Last Morning in the Hospital

Thursday morning we woke up and caught the first shuttle to the hospital.  Chelsea, Allison, and I went straight up to major theatre to see if we could observe some surgeries.  On Thursdays and Fridays there are usually specialists who come from other parts of the world.  When we first got there we suited up in the surgical boots, hair net, and mask and went into one of the operating rooms.  The first surgery we observed was a man who was undergoing esophageal surgery.  He had cancer and they were going to try and remove it.  At first they went through his abdomen but they couldn’t get to the cancer so they had to sew him back up and go through his side.  I felt badly for the patient today. They get taken to the operating room, and no doctors talk to them or try to comfort them as they are being pricked with iv’s and needles. It made me think back to when I had my appendix removed and how scared I was before I was put under.  I couldn’t imagine the way the patient felt facing cancer, but also about to have a major surgery.  My heart ached for him.

                                                          Allison and I-ready for surgery

Next, I went and saw an orthopedic surgery and let me tell you it was halfway disturbing.  The man had broken his femur and the doctors were manipulating his body, legs twisting everywhere trying to get the bone back into place.  The nurse joked that the doctors didn’t need to work out for the rest of the day because they literally had to put their full body weight into what they were doing.  It was slightly gross but actually really cool the way that they can fix bones like that.  The doctors performing the surgery were from Germany and none of the drills in the theatre were working.  The doctor said he brought one with him that they could use and when he pulled it out I wanted to laugh.  It looked exactly like a Makita drill that my dad uses for construction.  He assured us that it was special for surgery and he put a cloth casing over it and continued to use it.  It took three doctors to correctly set the femur but the leg looked straight as they were closing up.

                                             fixing the broken femur

After being up in surgery I made my way back down to minor theatre.  I did a couple dressings when one of the students from our group, Chris, came and told us there was someone in casualty we had to see.  We made our way over to casualty and it was a woman who had been in a massacre a day ago.  I have never, ever seen anything like it.  As I sit here trying to describe to you what I saw I’m at a loss for words.  The lady had been severely cut on her cheek so that you could see her teeth and upper jaw bone through the skin.  Her arm was mangled and looked like the tendons were barely hanging on.  The amazing thing was that the massacre happened very far away from Mombasa, and she was found in a town halfway between Mombasa and where the massacre had happened.  The massacre was all over the papers and it was a tribal battle over some pasture land.  A lot of women and children were killed but only 8 men.  I couldn’t believe that innocent people were being killed over some swamp land.  What amazed me even more was the woman’s resiliency.  Her whole family had been killed and she was badly injured yet she wasn’t screaming in pain or making a commotion.  As we left to go to lunch the doctors were taking her up to surgery. 

                                             The newspaper article on the massacre

After lunch we made our way to Old Town to do some last minute shopping.  I got some souvenirs for friends and family as well as myself.  It was fun to shop but the store owners are so frustrating sometimes.  They really pressure you to buy things and sometimes just go too far.  I was ready to leave after a couple hours.  Now we are back at the compound and are preparing our last celebration here at the compound.  We are planning on having a good time tonight with all the other students for our one last hoorah.  It’s a sad realization that today was our last morning hospital visit.  Tomorrow we are working on painting the orphanage and then we are going to try to do a night shift so we are tired for the plane ride.  I can’t wait to see everyone but it will be hard leaving this place, quite bittersweet in my opinion. 

                                                Angie, Natalie, and I with our henna (picture from yestertday)

Wednesday.

This morning we took the middle shuttle to the hospital and arrived about 9 am.  We attempted to catch a live birth and actually got to see one.  We waited for about two hours until the baby was ready to come out.  The African mothers are truly strong in my eyes.  Every time I am in maternity I never see them with any family members or husband, all are usually independent.  The lady that gave birth today didn’t yell or seem affected by the pain at all even with minimal pain medications compared to what we are used to in the United States.  On the other hand she didn’t seem as excited as we are about births in the United States either.  Once the healthy baby boy cried for the first time all of us students smiled and were very happy, but the mom didn’t even say much at all.  Actually, it was funny because she was on her cell phone at least two minutes after the baby was born like it hadn’t even happened. Once the mother was cleaned up we checked on the baby and he looked healthy and was returned to his mother. 

