Another clinic day

Tired tonight.  We had a full clinic day and saw 118 people up in Djegue again.  It was a good day...we were a well oiled machine today (:

I actually slept well last night...it was a quiet night! wooohooo! Apparently, the "mystery animal" I've been hearing is a frog! I still don't quite believe it...sounds more like a disturbed duck to me! 

There were a few highlights from today:

• Madelene - a young girl who is 10 years old, who arrived with her younger brother (1 1/2 years old).  She is his primary caregiver.  Yes...you read that right...at the age of 10 she is his primary caregiver.  They have no mother or father, but apparently she has a 25 year old sister that they live with.  However, Madelene is the caregiver of this young boy and so there I sat with a translator and young Madelene to teach her how to give her brother liquid antibiotics for a chest infection.  We would NEVER do that at home! but alas, this is not home and the ideal quickly has to be adapted in this world and culture, based on the equipment and resources these people have access to.  It's hard as a Nurse to do anything under the ideal, but it's just the way it has to be done for any provision of care to be given. Yes, it is a different world indeed. 
• Bily - this wee boy that arrived with bad burns on his left side and left wrist.  He was scalded by hot water at home.  He was absolutely terrified while we cleansed his wounds and dressed them.  It took three of us, plus his Mama to help calm him and hold him down.  I think he was more terrified of the blancs (white people) hovering over him then the wound itself!  Luckily, one of our translators starting singing him a Creole song and that seemed to help a bit.  We made him a balloon out of a glove and by the time he left, he was carrying it around and showing all of us.  We didn't seem too scary anymore (:

• The number of people we saw today whose homes were destroyed by the earthquake. Such loss...and they had so little to begin with.  It's overwhelming at times.
• Quisqueya - this is a school that has basically become volunteer central in PAP.  They had 160 students before the quake and they only have about 60 now...some have died and others have moved out of the city/country.  The school is currently functioning as a command zone to coordinate the number of medical volunteers that have come to PAP.  Quisqueya works to direct volunteers to the areas of need and they do it well.  We needed some more meds for our mobile clinics and so we went up there to see if they could help out.  They have a great little Pharmacy of donated medications and so I just walked around the Pharmacy with the Pharmacist and had a little shopping spree.  Everyone is low on children's vitamins so there weren't many to give us, but we were able to pick up a few other medications that will come in very handy!  I am grateful.  Quisqueya has stepped up to serve a great need!

Checked in on Immanuela briefly when we stopped by Hopital Espoir.  She's a typical preemie and pulled out her feeding tube!  Good spunk!  One of the Nurses saw me arrive and said (via translator), "you weren't here today!".  She seemed quite offended, but once we explained that I was away at clinic she was better (:  The Nurses there are really great!...they work hard and do their job well.  They just need to be supported in their need and desire to learn more.  I am beginning to work with Karen on translating some basic "caring for preemie" tips into Creole that they can post at Immanuela's bedside.  So...there is lots of work to do.

Tired eyes...must get to bed.  Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers.

I need to acknowledge this wonderful woman above - her name is Roland and she is the coordinator of the Medical Clinic in Djegue where we have been doing clinics.  Roland also runs a school and an orphanage. She is remarkable and is deeply committed to her country and her people...as is quite evident!