10 February 2011 (0710)
Sunday was a wonderful day! I went to nurse Ophree's house. It was a nicer house with running water and a loving family. Her 2 sisters, brother, cousin, and brother-in-law lived there. Her sister has an adorable 4-month old baby boy. We cooked, played with the baby, Orphee did her laundry (and I watched how they do it by hand), and talked. I just bring my dictionary to help facilitate any words I don't know. What is so amazing is how hospitable and giving people are who have less than me versus Americans who have way more. Granted all of her family seemed to have well-off jobs, I know the nurses make equivalent to about $125 USD per month at this hospital. Orphee refused to let me pay for anything (the tap-tap ride, food, etc) even though I'm the one who asked to visit her. When I got there she gave me a different outfit and shoes to cook in. All of her siblings spoke a little English. And her house had a beautiful view of the ocean.
And then when I got home, everyone was heading out to watch the superbowel. So we stuffed 8 people into a 5-seater car to drive up to Penionville (where all the rich people live). It was a 1-hour crazy drive with Sam. But, we got there and back. I mostly was just updating my blog, especially since they couldn't get the superbowel until the very end. They had blocked in over the satellite, but finally they figured out they could get in on the local TV, go figure haha! Some carnival things were going on that night, so the streets were packed at 10pm.
This work week has been a nice relaxed pace because there has been no anesthesia. Dr. Terry left yesterday for 2.5 weeks and the next ortho doctor comes tonight. We have only 2 patients here- one car accident with femur fracture and another women who had her femur rod replaced. She needs blood today, but that's about it. It will be a good day to catch up on random things.
I've been staying over at one of our younger female Haitian doctors house, Spendie. Her younger brother and sister live there too. Their mom lives in the states, so she keeps an eye on them (one is 18, the other 22). I have to say, the way people have respect for their parents & older siblings is nice. It just keeps things functioning better. We have lost that in many American families. Spendie said she knows it's harder on her young siblings to not have their mom, but she's trying her best to get them through school and find a decent job. Again, the hospitality she provided me you would have thought I was someone important lol. She gave me a scarf she bought for herself, food to eat and to take home, and a pillow to sit on the chair. It's fun to get away from the hospital and get to know her. Their house also has running water and electricity (when the government puts it on). It's got a quaint courtyard. I've been enjoying doing bible study, prayers, and hymns together with them every morning and night. They all have bed frames with huge pieces of foam for the mattress that are comfy. She can now afford to pay a lady to come clean and cook in the morning she told me, which helps her out working full time as a doctor. They all still do their own morning and evening chores though. It's just a simpler life here, but I think that's good sometimes. Spendie has lived in the US for a little, and her 1 ½ year old lives in the US with her mom, but she says she prefers to live in Haiti. She knows there is more comfort in the U.S., but she feels more at home in her mother country and knows there are more needs for doctors.
15 February 2011 (2200)
How often we ache for Christ's return when we see tragedy and pain. There was a 28 year old female medical patient that cardiac arrested in the middle of the day. I was eating lunch when they came to get me. Angela, the CRNA was bagging her and the Haitian doctor on call was doing chest compressions. No one knew the patient at all, but it appeared she had been having seizures because there was foam coming out of her mouth. The crash cart was messy so you couldn't find anything and they were doing compressions without a back board, so we had to run to find epi (the med to try to start the heart again) & a back board. We tried, but were not able to save her life. I didn't know this patient at all, but it's hard to see so much death. I've seen 4-5 deaths in the last 4 months (that isn't including the 2-5 deaths in the neonatal ICU they seem to have every month). Back home, I only saw 2 years in 2 years (granted I also didn't work in an ICU). I can't imagine dealing with the amount of death they did after the earthquake and even with this cholera outbreak. It's nothing you can truly prepare for. There are not that many ICU beds for PaP (maybe 1 or 2 hospitals have ICU beds). This was a pretty tragic death that could have probably been prevented. The doctor on call wrote death from a seizure secondary to severe dehydration. But 2 problems: She had been in the hospital 4 days so how can someone be that dehydrated in a hospital after 4 days and also apparently the family kept telling the nurse something's wrong but the nurse didn't do anything about it. If they would have fixed her seizures right away, she would never have gone into cardiac arrest. So basically, it was most likely a preventable death. So that's a hard fact I learned today, even though we have most of the supplies, we don't have all the training here. I have experienced more codes here than ever before and I'm learning. It's hard for us to accept these things from our American perspective. But you can only do what you can with supplies and training available. We are here to try to improve training though because a case like this should not have happened in a hospital that was equipped to deal with it.
Saturday, we climbed up a mountain with Jean Kelly. It was beautiful and a nice get away from the city. There was even a small cave. Saturday night we spent reorganizing and cleaning the kitchen. So needless to say, I was tired sunday morning. But, it was worth it to have a clean and organized kitchen. Sunday I rode with Mac's family to his graduation. The service was all in french, so I only understand a couple words. For some reason, I had been craving a coca-cola all week and his mom bought me one! I had fun talking to his sister.