After hanging out in maternity for most of the morning we went back to minor theatre.  It was pretty busy and there were numerous things going on.  We met a Hindu doctor in minor theatre yesterday and we asked about her henna tattoos that she had all over her arms and legs.  She told us her aunt did them and that we could call her and get some if we like.  We called her this morning and she said we could come today.  Chelsea and Megan went before lunch time; while Natalie, Angie, and I went after lunch.  We figured how many times could you get an authentic henna tattoo? When in Rome—er—Africa right? We ate lunch at Caribou and rode a motorbike home.  I was actually really nervous to do this as well because a lot of patients at the hospital get in accidents because of either motorbikes or busses.  I had to say I did it at least once so Angie and I hopped on the bike and made it back to the compound safely. 

We changed and made our way back to the hospital.  The lady’s house that we went to was about a block from the hospital.  She was such a nice lady and charged us such a small fee.  I got my hand and wrist done as well as my foot and it was only 200 shillings which is like a little over two dollars.  I don’t have any pictures on my camera, but Angie and Natalie both have some on theirs that I will try to get later.  We just finished eating dinner- lamb, deep fried potatoes, and vegetables; and later I believe we are going to hang out at Café Mocha. 

Back to the Hospital

Tuesday was back to our normal routine.  We woke up after a great night sleep and made our way to the hospital.  A couple of us headed to maternity to see if we could catch a live birth but there were already too many students and interns there.  I found myself back in minor theatre which was pretty steadily busy the entire morning.  I redressed wounds at first including some of the regulars who we see every couple days.  A man came in who had been in a knife fight and had multiple slashes across his back and he needed his stitches removed.  Allison and I removed at least 20-30 stitches off the backside of the man.  I watched a couple abscesses being cut and drained which is something I hadn’t observed yet.  One of the abscesses was on a man’s leg and the other was on a poor toddler’s forehead.  One of the saddest things I saw today was a lady who came in and had huge tumors on her lymphnoids under her armpits.  She had previously had a mastectomy but had never been treated for chemotherapy.  She was clearly sick and unfortunately there was nothing we could do except send her to get a biopsy of the lumps.  Cancer is something that is always hard for me to see and it was obvious it was so far advanced. 

                                            removing sutures from the man's backside

One positive of the day was that we have some really appreciative patients.  People are constantly telling us “God Bless You” or “Thank you so much” which is something I appreciated even though I feel like I can’t help them enough or I am doing too little.

                                                       what a room in minor theatre looks like

After the hospital we went to the beach for our last trip before we leave Africa.  Angie and I rode a camel on the beach! It was such a cool experience and we loved every second of it.  The camels name was Susuki.  The African people stared at us as we rode down the beach but we didn’t know if it was because we were mzungus or because we were riding a camel, maybe a little of both?  After getting off the camel we layed out, played volleyball, and swam in the ocean.  It was a perfect last memory of the beach and a beautiful warm day.  We just finished dinner at Cafeserrie and I’m finally feeling caught up on my blog.  I’m sad we only have three more full days here; the trip has flown by.  See you all soon, that’s all for now!

                                          Angie and I- "we're on a camel"

Final Safari Post

Once we returned back to Nairobi we went to one of the most famous restaurants in Kenya.  It was called Carnivore and was worth every penny.  First, they served us appetizers of pizza bites and corn on the cob.  We were all starving because we hadn’t eaten a substantial meal all day in preparation for this dinner.  After appetizers we were served bread and butter, then soup.  I had never had a soup like it before but it was a carrot and beet soup.  Surprisingly delicious! Next, we were served a salad platter.  Then the main courses began.  Carvers came around with about every type of meat imaginable on large sword-like skewers.  Our table literally had a white flag on it that we had to put down when we surrendered or were done eating.  I tried everything they served from pork ribs, pork sausage, chicken wings, chicken breast, prime rib, ostrich meatballs, crocodile, turkey, lamb, pork leg, and even ox balls (testicles).  We were stuffed and finally surrendered to our full stomachs.  To our surprise we still had another course: dessert.  We had about ten different options and I chose the choco-chip blondie brownie.  It was an awesome experience and meal.  After eating we returned to the hotel and crowded the bar area once again.  Those who know our group could infer how well behaved we were. J We eventually went to bed. In the morning it was a long eight hour bus ride back to Mombasa.  I couldn’t really sleep on the bus so it made for an excruciating long trip.  When we finally got back to our compound we chilled and relaxed for the rest of the night.  That pretty much sums up the Safari trip, I tried to be brief but we did so much! I’ll try to upload pictures to Facebook but I honestly don’t have enough internet to do it here; in the meantime here's a sneak preview of the safari. 

