child. Personally I have always loved toddlers so if I could have I would have snatched Faith in a minute!!! But she had a very loving mother & perhaps that is why she was so happy J I was out of T shirts but I brought her brother some toys & he liked that too! Then today when I was taking some of our last patients to post op she was outside again & ran up to me & gave me a BIG HUG….ohh she made my day! (FYI any patient that can get outside does for the sun & also to get away from the pretty nasty stench that exists in all the wards)
Since it was our last day I brought all my scrubs with me to give to the nurses I was working with, I had also packed some other small gifts for them - they lack simple things we have all the time - bandage scissors are highly valued & I even brought & gave away a few stethoscopes. I even gave my VERY LARGE empty suitcase that brought all my dresses etc in it to John & he was going to use it to cart around baby manikins from place to place when he taught Pediatric Advanced Life support around Kenya J Nothing “extra” would go unused! When I got to the recovery room at 8:30 we hadn’t had our 1st patient yet so all I missed was my morning trip to the Post Op Ward. All the other Kenyan nurses in Recovery room (John & Florence Sr - both with Op Smile & then Florence Jr, Beatrice &Wamboi - 3 from this local hospital) gave me a really cute purse made in Kenya & gave Andreas a safari cap with “The Big 5” on it (the 5 animals you want to see on safari - rhino, lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo). It was so sweet of them J I asked about the mom from last night if she made it & they said they thought so but the staff didn’t want to talk about it & so I let it go & wanted to be respectful of that.
It was a shorter surgery day with the plan we would be done by 2 pm…and we were pretty close to that time frame. Many of the kids who came to be screened later in the week were on todays schedule so we ended with a lot of cleft lips & that seemed to make the entire team happy - a one year old patient w/ a cleft lip even showed up today & the baby hadn’t eaten so we added him on for surgery. Joyce was also scheduled for her burn dressing changes today under Genl anesthesia - the plastic surgeons knew this would be her last “Western medical Treatment opportunity” so I think they wanted to do all they could. They had one of the Kenyan general surgeons assist them so that perhaps he would follow her & help her continue to get care & heal well after we left. She had colored me a zebra that her mom gave me so I attached it to my Op Smile nametag & wore it all day J
I had a few dresses remaining so the students went with one of the hospital nurses & took them to another pediatric ward…it was great to be able to bless over 100 childrens lives with the clothes & toys I brought from the service of so many - I was simply the instrument to share the love of A LOT of really Christ like people in California….
The end of the surgery day came quickly compared to the 8 or 9 pm nights we were used to & even the last surgery on the 1 year old who arrived today was as important as the 1st to that child & family. When we were “all done” we basically dismantled the entire recovery room we had set up - monitors, equipment, meds everything & in about 90 min it was like we were never there (aside from 2 HUGE boxes of extra medical supplies we were leaving them)…. There was this sense that everyone just wanted to linger in the OR or at the hospital a little longer before we went back to the hotel.
I had 2 dresses still in my bag….and I wasn’t sure what to do with them….one of the locals was taking some extra toys back to a far away village so I thought maybe I would give them to him…then as I was walking to the front of the hospital to get to the bus I passed an adult ward & outside was a mom & 2 little girls…I stopped & gave them my last 2 dresses….it was the storybook ending to the 112 dresses….they held the dresses up to themselves & danced around & yes I took pictures!!!
Instead of taking the bus back John my Kenyan recovery room friend said I needed to ride in a “Tuk Tuk” so he got one & we went back to the hotel in this fun 3 wheeled cart. Reminded me of a golf cart w/ only 3 wheels & canvas flaps around it to enclose it - we got back to the hotel about 4:30 & the “Final Party” was at 6.…some of us went across the street to the “open market” to make some final purchases - ever since Monday the market wasn’t open when we left in the morning & was closed when we got back…I found my friend Moses & bough a hat for Doug from him as I had promised….I also got some final gifts for friends & family & found myself less concerned about “bartering” with them & mostly just wanting to give business to ones who were nice…paying an extra 100-200 shillings for something equals about $1-2 American….I am sure that the extra $20 or so I paid after all my shopping will have a bigger impact on their lives than mine at home.
