Okay, you may think this has been a really hard working week..and you are right. 
Today, we started off with the Haitian General Surgeon doing a radical prostectomy with his staff and our anesthesia. Meanwhile, we were all seeing clinic and driving LeeAnn and Tim crazy as we brought multiple
people into the clinic area. The 34 week preemie that we delivered hasn't been eating and after extensive discussion was loaded into a car with her mother and sent to Port Au Prince. On the return trip, Tim brought back 8 patients from LeGone (spelling very questionable). This area was very near the epicenter of the earthquake and is south of PAP. We recieved these patients at about 4:30 and sprang into action. Susan and I triaged 6 of the patients. We removed casts and external fixators. Several of the patients will need surgery by the team replacing us.
Today, we started off with the Haitian General Surgeon doing a radical prostectomy with his staff and our anesthesia. Meanwhile, we were all seeing clinic and driving LeeAnn and Tim crazy as we brought multiple
people into the clinic area. The 34 week preemie that we delivered hasn't been eating and after extensive discussion was loaded into a car with her mother and sent to Port Au Prince. On the return trip, Tim brought back 8 patients from LeGone (spelling very questionable). This area was very near the epicenter of the earthquake and is south of PAP. We recieved these patients at about 4:30 and sprang into action. Susan and I triaged 6 of the patients. We removed casts and external fixators. Several of the patients will need surgery by the team replacing us. Prior to receiving all these patients, Annie, who runs an orphanage and is self described as the bipolar mother theresa on a rowing machine, invited us to her orphanage. We went there and met her children, then walked about 7 minutes down to the ocean and went swi
mming. Within minutes we were surrounded by a hoard of children from a refugee camp who came in the water and swam with us. They laughed as they were tossed the air...and I thought boys will be boys! We then went with Annie to Club Indigo where we indulged in a beer and considered the irony of having a manicured lawn, guard with a rifle, and the outside l
ife. As we returned to the compound, Tim and al were right behind us. Annie is truely amazing. She has been here for 15 years, funds her orphanage, and after the earthquake is taking in children with amputations. The most touching young man was about 8. He is the only survivor from his family and was pulled from the rubble after 4 days. His baby brother had laid on his left arm and he ended up having his left arm amputated. He is now in school and seems to accept that his parents are gone. He also had head injuries that are almost healed. All of the children seemed happy. It is truly incredible what Annie and her husband Mark have been able to achieve.
After finishing with all our new additions, we went as a group to Club Indigo and had a buffet dinner. Good thing as the "cooks" had been given the day off! It is amazing that within 10 minutes of the clinic, there are several western style resorts. They charge western prices and apparently many of the UN are staying there and taking busses into PAP every day. Steve, the missionary at Pierre Payen, attacked the food. This is the special treat he looks forward to every week. We went i
n the back of the large truck that we came from PAP. This is the same truck that we will head back to PAP tomorrow morning at 6:30am. So, everyone is frantically getting emails and addresses. Many of the very bright young Haitians we have come in contact with are trying to find a way to get to the US to get the GED and then get into college. Many of the translators working here are very very bright and it is sad that their options are limited. RoseMay has already worked out a situation in the US. Others would like to. I think it is important to Haiti that their best and brightest have the opportunity for education and then return to make Haiti better. I am off to a night with donkeys braying, roosters crowing and Ruth snorring! We head back tomorrow and will sleep in real beds tomorrow night. Junior has been moved to the "penthouse" which is a large well ventilated room at the front of the hospital. He continues to improve daily. The maleria woman and the elderly GI bleed man have gone home. As each patient leaves, their family leaves. This changes the compostition of the children. All of us would adopt Louie...but he left 2 days ago with his grandmother.
PS...the concensus is that I snore louder than Ruth... I find this difficult to believe because as far as I know I do NOT snore. I do know that her bed squeaks a lot more than my cot!
Naomi
mming. Within minutes we were surrounded by a hoard of children from a refugee camp who came in the water and swam with us. They laughed as they were tossed the air...and I thought boys will be boys! We then went with Annie to Club Indigo where we indulged in a beer and considered the irony of having a manicured lawn, guard with a rifle, and the outside l
ife. As we returned to the compound, Tim and al were right behind us. Annie is truely amazing. She has been here for 15 years, funds her orphanage, and after the earthquake is taking in children with amputations. The most touching young man was about 8. He is the only survivor from his family and was pulled from the rubble after 4 days. His baby brother had laid on his left arm and he ended up having his left arm amputated. He is now in school and seems to accept that his parents are gone. He also had head injuries that are almost healed. All of the children seemed happy. It is truly incredible what Annie and her husband Mark have been able to achieve.After finishing with all our new additions, we went as a group to Club Indigo and had a buffet dinner. Good thing as the "cooks" had been given the day off! It is amazing that within 10 minutes of the clinic, there are several western style resorts. They charge western prices and apparently many of the UN are staying there and taking busses into PAP every day. Steve, the missionary at Pierre Payen, attacked the food. This is the special treat he looks forward to every week. We went i
n the back of the large truck that we came from PAP. This is the same truck that we will head back to PAP tomorrow morning at 6:30am. So, everyone is frantically getting emails and addresses. Many of the very bright young Haitians we have come in contact with are trying to find a way to get to the US to get the GED and then get into college. Many of the translators working here are very very bright and it is sad that their options are limited. RoseMay has already worked out a situation in the US. Others would like to. I think it is important to Haiti that their best and brightest have the opportunity for education and then return to make Haiti better. I am off to a night with donkeys braying, roosters crowing and Ruth snorring! We head back tomorrow and will sleep in real beds tomorrow night. Junior has been moved to the "penthouse" which is a large well ventilated room at the front of the hospital. He continues to improve daily. The maleria woman and the elderly GI bleed man have gone home. As each patient leaves, their family leaves. This changes the compostition of the children. All of us would adopt Louie...but he left 2 days ago with his grandmother.PS...the concensus is that I snore louder than Ruth... I find this difficult to believe because as far as I know I do NOT snore. I do know that her bed squeaks a lot more than my cot!
Naomi
Ruth really does snore more than I do!!
ReplyDelete