   

the beautiful sunrise on Safari

us at the Carnivore restaurant

Safari Part 2

I woke up Saturday morning with my mosquito net halfway covering my face, which explains why I have seven or so bites only on the right side of my body.  One thing that I can always count on to remind me that I am in Africa is having to crawl underneath a mosquito net as I prepare for bed.  I untangled myself from my net and went to go get breakfast. It was probably one of the best breakfasts I’ve had since being in Africa.  I had toast, sausage, and eggs.  After breakfast we loaded up the vans and headed out to safari.  We were on the safari from 7:30am to 4:00pm.  It seems like a long time but it was incredible and flew by.  We saw so many animals including giraffes, lions, cheetahs, elephants, and a rhino which is incredibly rare.  After seeing all the animals on safari I don’t know if the zoo will cut it anymore. Haha! Throughout the morning we drove through the game reserve until we reached a problem.  It had rained and there was a u-shaped hill that we had to pass through to get to where we were trying to go.  The first van powered through it but when my van attempted the dip, we got stuck.  We rolled up the hill and then back down into the mud.  We had to evacuate our van so that we could be pulled up the hill.  Instead of getting our shoes all muddy we climbed out the top of the safari van and slid down the hood to a less muddy area.  It was quite the sight.  After being in the van all morning I had to go to the bathroom badly.  I found a nice looking bush along with some of the other girls and relieved myself in true wilderness fashion without getting eaten by any wild animals.  We all piled back in our vans and continued looking at animals until lunch.  At lunch we found a tree in one of the approved areas of the park and sat outside and had a picnic.  Our camp had provided lunch and it was very interesting.  It consisted of an unidentifiable meat sandwich, a chicken leg, chips, an apple, banana, and juice.  Despite the mystery of the lunch we were all hungry and it tasted delicious.  We loaded back into the vans and made our way to the river on the game reserve.  It separates Kenya from Tanzania so we got to see another part of Africa! In the river we saw crocodiles and hippos.  After seeing the river we made our way back to the camp.

                                                us on the safari van

                                             lunch time!

Once we got back to the camp we had the option of going to the Masaai Mara tribe’s village.  They showed us where they lived and they also talked about their lifestyle.  It was very interesting.  All of their houses make a circle and they have a fence made of sticks surrounding the outside.  Inside the houses is where they keep their goats and cows.  They danced and sang some of their traditional songs for us.  First, the men did a dance which consisted of skipping and jumping. In their tribe, the men had multiple wives and when they were married they would do this dance.  The higher one could jump indicated that the man would be able to pay less of a dowry for the woman.  Typically a woman would be 10 cows, but if the man could jump high it could be as low as 7 cows.  Next, the woman did a dance which was actually really simple.  It consisted of swinging their arms back and forth.  The men talked about what each gender did which was also really interesting.  Men were in charge of protecting the village from wild animals.  Once a boy killed a lion he would be considered a man.   The women were in charge of building the houses in the village.  The houses only last 9 years so once the 9 years are up the village moves.  The village we saw was 120 people and the only thing they ate was blood, milk of the cow, and milk of the goat.  We got to go inside the houses as well.  The women each had houses while the men would go from house to house to visit their multiple wives.  The houses had a couple rooms tops, one of them usually being for the baby cows and goats.  Chelsea and I were inside one of the houses and they asked if we had any questions.  Chelsea asked what the houses were made out of.  The man replied, “oh! You like? Touch it.” So Chelsea and I proceeded to feel the walls of the house until he says “It’s made of sticks and cow dung.” Needless to say we sanitized our hands afterwards.  We left the village feeling very informed and blessed.     

                                                    inside the village with the Maasai Men

That night we had dinner which was again the usual, and went to bed.  In the morning we woke up very early to go on Safari before the sun rose.  It was beautiful to see the purple and pinks behind the zebras and giraffes.  After exploring the park for a couple more hours it was finally time to leave.  We ate breakfast then proceeded back on the bumpy road to our hotel in Nairobi.  I promise I will update the last portion of the safari soon, there is just so much to say! I know some people don't know how to comment on my blog so my dad suggested putting my email address as well.  If you want to contact me for questions, comments, or even just to say hello my email is alexa.walker@jacks.sdstate.edu Thanks! :)

Safari Trip Part One

I am officially back in Mombasa safe and sound.  I’m going to have to break up my blog posts by a couple days because I have too much to say to put it all in one.  Thursday morning we left early to get to the bus station to leave for our safari. The bus took us from Mombasa to Nairobi and was eight hours long.  Surprisingly, the bus ride there went quickly and was similar to an airplane ride in that we received snacks and refreshments on the way. 