Afterwards, I met up with my friend Stella. Her brother graduated law school with Mac and they're best friends. It's a small world! I went their house and met all of her family. 3 of her sisters are doctors. I think most of the doctors in Haiti have a parent in America to afford medical school. Their mom lives in the US, so they are slightly better off than most. Then, we had a celebration party for Mac back at the hospital.
So, other than that, work has been busy as usual. Still trying to fit in exercise every night. I bought buckets to wash my clothes in, but I haven't found the time. Instead, I heated up warm water on the stove to take a warm bath. Boy, has that been feeling really good. Oh, I forgot to mention Saturday evening, a 27-week old baby was born (basically born 2 months to early) and they came to get me because Marc (the nurse with NICU experience) was not there and there was no doctor available. I was like well, haha, not sure what they wanted me to do without NICU experience. So ZJ came and helped me. When we got there, the OB doctor said OK good, thanks, and left. We called the pediatrician and she told us what medications to put the baby on. The baby was soo little. He was a fighter and breathing on his own. It's just a crazy system that there was no pediatrician available to see a brand new premature baby. I have to balance my thinking between well they're doing what they can here, but also this isn't really acceptable. So far, the baby is still alive. I pray for the system to be able to be changed.
18 February 2011 (1317)
I'm excited to see my family and Klair. I'm waiting at the airport for 4 hours. There was bad traffic because of some flooded roads, so we left early. Elinor, the nurse who was here for 6 weeks before, came back Thursday and she'll be covering me while I am gone. She has a good way with the patients, so I'm glad she'll be here to cover me. I'll miss speaking Kreyol for 1 week. I still have a lot ot learn, but I'm getting there. I;m probably learning slower than I want to because I'm around so much English.
Last night, Marc and I were heading to Spendie's house, but we got stopped in the ER because a motorcycle accident patient was brought in and only the OB doctor was on call. Lol, the doctors really have to know a little of everything around here. I had the OB doctor exam my pregnant friend because she contracted HPV. I ask for prayers for her and the baby; as well as her husband (I pray he's not being unfaithful).
I love the welcomes and farewells I receive at the hospital. I like the warm goodbyes. Hugs and kisses. I forgot a long sleeve and it's cold in the airport! I've never been in this part, because last February the airport was very different and when I left in December I went on a small airplane. For some reason, there are 3 places instead of 1 that they examine your bags.
20 February 2011 (0100)
I should have been in bed way before now! I do not enjoy staying up late anymore, but I've been enjoying my time with Klair. We went on a boat ride, ate lunch with her son Aaron, relaxed, and went to her Haitian friend Lucette's house, so it was fun being around Kreyol. She held a party for those who volunteered in Haiti, and most of them were Haitian. I could understand a good amount, but I felt intimated to speak it. It's funny because even though they were all well-educated and have well-off jobs, they all spoke Kreyol together, not french. That's why it's tough for me to put much effort into French. It would only help me at church. They definitely had aspects of the Haitian culture, but it was interesting to see how the American culture has influenced them, especially the women.
21 February 2011 (0615)
I didn't get too much sleep the last 2 nights, but it was fun being around Klair and her family. How time flies. We went to the swap shop yesterday. There were so many Haitians, I loved it!! It really gives me more motivation to get better at Kreyol.
22 February 2011 (0830)
As much as I love what I'm doing, there's just something so wonderful about coming home to see family and friends. I pray that this week I can balance being productive, but also spend quality time with my family. I am so excited about the possibility of my parents, Emmy, and Wilshaw visiting me in Haiti. I would love to show them all around.
25 February 2011 (2230)
I'm back to Haiti! I had a wonderful time with my family. I enjoyed meeting all the people at my Grandma's bible study; going out to eat with Gma, Mary, and Aunt Nancy; Mary's graduation went well. And just spending the evenings with my family. Time always goes too fast!
27 February 2011 (0920)
How wonderful and grateful I am for this day. It's a beautiful day outside. It's sunny, cool, and breezy. I'm ready to start the day. I'm so happy to see everyone. I love the welcome you get here. Everyone is genuinely happy to see you. Such a contrast from my last job. I'm glad for this week's study on jealousy. It's something that can easily creep in and can lead us to do things we never thought we'd say or do.
We went to an instrumental jazz concert today and it was really good!! They had a piano, bass, sax, flute, & drums. Let me tell you, I can't play like that flutist did. It was motivation to practice and improve. I miss singing in a choir and being part of a musical group. ZJ is joining a kreyol choir, so maybe I can see if they want another soprano singer. That would be fun to sing in Kreyol :)
28 February 2011 (2240)
While we should praise God in everything & trust that he works all things for His good, it has been a hard one today because Orphee was denied a visitors visa. I know there are a lot of problems with people staying illegally, but I don't it's fair that she waited 6 hours & paid lots of money and then all the consular did was quickly glance at her papers (including my letter) and then ask her if she was married or had kids. After she said no, he gave her no chance to explain or find out any other details. My problem with this it was very subjective and basked on his or her mood.