The final party was nice….lots of speeches & thank yous from the Op Smile leadership, local Kenyan leaders in the country & in medicine - even the bus company owner who donated buses & drivers to take us back & forth every day & the people who cooked our lunch each day spoke .it takes SO MANY PEOPLE…yes an African Village worth to coordinate all the local details & needs of an Op Smile Mission The party/dinner ended about 11 but the “younger” team members continued the evening dancing at a local club near the hotel…as for me I needed to pack & even though I gave away so much stuff & offloaded one huge suitcase I filled up my 2 bags to come home. My “roommate” had left the day before so the last 2 nights I had my hotel room to myself & I just appreciated the quiet time to think about these 2 weeks & the truly amazing personal, spiritual, medical, emotional & truly “person to person” or “mom to mom” experiences I had….it has been a LIFE CHANGING EXPERIENCE to have been here on this mission & such a blessing in my life but…I do miss my family & will be ready to start the journey home in the morning.
Saturday, April 9, 2011
Is it really THURSDAY????
THURSDAY…at least that is what I am told. I really have lost track of the days!!! Because of all the computer issues I have been having I am trying to get this written on a 15 min break I am taking while we have a lul & then at some point when the http://www/... figures out I am here in Nakuru & the internet Gods decide to let me connect I will hit "post" for all I know that may be when I get home!!!
It was a pretty “normal mission day” today & by Wednesday it seemed we were all in our “groove” other than the occasional “emotional case” or some of the day to day funny things that happen Really I almost felt it was running like clockwork here in Nakuru despite the fact we are in a somewhat primitive environment (probably advanced compared to other 3rd world countries). Everyone was doing their job & doing it well & working so great together - seriously not one person with an attitude. The team is awesome - an amazing group of people from all over the world.
The biggest difference in both a good & challenging way is that for the Kenyans the “Hakuna Matata” attitude that is very real…there is no sense of urgency for anything & some of the people have a “minimalist” approach to their work & their breaks are VERY important to them…we start work at 7 & at between about 10:30 & 11:30 everyone gets out of the Recovery Room for tea…no matter what…then there is lunch about 3ish & again about 4-5 everyone goes for tea. And it was a BIG deal because all the Op Smile volunteers were “taking tea” in the Doctors Tea Room near the OR & ICU. As you can imagine it frustrated them greatly that I didn’t want to “go for tea“ aka take a break every 3 hours….instead if it was slow I was poking my head in the OR or asking if anyone needed help…I always went to lunch & some days did take an afternoon break for a diet coke & trail mix and for me that was great cause I enjoyed stating busy and being near the kids. I didnt travel 10,000 miles to "take tea" :) but I also regocnized the importance of "hanging out" with the locals in the tea room & getting to know them better so I did that & also looked for ways to spend time with them whenever I could. I have some great notes all about the people & nursing in Kenya that I will write about another time!
As far as the "Hakuna Matata" life ...when Andeas (our intensivist) wanted to move patients to post op cause we had some “incoming” in the next 20 min & we already full I would be the one to volunteer to take patients to the post op ward - my 100 yd walk just to be able to “take in” everything going on at the hospital & to see my friend Jannae in Post Op. The other nurses wanted the post op nurses to come pick the patients up from us but Post Op was always slammed (that by the way I think is the hardest job of the mission ) so I would go & convince one of them to go with me “for a walk“. So basically all my Kenyan co workers said I worked too hard…but for me it was perfect!!! They do however LOVE the fact that I brought an IPOD & speakers & we have had music in the recovery room for the whole time. In that small room when we have 5-6 patients 2 to a bed most of them crying & the surgeons & anesthesia in there giving us report the noise level does get a bit high though so I turn it off!!! They are also a VERY friendly people & we laugh & joke all the time when we have down time between patients & are setting up for the next ones.
Because of all the extra screening we had done Mon-Wed we ended up cancelling some of the Category 5 adult cases (about 30) and adding on more kids with lips & palates…which is great because that is our primary mission…and we did A LOT of surgeries related to burns..so sad . My friends from KSL left yesterday…I cant wait to watch their piece on our mission and today the 2 high students got to come in the OR & see cases - they were so excited & they have been a fun addition to the team. Karina from San Clemente (who I traveled with) & Century from Norfolk VA.