                                                                     Chelsea and I- bus buddies!

 We stopped at a “rest stop” for lunch where we could purchase food if we liked.  I didn’t want to risk getting sick from the meat so I stuck with french fries.  Before we left many of us wanted to use the bathroom which was basically just holes in the ground.  We managed to find one individual stall with an actual toilet so we took turns.  After we made the trip to Nairobi, the Elective Africa coordinators-Flavia and Grace- picked us up from the bus stop and we took taxis to our hotel. Nairobi was a lot more urban than Mombasa and seemed cleaner.  We didn’t know if it was this way because it was the capital or if we were just in a nicer area of the city.  Pulling into our hotel was a bit of a shock.  Most of us expected a hotel, something basic like a Super 8 but we pulled into a backpacker’s hostel.  All the buildings were painted with a mural of an African savannah and we stayed in rooms with sets of bunk beds.  The hotel wasn’t what we expected but it really was clean and a cheap place to stay.  I think part of the unexpectedness was because we had heard from other previous students about their hotel and all of us assumed that we would stay at the same one.  All of us were very hungry so we went out to eat at a local Italian restaurant.  It was very very nice and I almost felt underdressed in jeans.  I had pizza; yes. I am so ready to eat American food again. Haha! After dinner we went back to the hotel, hung out around the bar and played cards. 

Friday we woke up to a frigid, rainy morning. I didn’t expect Africa to be cold and didn’t bring many items of warm clothing.  Luckily, one of the girls brought two pairs of sweatpants and let me borrow on for the safari trip.  The safari vans came and picked us up from the hostel so we could start our journey to the game reserve.  Our group was large so we split up into three safari vans, everyone got a window seat for maximum viewing pleasure.  Our vans drove to where we would be staying which was in the Maasai Mara game reserve.  On the way we drove through the Great Rift Valley which is beautiful.  The roads wound through the hills and reminded me of driving through Spearfish canyon back home.  Since my group was in “Safari mode” we managed to relate almost everything we saw to The Lion King and we even threw in a couple songs off the soundtrack along the way. 

                                                our safari van group at the Great Rift Valley

After about two hours of driving we stopped for some lunch which was traditional Kenyan food. Our driver, Peter, told us we had 2 and a half more hours to go, but he warned us that the last hour and a half the road was very rough.  He wasn’t kidding, but he also didn’t slow down. We raced down the bumpiest road I’ve ever been on.  The only comparison I have to that road would be driving in grandpa’s old manual pickup through the pasture, hitting every single rock- except much faster and about 10x worse.  We finally made our way through the savannah-like environment and arrived at our hotel.   The camp area we stayed in was a mixture of rooms made of cement and military tent rooms.  Four of us stayed together in a cement room except there were holes in all the walls leading outside and our glass windows didn’t close all the way.  The caretakers told our group to make sure we shut our windows at night or else the monkeys will come inside our rooms and steal our belongings.  We were also informed that the electricity is only on from 5:30-7:00 am and 6:30-10:00 pm, meaning we had to be very conscious of when we showered and got ready in the morning.  Once we got settled, we were going out on our first safari that afternoon.  One of my roommates, Chelsea and I had purchased safari hats for the occasion and were ready for the experience! As we entered the park tribal women stuck their hands inside our van to try to get us to buy their items. It was slightly awkward and irritating as we declined.  We finally got inside the park entrance and I think all of us were more than amazed.  We saw zebras and wildebeest first right off the bat.  The funny thing is we were so captivated by the zebras but throughout the entire safari we probably saw at least a thousand zebras.  I didn’t know they were so prevalent.  We saw quite a few different animals and I have loads of pictures.  It soon started to get dark so we made our way back to camp.  Dinner was prepared and it was traditional Kenyan food again-lots of starches of course, but I wasn’t feeling the greatest so I didn’t eat much.  After dinner we showered and got ready for bed.  Since the lights go off at ten there isn’t much to do except go to sleep and we were all exhausted from traveling.  We were told not to go outside the camp fence because the animals come out close to camp at night; wisely, we followed directions.  We went to bed in anticipation of the full day of safari. 

                                                                                    zebras!

