I arrived in Nalerigu about 8 hours ago after a mostly smooth, then really bumpy truck ride. I am thankful that it was clear enough to fly from Accra to Tamale, so glad I only had two hours in the truck (as opposed to 9 hours by bus with LOTS of other people!). On the way, I saw lots of small towns, circle mud brick houses with thatch roofs, mosques, people, school children, tons of goats (they are everywhere), some long-horn cattle, donkeys, guinea fowl, chickens, a turkey crossing the road, a pig, and dogs. Other critters I have come to know quite well are the pesky mosquitoes…I already have several bites (at least they do not itch much).
My journey from the US was long and mostly uneventful. All my luggage arrived and I breezed through customs and immigration. Thanks so much for your prayers! What I did not expect to happen was homesickness…which started in Amsterdam…I was reflecting on my time in Kenya a few years ago and wondering how this experience in Ghana would be similar and different. Then it hit me, I remembered how lonely I was in Kenya after going all by myself and vowed not to go somewhere again alone…and here I was, in Amsterdam, going again, alone. Tyler would have liked to come with me, but he did not have enough vacation with his job. After texting with my mom and Tyler, I felt much better after being reminded that God is always with me…it is funny how you need that reminder sometimes in the midst of “chaos.” And I am definitely not alone…there is another couple and the fourth year medical student, Curtis, who are here while I am plus other people rotating in and out! God is so so good!
Once here, I met Francis, a gentleman who wears many hats, including that of making sure operations at the guest house run smoothly. He also gave me a tour of the compound, which included the guest house, several doctor’s homes, and the hospital complex. Afterwards, he insisted that I must be tired and that I should take the rest of the day off to rest. So I went back to the guest house, unpacked my things, and ate lunch with the other short-term workers. I thought lunch was great! It was a Ghanaian stew with potatoes, meat, and a tomato sauce, a salad, and bread. I usually would not eat raw vegetables unless they were pealed, but I was assured that the food was safe to eat here; after I enjoyed my delicious fresh salad, I heard others talking about how a GI bug has been spreading around…and then I thought oh no…maybe it was the fresh food! So pray that it was not and also that I do not get it! And pray that the others start feeling better! Thank goodness for cipro medication!
After reading the BMC worker guide and some on malnutrition, I rested awhile, then decided that I had had enough resting and that I wanted to go to the hospital. I worked with one of the residents and we saw a woman with an interesting pattern of numbness and pain in her left hand and foot with no discernable cause…and no fancy testing either. We gave her B12 and ibuprofen and told her to return in 1 month if it wasn’t better…we have no clue what is causing her numbness but do not think that it is something serious after a thorough physical exam; hopefully the medication will ease her pain and the numbness will resolve on its own. We also saw a man who was recovering from TB with a new fever, shortness of breath, abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, headache…oh and hallucinations. He was super sick, so we admitted him to the hospital and are waiting on some tests to come back to determine if he has malaria (my bet) vs typhoid vs some other GI illness. In clinic, we worked through a translator and discussed any questions with one of the missionary doctors. I LOVED IT! I can’t wait for clinic again on Monday!
The hospital has 126 beds spread among 2 male wards, 3 female wards, a maternity ward, a large pediatric ward, and an isolation unit with areas for wound and burn management, infections like meningitis and measles, and TB. Other short time volunteers include three residents, a family physician, a fourth year medical student like myself, and an English teacher, who is the husband of one of the residents. We work with two Ghanaian physicians and three Western physicians.
On weekends, we round on the patients, then have the day off unless we are on call. This is perfect for me to get adjusted to the new time zone. Thanks for continuing on this journey with me! I am so thankful for your prayers! Pray especially for David to get over his GI bug fast.