My FUN patient for today was a 12 year old named Ann…as she came out of anesthesia she kept asking “is my smile beautiful now” and told us she had a good sleep & no pain & kept saying “God Bless You, God Bless the Doctors, I Love You, God Bless You” she was SO SWEET..I gave her a cute dress & took her picture then showed it to her on my viewer on the back of my camera - she made my day!
Also today Florence an ICU nurse at this hospital & one of my co workers said to me yesterday & today that she brought her 3 year old son for screening because of 2 fused fingers after he burnt them (this is very common because I think with the burns they wrap the hand & burned fingers together & then they fuse as they heal). He was a Category 5 but she wondered why he wasn’t put on the schedule because other Cat 5 children like that were scheduled on the end of most days. It FINALLY struck me that I should advocate for her & her son as she would think it not appropriate to ask herself. I explained the situation to Donna our coordinator & she told me to get the chart so I asked Florence what her son’s # was (each child that comes thru is given a # that becomes their medical record #) it was #143 so I went & got the chart & took it to Donna & Dan the Medical Coordinator. I explained Florence was volunteering here all week (took work off without pay) & she has done other Kenyan missions. Even though she & her husband both work they cannot afford even this simple surgery. I told them that either way yes or no I thought she would appreciate knowing they looked again at his chart I let it go from there & about 10 min later Donna came into the Recovery Room & told Florence they were adding her son to the Friday schedule & could she get him here later today for labwork. Florence said of course & then came & gave me a HUGE HUG told me what a difference it would make in his life….such a SIMPLE thing to ask for something for someone who might not ask for themself.
It was a pretty “normal mission day” today & by Wednesday it seemed we were all in our “groove” other than the occasional “emotional case” or some of the day to day funny things that happen Really I almost felt it was running like clockwork here in Nakuru despite the fact we are in a somewhat primitive environment (probably advanced compared to other 3rd world countries). Everyone was doing their job & doing it well & working so great together - seriously not one person with an attitude. The team is awesome - an amazing group of people from all over the world.
The biggest difference in both a good & challenging way is that for the Kenyans the “Hakuna Matata” attitude that is very real…there is no sense of urgency for anything & some of the people have a “minimalist” approach to their work & their breaks are VERY important to them…we start work at 7 & at between about 10:30 & 11:30 everyone gets out of the Recovery Room for tea…no matter what…then there is lunch about 3ish & again about 4-5 everyone goes for tea. And it was a BIG deal because all the Op Smile volunteers were “taking tea” in the Doctors Tea Room near the OR & ICU. As you can imagine it frustrated them greatly that I didn’t want to “go for tea“ aka take a break every 3 hours….instead if it was slow I was poking my head in the OR or asking if anyone needed help…I always went to lunch & some days did take an afternoon break for a diet coke & trail mix and for me that was great cause I enjoyed stating busy and being near the kids. I didnt travel 10,000 miles to "take tea" :) but I also regocnized the importance of "hanging out" with the locals in the tea room & getting to know them better so I did that & also looked for ways to spend time with them whenever I could. I have some great notes all about the people & nursing in Kenya that I will write about another time!
As far as the "Hakuna Matata" life ...when Andeas (our intensivist) wanted to move patients to post op cause we had some “incoming” in the next 20 min & we already full I would be the one to volunteer to take patients to the post op ward - my 100 yd walk just to be able to “take in” everything going on at the hospital & to see my friend Jannae in Post Op. The other nurses wanted the post op nurses to come pick the patients up from us but Post Op was always slammed (that by the way I think is the hardest job of the mission ) so I would go & convince one of them to go with me “for a walk“. So basically all my Kenyan co workers said I worked too hard…but for me it was perfect!!! They do however LOVE the fact that I brought an IPOD & speakers & we have had music in the recovery room for the whole time. In that small room when we have 5-6 patients 2 to a bed most of them crying & the surgeons & anesthesia in there giving us report the noise level does get a bit high though so I turn it off!!! They are also a VERY friendly people & we laugh & joke all the time when we have down time between patients & are setting up for the next ones.
Because of all the extra screening we had done Mon-Wed we ended up cancelling some of the Category 5 adult cases (about 30) and adding on more kids with lips & palates…which is great because that is our primary mission…and we did A LOT of surgeries related to burns..so sad . My friends from KSL left yesterday…I cant wait to watch their piece on our mission and today the 2 high students got to come in the OR & see cases - they were so excited & they have been a fun addition to the team. Karina from San Clemente (who I traveled with) & Century from Norfolk VA.
