This morning, I gave my presentation on TB. I think overall it went well. It was good to get insight from some of the physicians on cases they have seen here at BMC.
One resident here started having abdominal and back pain last night…and is now passing a kidney stone. I cannot even imagine her pain. She has ibuprofen and flomax, and I pray it passes quickly. She started getting sicker, so now she has an IV and we are giving her IV antibiotics and fluids in our guesthouse. Dr. Cahill said if she does not get well within the next 24 hours, that she should go back to the US. She is here with her husband, and he has been super supportive of her health issues so far. They are supposed to be here for another week and a half…and they (and I) do not want them to have to leave early. Please pray for Chelsea that she passes the stone and starts to feel better (and that she as no more health issues this trip). I am thankful that I have not had any health issues thus far and pray that I continue to have good health as well.
With Chelsea being sick, that left us two medical students to round on the wards with Ghanaian physicians available if we needed something. This morning, I worked with a patient with Steven’s Johnson Syndrome where his mouth, hands, and feet peel due to a severe allergic reaction to a medication (he came to the hospital after taking a medicine from a Chemist, a man with a stroke, a man with uncontrolled HTN, another with stroke after severe HTN, a woman with cardiomyopathy, and a child with drug toxicity vs psych disorder. It is interesting to see the approach to medications and western medicine. For example, the man with peeling hands and feet used an antibiotic for cows and spread it on his hands and feet; it was not harmful, but it did cause his hands and feet to turn purple.
Today was also full of little frustrations…like not having labs drawn or ready for rounds (so we cannot make the best choices for treatment) or working with new nurses who do not know the local language to interpret (which makes rounds take a lot longer). But that is ok. Things do not always go the way that we think they should go; those challenges help us to develop character and we are a witness to others during those trying times. Reflecting back on my day, I wish I would have stopped to pray…I really think it would have helped my attitude; I also would have been more effective in my work.
All of us short term volunteers are exhausted with the long hours and complicated cases and at times hopelessness of the situation at hand. Please pray for renewed energy for the days ahead. Pray especially for Chelsea that she passes the stone today and starts feeling better ASAP.
Thanks for all your prayers! I’m going to go back to the hospital to check in on a few patients. I hope that you have a blessed Tuesday…and that you too can stop and pray if things are not going as planned…and that no matter what, that others can see Jesus in you.
This morning, I gave my presentation on TB. I think overall it went well. It was good to get insight from some of the physicians on cases they have seen here at BMC.
One resident here started having abdominal and back pain last night…and is now passing a kidney stone. I cannot even imagine her pain. She has ibuprofen and flomax, and I pray it passes quickly. She started getting sicker, so now she has an IV and we are giving her IV antibiotics and fluids in our guesthouse. Dr. Cahill said if she does not get well within the next 24 hours, that she should go back to the US. She is here with her husband, and he has been super supportive of her health issues so far. They are supposed to be here for another week and a half…and they (and I) do not want them to have to leave early. Please pray for Chelsea that she passes the stone and starts to feel better (and that she as no more health issues this trip). I am thankful that I have not had any health issues thus far and pray that I continue to have good health as well.
With Chelsea being sick, that left us two medical students to round on the wards with Ghanaian physicians available if we needed something. This morning, I worked with a patient with Steven’s Johnson Syndrome where his mouth, hands, and feet peel due to a severe allergic reaction to a medication (he came to the hospital after taking a medicine from a Chemist, a man with a stroke, a man with uncontrolled HTN, another with stroke after severe HTN, a woman with cardiomyopathy, and a child with drug toxicity vs psych disorder. It is interesting to see the approach to medications and western medicine. For example, the man with peeling hands and feet used an antibiotic for cows and spread it on his hands and feet; it was not harmful, but it did cause his hands and feet to turn purple.
Today was also full of little frustrations…like not having labs drawn or ready for rounds (so we cannot make the best choices for treatment) or working with new nurses who do not know the local language to interpret (which makes rounds take a lot longer). But that is ok. Things do not always go the way that we think they should go; those challenges help us to develop character and we are a witness to others during those trying times. Reflecting back on my day, I wish I would have stopped to pray…I really think it would have helped my attitude; I also would have been more effective in my work.
All of us short term volunteers are exhausted with the long hours and complicated cases and at times hopelessness of the situation at hand. Please pray for renewed energy for the days ahead. Pray especially for Chelsea that she passes the stone today and starts feeling better ASAP.
Thanks for all your prayers! I’m going to go back to the hospital to check in on a few patients. I hope that you have a blessed Tuesday…and that you too can stop and pray if things are not going as planned…and that no matter what, that others can see Jesus in you.