The Last Day in the Hospital for the Week

Last night about thirteen of us went to the Dark Knight at the Cinema.  It was so cheap compared to the United States prices, like the popcorn was only 100 Kenyan Shillings which translates to a little over a dollar.  Once we got inside the theatre a Kenyan Flag appeared on the screen with an announcer saying “Please rise for the Kenyan National Anthem.”  I found it pretty amusing they played it before a movie when we only hear our national anthem for sporting events but we all stood up and gave our respect to the picture of the flag waving in the wind as the speakers blasted the Kenyan Anthem. The theatre was very nice and huge; it almost felt like I was in America again! The movie turned out to be really good and I’m glad I ended up going.  We made it back to the house, some of us took motorbikes and some of us took tuk-tuks.  The record is four on a motorbike and eight in a small tuk-tuk, pretty impressive if you ask me! We made it back safely and went to bed.

This morning I got up early and took the first ride to the hospital.  My roommates went up to major theatre to see an osteopathic surgery but I thought there would be too many if I joined so I made my way to minor theatre.  The same matron was in there again today and was unreasonable crabby again.  Everyone was trying to avoid her nit-picking and complaining about how we were doing everything wrong.  I tried to stay out of her line of fire for most of the morning and was successful until she directed an outrage at all of us telling us we need to follow the rules, even if no one else including the nurses are.  I try to not take it too personally but it is hard when someone is constantly breathing down your back seeking out things to criticize.

This morning was pretty steady.  I assisted my friend Allison in changing a couple catheters and some wound redressings. I also got to take out my first stitches today by myself on this man’s foot so that was exciting for me!  Today we also saw a man who had dislocated his thumb and had already been here to have it reset.  Unfortunately it moved back to being dislocated so we dressed his wound and had to send him to orthopedics. We finished about an hour early today and headed back to the compound. I don’t have many pictures today because I was nervous to take any under the watchful eye of the matron. A small group of us changed and went to Cafesserie for lunch because the lunch choices at the compound are slim pickings.  There is only so much peanut butter toast, ramen noodles, or grilled cheese one can handle.  I had a cheeseburger and it was so delicious it almost felt like home.

                                                            The man's dislocated finger

Tonight we have to pack and prepare for our safari trip.  My roommates and I are going to head down to the Nakumatt (the market, like a small Wal-Mart) to get some snacks and drinks for the 8 hour bus ride to Nairobi tomorrow morning. We stay in Nairobi for a night then we drive to the Mara, 2 hours away to begin our safari.  I won’t be bringing my computer; in fact I won’t be bringing much because I hear you are very limited for space.  That being said my blog won’t be updated for at least five days.  We return late Monday so don’t be alarmed if I am not updating!  Talk to you all after Safari!

Another Day at the Orphanage

Last night about nine of us went back to the hospital and worked until after midnight.  I put in a couple IV’s by myself on the first try and got to do a lot more hands on stuff.  Two patients came in two had been in a stab fight.  One was badly injured and stabbed in the lower left abdomen; he had to be taken up to major surgery right away.  The other one was stabbed in the hand on his fingers, not as severe.  I helped out on the hand injury and even administered lidocaine for the first time.  I attempted to try my first sutures but there wasn’t enough skin left to do more than two.  We dressed his wound and sent him on his way.  Last night was a nice way to end a day at the hospital.

This morning we woke up and made our way to a different orphanage/school that was within walking distance of our compound.  We made our way there and the kids welcomed us with open arms.  We sang and dance within their school house learning about the school’s history.  All the walls were made of mud and this is the school we are actually coming back to work on next week.  We are going to plaster around all the mud with cement to make permanent structured walls. The kids performed many songs, dances, and poems for us and even encouraged us to dance with them.  It really does make you feel so happy because they are so appreciative of you being there.  After three hours we prepared to leave.  We took a couple pictures and the kids loved seeing themselves on cameras.  It was soon time to say goodbye.  Some of the kids walked with us back to the compound because they were having swimming lessons in our pool here.  While they got ready to swim, us students made lunch, ate, and then made our way out to the pool.   

                                           The kids dancing and singing for us

                                          What the dirt walls of the school look like

                                                         one of the kids and I

I just woke up from a short siesta and showered to be ready for dinner.  Some of us might go to the local cinema and see the Dark Knight Rises.  Tomorrow it is back to the hospital for the last time this week before we leave for Safari on Thursday!

