Well....another busy day is done or so I think....my last day working in Haiti. I am definately ready to be home but I will miss so much here. There is such a need and the people have so much love, hope and big smiles. BUT as Ann says EVERYTHING is hard in Haiti.
I spent the day in the "rubble" clinic as it is now called by me. Lots of chronic conditions today such as a woman who has a colostomy who has no supplies. How she keeps it clean is beyond me. A 47 year old diabetic woman with an above the knee amputation. She is out of metformin and we had none to give her. As I write the Rx she says I have no money to pay. We found some at the hospital when we got back tonight and are sending it to the clinic on Monday for her. A 40 year old with a tumor just above her symphsis. Doctor from Aruba consulted....maybe pelvic TB.....WOW....and that is a select few of the crowd that was there today.
Saw a Rat today inside the "clinic" space so Mary and I moved.....crazy. And the smells are burnt into nose, literally. I asked what to do with the plastic garbage bag when we cleaned up at clinic...."oh just toss it on the fire burning on the rubble". It was one of hardest things I have done since being here...sharps and all burnt......smelly to say the least!
Got back to the hospital and showered and went to maternite...28 weeker in pre term labor just broke her water. Not much hope here for her babe...she is alone and crying......2 pre eclampsia patients had MgSO4 IV push then aldomet...... 42 week primip obviously infected, fever and tender....prepped for surgery BUT no anesthesiologist to be found. So the French midwife tells me the doctor said that if the baby crashes then it will be an emergency and I will need to push Ketamine....I say N-O!!!!! I draw the line here. I am not giving anesthesia. I have the interpreter wake up the OB/GYN from Washington to see if he does spinals oh and also wake ip the Resp. Therapist to alert her of the possible 28 weeker tonight.....whew
Now I am in bed. Hoping to stay here until 5am when I leaving for the airport to fly into Fort Lauderdale.
Hi Steph! What a beatiful blog you have, here. What amazing experiences you had at MFH. St. Therese Hospital seems like such a place of miracles and desperation in the same moments on days.
ReplyDeleteI know it is a few years later and you might not get notices of comments on your blog, but I am perusing the volunteer blogs hoping to get input for my upcoming trip. I am a birth doula (DONA certified) and most of the volunteers I emailed as well as Nadene said my compassionate skills and fluent French will come in handy, even without the medical ablities. I just wondered if you have any good advice for a non-medical volunteer going? Would you bring or do anything differently than you did on your week there? Are you going again?
If you want to email me, I would love to send photos or the link to where I post/blog them. I hope you get this and can offer up some advice of what i can do down there to best help Nadene, the other midwives/students and the women of Haiti.
Thanks so much
Keri - Keriplus5@yahoo.com
New Canaan CT