My FUN patient for today was a 12 year old named Ann…as she came out of anesthesia she kept asking “is my smile beautiful now” and told us she had a good sleep & no pain & kept saying “God Bless You, God Bless the Doctors, I Love You, God Bless You” she was SO SWEET..I gave her a cute dress & took her picture then showed it to her on my viewer on the back of my camera - she made my day!
Also today Florence an ICU nurse at this hospital & one of my co workers said to me yesterday & today that she brought her 3 year old son for screening because of 2 fused fingers after he burnt them (this is very common because I think with the burns they wrap the hand & burned fingers together & then they fuse as they heal). He was a Category 5 but she wondered why he wasn’t put on the schedule because other Cat 5 children like that were scheduled on the end of most days. It FINALLY struck me that I should advocate for her & her son as she would think it not appropriate to ask herself. I explained the situation to Donna our coordinator & she told me to get the chart so I asked Florence what her son’s # was (each child that comes thru is given a # that becomes their medical record #) it was #143 so I went & got the chart & took it to Donna & Dan the Medical Coordinator. I explained Florence was volunteering here all week (took work off without pay) & she has done other Kenyan missions. Even though she & her husband both work they cannot afford even this simple surgery. I told them that either way yes or no I thought she would appreciate knowing they looked again at his chart I let it go from there & about 10 min later Donna came into the Recovery Room & told Florence they were adding her son to the Friday schedule & could she get him here later today for labwork. Florence said of course & then came & gave me a HUGE HUG told me what a difference it would make in his life….such a SIMPLE thing to ask for something for someone who might not ask for themself.
Thursday Part 2....warning this is sad so skip if you want
Never would I have imagined….WARNING….this blog is somewhat a journal of my experiences & while I have not put “everything” in it & have scribbled some notes of things & experiences I will write about later elsewhere for myself this is the easiest way & place for me to “journal” & I need to do this now…what I will write here was VERY SAD SO PLEASE JUST SKIP OVER IT IF YOU LIKE & I DID NOT POST IT ON FACEBOOK as an update.
I was ending what I thought was a very “normal” Thursday…I had written the earlier post for today about 5 pm when we had a 20 min lull & now it was 8:30 I am outting that post ahead of this one). Florence Sr. & I were waiting for our last 2 patients to come out of the OR & John had taken the previous patient to post op. The hospital had “staged” patients for surgery in the hallway all week - usually with no IV, no O2 & no medical person ever anywhere nearby so I noticed a woman on a trolley (gurney) & didn’t think anything of it. Florence went to check on the patients in the OR to see if they were close to being done & I was picking up from a busy day & setting up for tomorrow. When Florence went by the woman she was flailing her arms & not coherent - she called me for help & we wheeled her into our Recovery area put oxygen on her & put her on our monitor she was in pretty significant shock so we called Andreas (our intensivist) he yelled out to the hospital staff “does anyone know what is wrong with this patient” as we started an IV…someone at some point told us she was 36 weeks pregnant & was just brought here from the maternity ward where she had been having seizures (perhaps from Pre-Eclampsia) & was given medicine there (that’s why she was floppy) & now they were going to do an emergency C-Section cause they also thought she had a ruptured uterus??? Obviously “emergency C-Section” is the US is rush them in & get the baby out…here it was wait 30 plus minutes for the doctors to arrive & then start treatment??? We had no way to check on the baby but we gave the mom fluids, Andreas & an Op Smile Anesthesiologist intubated her & then theKenyan doctors came…it was about 10-15 min after we first discovered her….and somewhere in there we lost power & lights for a few minutes.
They wheeled the mom in the OR & Andreas told me & Donna who was there by now to prepare to receive & resuscitate the baby…so we did, got fluids, oxygen, suction, towels, drugs, airway & intubation all set up…about 5 min later they brought in a very limp little girl & also said the cord was around the neck. We immediately tried to resuscitate her according to the best American critical care standards - doing CPR & using all we had set up…we got an IV line in & gave drugs etc etc…we worked on her for about 10 min w/o success. It was so emotionally difficult on so many levels for so many reasons…what would have happened normally in this scenario if we hadn’t intervened? Is this what they always do with their patients? We intervened & still the baby died - if she had any chance we gave her the best one possible, if she was in another country the scene would have played out so differently & I know she would likely have lived. And in the middle of all of this going on our 2 patients came out of the OR & Teresa the plastic surgery resident on the team was so great she walked in & said “Nancy what can I do to help” & I just said recover that patient you just brought me & she said she had no idea what to do but she did great. This really is an amazing team!!!