Another Monday at the Hospital

We woke up early this morning and made our way to the hospital.   A couple students and I made our way to minor theatre because we had never worked there for a whole morning shift.  It was pretty busy and we managed to redress some wounds and change some catheters by ourselves.  The third patient I saw was a man who needed a redressing done on his foot.  He had been in a bus accident and was going home to Nairobi tomorrow and wanted it cleaned before he left.  He was very friendly and kept telling us “God Bless You” and “You girls are so nice! Remember, if you are nice to others, they shall return the favor.”  We made conversation as we began to clean his foot wound.  After we had cleaned it out we were in the process of re-bandaging it when there was no more sterile gauze left in the theatre.  We asked the nurse, other doctors, and the matron (head nurse) and they all said they were getting it.  Meanwhile, we tried to keep our patient busy while we rounded up some gauze.  The matron came back and announced we wouldn’t have any gauze until tomorrow.  All of us were shocked; you can’t do any procedures except urethral catheters without sterile gauze.  Many of us went searching in other departments and asking for gauze but it didn’t lead us to any.  It was hard to believe the entire hospital was out of sterile gauze, and even harder for us to believe that the nurse wanted us to tell the 25 patients waiting that they would need to come back tomorrow.  One of the other parts of the hospital had told one of the students that we might be able to find some at the sterilization center but as we were walking out the doors the matron chewed us out because we need to “accept” that there was no way to get any.  It becomes disheartening to know that no matter how hard you try to help someone there are sometimes things you can’t control in the situation that prevents you from completing your task.  Don’t get me wrong, I don’t feel like I’m becoming discouraged with medicine in general but I just wish I had the knowledge to diagnose more, perform more, or be able to supply the hospital resources.  

I still enjoy medicine and there are times during the day when I can really sit back and be in awe at the powers of medicine, even in Kenya. That being said, I think anyone that has been immune to third world medicine can understand the love-hate struggle that goes on internally.  I had this feeling today in the hospital; after a crummy morning in minor theatre I went to postnatal care in maternity to see if there was anything I could do.  The moment I walked in it was like my muscles relaxed because the room was filled with mothers and their new-born babies.  It gave me hope, and made me realize that yeah, working in a hospital you have to deal with hard things sometimes but there is new life surviving each and every day. If it’s simply seeing a newborn baby in its mother’s arms or having a man really appreciate what you are doing, then I’d call that a pretty successful day. 

Because we didn’t have much to do most of us went to lunch at Caribou the local café.  When we got back my roommates, Natalie and Chelsea decided that it was time to face our looming pile of laundry.  Although the laundry facilities aren’t a whirlpool washer and dryer, it’s not as bad a scrubbing my clothes in a river.  We hand wash everything but you have one bucket with soapy water and one bucket with rinsing water.  By the end of our piles our hands were pruney and sore from wringing out clothing. I’m happy to announce my clothes are washed and hanging on the line and hopefully I won’t need to relive that experience for quite some time.     

Tomorrow we are going to the orphanage because, Joel, one of the students in medical school raised money to rebuild some of the school portion.  We are going to look at it and hopefully start that project.  Wednesday will be another day in the hospital, but Thursday morning we leave bright and early for Safari! I can’t wait!

                                           The "records book" we keep in minor theatre

                                            What the patient's files look like

A Day at the Beach

This morning we woke up and decided it was a beach day.  I officially got my first sunburn, and quite a few of us are more red-tinted than when we left this morning. We spent several hours laying out, swimming in the ocean, playing volleyball, and talking on the beach.  It was a peaceful day except for the constant stream of Kenyan’s nagging us to buy something from them.  You can’t even lay on the beach without someone asking if you want a coconut, keychain, or henna tattoo.  Eventually we made our way up to the beach bar and got some tropical drinks then walked home.  We were very sandy so most of us showered before dinner.  Mia, a student who roomed with us, was leaving today so we waited to go to dinner until her car was here to take her to the airport.  It was hard seeing her leave because she helped us out so much when we first got here and we became friends so fast.  Mia leaving also sparked the feeling of someone getting to go home so I think a lot of us had home on our minds today.  Once we said our goodbyes we made our way to a local Italian restaurant named Robertos.  I ate pizza again because I’m really craving random American food like mac and cheese and onion rings. Haha! We’re back at the compound now and everyone is updating their blogs or contacting their family.  I think tomorrow I’m ready to be back in the hospital although I had a nice recuperating weekend. Sorry for the briefness…that’s all for now!