I just felt bad because she spent what she makes in 1 month for this and was basically given no chance (I saw her papers with how much she makes between two jobs each month...let's say it's how much I made in 17 hours of work at my other job). I slept over at her house and went with her in hopes of going in and explaining, but they wouldn't let me because she's an adult. So I sat and spoke with the driver for 6 hours. Well, we probably slept and listened to music for most of it). Boy was it warm in the car. And eventually I had to use the restroom, so they found me a corner in an open field with people all around. Oh boy, I just went and didn't look to see if anyone was watching. I'm sure it was a sight, a blan in a dress and high heels. The driver was like, I'm sorry, this is Haiti.
I really enjoy Orphee's family. I want to spend time there every week. And it's good for improving my Kreyol. I felt like I could speak better after spending time with them. I notice when I'm only around Kreyol like last night and today, that I improve so much faster. I translated for the anesthesiologist and talked to another hospital in Kreyol about a transport of a paralyzed patient on my own on the phone. Not that I'm fluent at all, but able to do OK. There are a lot of words I don't know, but many times I can make my way around words I don't know. "this" (Sa) is a good word to know haha!
I attempted hand washing some laundry yesterday. It was a good experience, but boy did it take a long time. It would have been a little more enjoyable if I would have had a group of friends to chat while doing it. I forget what else I wanted to share. I just have to trust that there was a reason the visa didn't work out. But I lift it up in prayer, because we're thinking of applying again but finding out what needs to be done to help her get the visa.
6 March 2011 (1400)
So, it's been a busy work week as you can see by my lack of writing. I worked 12-14 hours Tuesday-Thursday and 8 hours Friday, so I was ready to be off. I love and have connected to my patients, but I was exhausted. And this week I felt a lot more comfortable with my Kreyol. A lot of times, I don't need a translator. I asked all the translators to speak only Kreyol with me and for the most part they have been doing that. It'll help me to learn it a lot faster. We have a lot of medically sick patients who have diabetic foots or pressure sores, so they have lots of things that need paid attention to. And we had a BKA surgery that lost between 700-900 cc of blood (that's 3-4 cups of blood) and his blood count started as a 9 but dropped to a 4.5 and 15. He was pretty symptomatic, but it took 3 days to find 2 units of blood. Praise God he made it through and looks much better. I was really worried about him. Then we were dealing with getting all of our pressure sores uninfected and putting wound vacs on them. The only problem with wound vacs is the nurses don't know how to use them, so I'm constantly hearing the beeps and having to go fix then. Sandra, the 28 year old lady with multiple washouts of her femur rod, is still here. It almost stopped draining now, but they don't want her to go home until it's completely stops. I love her and her Kreyol is very easy to understand. I told her to come visit me again after she's discharged.
We got a 25-year old paralyzed male who fell out of a coconut tree. After they were almost here from 5 hours away, Dr. Terry told me the C-arm wasn't working. So, now he'll just be here for 2 weeks until they can get the parts & fix it. He can't do the surgery without the C-arm (it's an xray used in the OR). The patient is nice and I truly felt like him and his mom had nothing. Granted, I don't normally give people money because I can't give everyone money and I want it to be used right. I think God whispered to me to give him money though when he whispered to me that his mom hasn't eaten all day because they have no money. He came from Albert Switzer Hsopital. Which they told me was just stacked with patients. He came in impacted with stool, a terrible urinary tract infection, and a open infected wound on his forehead because it was never sutured. His accident was 14 January. I can see now why Dr. Simeon doesn't want this hospital stacked with patients, because the patients are not taken well of then. So we took care of all of that. I spent 1 ½ hours on Thursday and 45 minutes Friday disimpacting him. You tend to connect to these patients and families because you spend so much time with them. This is a hard country to be paralyzed, especially at the age of 25 with a child to feed.
I had 2 "Haitian female" experiences this week with 2 of the male translators (well all the translators are males) expecting me to make their easy mac and wipe their father since I was a female and most males don't do that if a female is around. I don't mind doing these things, but something about it is bothersome when it's expected and forced. I guess growing up in America, I have a hard time accepting that mindset. Women here don't know anything else. If I'm a stay at home mom, I'll do more, but if we're both working then we can share the work.
This weekend through Tuesday is the carnival so things are extra loud and it seems people don't want to work those days. CBM (our physical therapy group) said they had off, but I asked at least 1-2 to come in every day because I can't do their work and mine. I love to hear the sound of children playing or singing. I enjoy community living. And I enjoy being able to translate for myself. There were 2 nights this week we heard gunshots; it startled all the patients. I still get amazed at how people take care of each other without complaining (and they will help me with their family member or someone else's in the room if you ask). But, they can be very impatient. There also isn't much of a concept of organization and long term planning in this culture. So there are things I love about this culture, but also equally frustrating things.
Well, I just glad for these last 2 days to rest, study, fellowship, and relax. Cook for fun!