When we could do nothing more for the baby we wrapped her in a pretty pink blanket (one of the blankets we have been giving each child all week) & the “on duty” Kenyan OR nurse took the baby to “the maternity ward” I didn’t know why they took the baby there & asked Florence & she said that the mother wouldn’t believe her baby had “passed” unless she saw it.
Andreas quickly turned his attention to the mom in the operating room & from his voice I could tell it wasn’t going well…he told me to bring all the IV fluids I had & then asked for a few drugs as well. The situation in there stabilized somewhat & we left with her still in the operating room…we all walked quietly to the bus that had gone to the hotel & then come back for us & was waiting there. I got on the elevator & just couldn’t hold back the tears…I went to Jannaes room cause I just felt like I had to tell or debrief with someone & she was so supportive….never in my mind could I have imagined a situation like this…but we did all we could - I know that for sure…still at the end of a LONG day it was difficult to process…I have so many questions for the Kenyan nurses I will be asking tomorrow
I was ending what I thought was a very “normal” Thursday…I had written the earlier post for today about 5 pm when we had a 20 min lull & now it was 8:30 I am outting that post ahead of this one). Florence Sr. & I were waiting for our last 2 patients to come out of the OR & John had taken the previous patient to post op. The hospital had “staged” patients for surgery in the hallway all week - usually with no IV, no O2 & no medical person ever anywhere nearby so I noticed a woman on a trolley (gurney) & didn’t think anything of it. Florence went to check on the patients in the OR to see if they were close to being done & I was picking up from a busy day & setting up for tomorrow. When Florence went by the woman she was flailing her arms & not coherent - she called me for help & we wheeled her into our Recovery area put oxygen on her & put her on our monitor she was in pretty significant shock so we called Andreas (our intensivist) he yelled out to the hospital staff “does anyone know what is wrong with this patient” as we started an IV…someone at some point told us she was 36 weeks pregnant & was just brought here from the maternity ward where she had been having seizures (perhaps from Pre-Eclampsia) & was given medicine there (that’s why she was floppy) & now they were going to do an emergency C-Section cause they also thought she had a ruptured uterus??? Obviously “emergency C-Section” is the US is rush them in & get the baby out…here it was wait 30 plus minutes for the doctors to arrive & then start treatment??? We had no way to check on the baby but we gave the mom fluids, Andreas & an Op Smile Anesthesiologist intubated her & then theKenyan doctors came…it was about 10-15 min after we first discovered her….and somewhere in there we lost power & lights for a few minutes.
They wheeled the mom in the OR & Andreas told me & Donna who was there by now to prepare to receive & resuscitate the baby…so we did, got fluids, oxygen, suction, towels, drugs, airway & intubation all set up…about 5 min later they brought in a very limp little girl & also said the cord was around the neck. We immediately tried to resuscitate her according to the best American critical care standards - doing CPR & using all we had set up…we got an IV line in & gave drugs etc etc…we worked on her for about 10 min w/o success. It was so emotionally difficult on so many levels for so many reasons…what would have happened normally in this scenario if we hadn’t intervened? Is this what they always do with their patients? We intervened & still the baby died - if she had any chance we gave her the best one possible, if she was in another country the scene would have played out so differently & I know she would likely have lived. And in the middle of all of this going on our 2 patients came out of the OR & Teresa the plastic surgery resident on the team was so great she walked in & said “Nancy what can I do to help” & I just said recover that patient you just brought me & she said she had no idea what to do but she did great. This really is an amazing team!!!
When we could do nothing more for the baby we wrapped her in a pretty pink blanket (one of the blankets we have been giving each child all week) & the “on duty” Kenyan OR nurse took the baby to “the maternity ward” I didn’t know why they took the baby there & asked Florence & she said that the mother wouldn’t believe her baby had “passed” unless she saw it.