Mustache sign on the way to the beach?

my view from the spot on the beach

Old Town Trip

Last night we all went out again to a local bar called Bob’s.  Everyone had a great time and wanted to go to a club.  We loaded up the tuk-tuks and went to a club called il covo.  We danced and had drinks and eventually made our way home.  Since it’s the weekend we could sleep in and catch up on some much needed beauty sleep.  We woke up, showered, and got ready to do some shopping at an area in Mombasa called Old Town.  We were pretty hungry so we went to Café Mocha for a quick lunch before we headed out.  I had Banana Belgium waffles and they were delicious.  I had been really craving some “normal” food and they definitely hit the spot.

We took the van to Old Town and the streets were filled with little shops.  The shop owners were all over the “mzungus” trying to coerce us into buying anything and everything. I bought some souvenirs for friends and family and got very good at bargaining down prices.  We spent three hours wandering through shops and then decided it was time to go. 

                                                                inside a shop

                                                                     The streets of Old Town

When we returned, Doles, our cook was preparing the Goodbye/Hello Barbeque. Everyone was relieved to have a more familiar meal consisting of potato salad (of course there had to be some type of starch), hotdogs, hamburgers, and chicken kabobs.  We were famished from the full day of shopping and the barbeque hit the spot.  Tonight we are going to head back to Café Mocha for some dessert and coffee then hit the hay since we had a late night last night.  Today wasn’t too eventful but it was nice to have a more relaxed day.    

Friday!

It’s Friday! Thank goodness. Last night we stayed in Casualty until about 1 am.  There was a bus accident and three people wounded from that. Right away when I got there I introduced myself to the nurses and tried to butter them up to like me so that they would actually let me do something.  They had me run some errands which was good because it kept me busy and then they had me check vital signs.  The ward was well staffed last night compared to a couple nights ago and it seemed like people were actually doing their jobs.  One thing that bothered me was one of the doctors refused to see this woman who was moaning, throwing up, and unresponsive because she “needs to shower first” and because “she’s a bum.” I don’t care who the patient is, I just believe everyone should be able to have healthcare.  Sadly one of the students who worked till 7am today said that as we were leaving she fell onto the floor and another student reported she was still there this morning when she checked into the hospital. 

This morning I decided to do something a little different.  One of the students here is a founder of a medical aid group called International Medical Aid.  He travels around the world with doctors and other students and holds clinics to improve certain aspects of health.  This morning his group was going to a village orphanage/school to teach the children about washing their hands and brushing their teeth.  When we arrived it had rained the night before and the streets into the village were made out of dirt.  Everything was so muddy that we instantly were stuck.  The kids laughed as a group of “mzungas” were pushing the van out of the mud.  We finally got out and walked up to the school house as we were arrived with smiles and welcome.  Everyone was so happy to see us and we entered the school house and the children lined up and started singing.  It was so cute because they had actions and everything.  After they sang we shook their hands and said hello and they started pushing each other just to touch your hands.  Instantly a couple children latched onto my hands and took me outside.  We sat them down again and demonstrated how to use a tooth brush because they had been using sticks.  After demonstrating that, we showed them how to wash their hands as well.  We passed out suckers (slightly counterproductive in regards to teeth brushing), tooth brushes, tooth paste, and soap.  They were so happy it was relieving to see something different than the hospital setting.  After everything had been passed out we played games with them.  I’m not sure what the game is called but they taught it to us.  They also played a game comparable to duck, duck, goose. 

                                                               our stuck van

The sign into their school was handwritten and had a slogan underneath reading “Through perseverance we shall succeed.”  I found this to be one of the most inspiration things I have seen yet in Africa. Although their school house had no desks inside, just a tin hut with dirt floors it wasn’t something negative that weighted down the student’s spirit.  They were genuinely happy so who cares how the place they were learning looked like.

                                                              the school house

Soon it was time to go. We took some last minute pictures and they loved having their pictures taken.  If you would bring out a camera, about a dozen dark faces would crowd yours in order to be in the picture.  It was so precious and I wanted to take every one of them home. We loaded up the vans and said goodbye. Today was a rewarding day for me and a great way to end the week.  The memories of today will stay with me and I’m humbled to have been able to experience it. 

                                                          one of the cutest babies ever

Next we headed out to eat at Café Mocha, and I had been craving pizza and it was delicious.  We made our way back to the house and talked in the main room with the other students.  Tomorrow we have a day off from the hospital so many of us are going to a place called Old Town where there are little shops and vendors have their products to sell.   My post today is pretty short but I’m posting a lot of pictures because I think sometimes they can speak louder than what I can describe to you myself.  Enjoy!