Andreas quickly turned his attention to the mom in the operating room & from his voice I could tell it wasn’t going well…he told me to bring all the IV fluids I had & then asked for a few drugs as well. The situation in there stabilized somewhat & we left with her still in the operating room…we all walked quietly to the bus that had gone to the hotel & then come back for us & was waiting there. I got on the elevator & just couldn’t hold back the tears…I went to Jannaes room cause I just felt like I had to tell or debrief with someone & she was so supportive….never in my mind could I have imagined a situation like this…but we did all we could - I know that for sure…still at the end of a LONG day it was difficult to process…I have so many questions for the Kenyan nurses I will be asking tomorrow
Thursday, April 7, 2011
REVISED!!! Joyce got surgery & I was back from the hospital & at the hotel by 9!
Okay well I started this post last night & then the internet went out (as happens about every 15 min here & only part of it saved so it's morning now & I will post what I have & try to catch up later.
Today was 2 hours shorter than yesterday & I got back to the hotel just before 9 pm which was SO NICE!!! The BIG news of the day was that Joyce the little girl w/ the burns got surgery todays she was the one who I blogged about on Monday??? (I think it was then the days have all blended together!)
I guess the plastic surgeons talked yesterday sometime & decided thay could do some skin grafting for her...I was super excited when I saw them walk her into the OR mid morning - it was a 3 hour OR case and they did grafts to her scalp & both forearms. I took care of her in Recovery & we kept her in recovery for 3 hours just because she needed closer monitoring than they could do in the post op area. They had given her alot of anesthesia in the OR so her pain was well managed & she did really well post op coming out of anesthesia except for some temperature issues - & we even held down her post op pain pain. She definitely has a long road & likely many more surgeries ahead of her but it is nice to think that we got her started on the road to recovery. I have to believe that she got a better start w/ the Op Smile surgeons & team than she would have with the local doctors.
Medical care her is WAY different than in the US....first of all they have little to no supplies or equipment available - we have to lock up all our supplies every night so that the hospital staff don't "borrow" them. Monday I made the mistake of not putting away the gloves that were in the boxes we taped to the ends of the bed & Tues morning when we came in there were no gloves in the boxes....and this morning the alcohol wipes were gone??? It makes no sense cause Op Smile will leave at this local "hospital" most all of our extra consumable supplies (except some of the drugs) but I guess there are some desperate needs. Also here in Kenya if you have someone in the hospital then you basically take care of them...bring them all their food & wash their clothes, so there are wash buckets & clotheslines outside all the "wards" & the hospital provides the "medical care" & juice or tea. Also this morning when we were setting up the Recovery Room they were doing a C-Section in the one OR room that the hospital is using (we are using the other 3 rooms & have 2 OR tables going in 2 of the larger rooms for a total of 5 tables) but they are all kinda connected. Most of the C-Sections are done in another OR (or Theatre as they call it here) so I am not sure why this one was here..perhaps a tender mercy for this mom. Anyway in the OR room they were doing the C-Section Delivery in the baby was delivered "blue & limp". According to one of the Op SMILE OR nurses the Kenyan delivery team all just sort of shook their heads. She yelled to us in the recovery room & we went in & with some stimulation & a little suction & blow by oxygen the baby perked up in a few minutes - It was a BOY!!! What we did was just "the basics" in the US & here it was almost advanced care. All day I wondered if they would have just let that little boy die???
I didn't get to the post op ward until later in the day - so I missed seeing alot of yesterdays patients since the cleft lip patients go home after one day & the cleft palate patients go home after 2 days. I did get to see a darling little girl we had the other day who had to stay an extra day because of some respiratory problems. We nicknamed her "Miss Kenya" in the recovery room! When I have them in the recovery room they are drowsy & out of it or crying...by the next day you can see their sweet personalities. I counted all the girl patients on the OR schedule for the next 2 days & went thru all the dresses I have left & then realized I will probably have about 30 extra. The 2 high school students who are with us are going to an orphanage today so I gave the extra dresses to them & a bunch of bubbles to give out...they say they will take pictures. The needs here are so vast & I feel like I don't even have a full comprehension of it...especailly those who live in remote villages.