                                             the group of kids and us students

                                             the game the kids taught us

                                                playing with the kids

Thursday, Another Day at the Hospital

Today I’d like to dedicate my blog post to my mom.  I had the privilege of observing three C-sections this morning and I can’t put into words how much admiration I have towards mothers.  Mom, since I know you’re reading this, thank you for still loving me after what you had to go through to bring me into the world.  This morning, Chelsea, Mia and I made our way to the maternity wing and up to Millennium Theatre where all the surgeries take place.  We put on caps and masks, changed our scrubs and shoes and were excited to observe.  A nurse ushered us into the surgical room which was very clean and much different compared to the rest of the hospital. All of the C-Sections today were emergency cases so we knew we would get to see some interesting things. We entered as the baby was being taken out of the room.  Unfortunately the baby had not made it because the mother was diabetic.  The doctor said that the mother had been pregnant three times before and none had survived. My heart sank, I was hoping for an easy day filled with new life and the morning was not starting out promising.  We observed as the doctors proceeded to clean out the placenta and uterus.  Another complication arose because the uterus wall was too thin and could rupture if put back inside the woman.  The doctors decided that her uterus needed to be taken out.  I can’t explain the amount of blood being suctioned out of this very petite woman. My heart sank even further as I realized this mother would wake up from surgery with no baby, but also no uterus meaning she has no possibility of having a child in the future. I suddenly started feeling hot and didn’t know if I would faint or need to sit down.  I took some deep breaths and regained control as they extracted her uterus.  After that the surgeon cleaned her internally checking for parts of the placenta and began suturing her shut. Soon, the power went out.  Everything went dark and about two minutes later the power kicked on.  My grandma mentioned I might want to bring a flashlight, and that would have been a great time to have one.  The surgeon continued and he sutured and sutured until all that was left was an eight inch scar vertically running down her stomach. We stepped out as they dressed the patient’s wound and waited to talk with the surgeon.  He met us and told us about her complications and assured us the next patient would be much simpler.

                                               All Ready for Surgery!!

The second woman who was having a Caesarian section proceeded much faster.  We didn’t get to see the first incision in the first surgery so that was also another shock.  The doctor made his first incision cutting through the skin and the fat on the woman’s abdomen.  Once that was clear the doctors moved the muscle then made a small incision into the uterus.  The next part was unexpected and gruesome to me.  The doctor took on side of the incision while the nurse took the other and both pulled the woman’s uterus until it ripped open.  The sound is indescribable and stomach-dropping but the only thing I could compare it to would be the sound of someone ripping a t-shirt. The reason they do this is so that the body can heal itself better and more efficiently versus the incision made by the blade.  The doctor reached his hand into the uterus, felt around and pulled out the baby’s head.  Next came out the shoulders and then finally the rest of the body.  Instantly the baby wailed and I could feel my body relax.  It was like I held my breath as the baby came out while in my mind I was repeating “please let it be alive, please.”  It was truly a miracle.  Everyone cheered when the doctor said it’s a girl, and the nurse took the baby out of the operating room to care for it as we finished with the mother. 

The final birth was also expected to have some complications but it went pretty well.  The same procedure took place but this time a baby boy was produced.  When the doctor pulled out the baby it looked blue, but he turned it upside down holding it by the feet and patted its back when it soon let out its cry. The only interesting thing about this case was that the uterus was huge.  The doctors sutured it up outside the body while it rested on her stomach.  It was so large that it was comparable to a small cooked chicken.  They sewed it up then pushed it back inside, it really was incredible. We left as they were closing up because it was after lunch time.

                                           One of the miracles born today! :)

We then went down to minor theatre to meet up with some of the other students so we could go to lunch.  They were working on a debridement of the hand which means they had to cut off the dead skin with infection in order for the area to heal correctly.  While we were waiting a man needed his catheter changed so Mia showed me how to do that.  It was extremely painful for him and he was an older man.  This usually implies that the man has a problem with his prostate, which does not allow the catheter to work properly. We took out the catheter and consulted one of the interns.  We then told him he would need to have a suprapubic catheter surgically put in.  These catheters are different because they go through the stomach directly to the bladder. We finished up with him and waited for the rest of the students then left for lunch.  I think most of us are going back later tonight to work in Casualty but for now I’m planning on catching a nap. Thanks everyone for the comments on the blog. I love seeing comments and knowing that people are reading what I’m writing about.          

                                        A sketchy strecher in Maternity