One part of this post that didnt get saved was that at leat a dozen people usually older men have asked me if I have been to the small village not far from here in Nakuru where President Obama was born...another dozen mostly women have told me that he comes from "their tribe" there are abut 42 tribes in Kenya I am told & now this one has gained stature, & still others have asked how I like having their "Native Son" as my President. They definitely have Obama Fever here he's on T Shirts, Posters & there is even Obama Bubble gum with pictures of him & his family on the packages. I'm just saying that I know the US Govt did their part to investigate where he was born & decided it was Hawaii but they might want to just come to Kenya and chat with a few people here...
Today was 2 hours shorter than yesterday & I got back to the hotel just before 9 pm which was SO NICE!!! The BIG news of the day was that Joyce the little girl w/ the burns got surgery todays she was the one who I blogged about on Monday??? (I think it was then the days have all blended together!)
I guess the plastic surgeons talked yesterday sometime & decided thay could do some skin grafting for her...I was super excited when I saw them walk her into the OR mid morning - it was a 3 hour OR case and they did grafts to her scalp & both forearms. I took care of her in Recovery & we kept her in recovery for 3 hours just because she needed closer monitoring than they could do in the post op area. They had given her alot of anesthesia in the OR so her pain was well managed & she did really well post op coming out of anesthesia except for some temperature issues - & we even held down her post op pain pain. She definitely has a long road & likely many more surgeries ahead of her but it is nice to think that we got her started on the road to recovery. I have to believe that she got a better start w/ the Op Smile surgeons & team than she would have with the local doctors.
Medical care her is WAY different than in the US....first of all they have little to no supplies or equipment available - we have to lock up all our supplies every night so that the hospital staff don't "borrow" them. Monday I made the mistake of not putting away the gloves that were in the boxes we taped to the ends of the bed & Tues morning when we came in there were no gloves in the boxes....and this morning the alcohol wipes were gone??? It makes no sense cause Op Smile will leave at this local "hospital" most all of our extra consumable supplies (except some of the drugs) but I guess there are some desperate needs. Also here in Kenya if you have someone in the hospital then you basically take care of them...bring them all their food & wash their clothes, so there are wash buckets & clotheslines outside all the "wards" & the hospital provides the "medical care" & juice or tea. Also this morning when we were setting up the Recovery Room they were doing a C-Section in the one OR room that the hospital is using (we are using the other 3 rooms & have 2 OR tables going in 2 of the larger rooms for a total of 5 tables) but they are all kinda connected. Most of the C-Sections are done in another OR (or Theatre as they call it here) so I am not sure why this one was here..perhaps a tender mercy for this mom. Anyway in the OR room they were doing the C-Section Delivery in the baby was delivered "blue & limp". According to one of the Op SMILE OR nurses the Kenyan delivery team all just sort of shook their heads. She yelled to us in the recovery room & we went in & with some stimulation & a little suction & blow by oxygen the baby perked up in a few minutes - It was a BOY!!! What we did was just "the basics" in the US & here it was almost advanced care. All day I wondered if they would have just let that little boy die???
I didn't get to the post op ward until later in the day - so I missed seeing alot of yesterdays patients since the cleft lip patients go home after one day & the cleft palate patients go home after 2 days. I did get to see a darling little girl we had the other day who had to stay an extra day because of some respiratory problems. We nicknamed her "Miss Kenya" in the recovery room! When I have them in the recovery room they are drowsy & out of it or crying...by the next day you can see their sweet personalities. I counted all the girl patients on the OR schedule for the next 2 days & went thru all the dresses I have left & then realized I will probably have about 30 extra. The 2 high school students who are with us are going to an orphanage today so I gave the extra dresses to them & a bunch of bubbles to give out...they say they will take pictures. The needs here are so vast & I feel like I don't even have a full comprehension of it...especailly those who live in remote villages.
One part of this post that didnt get saved was that at leat a dozen people usually older men have asked me if I have been to the small village not far from here in Nakuru where President Obama was born...another dozen mostly women have told me that he comes from "their tribe" there are abut 42 tribes in Kenya I am told & now this one has gained stature, & still others have asked how I like having their "Native Son" as my President. They definitely have Obama Fever here he's on T Shirts, Posters & there is even Obama Bubble gum with pictures of him & his family on the packages. I'm just saying that I know the US Govt did their part to investigate where he was born & decided it was Hawaii but they might want to just come to Kenya and chat with a few people here...
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