This is going to be a CRAZY week.
So the team from Chicago(ish) was supposed to arrive at 3am Monday morning…but there was apparently a volcano in Eritrea that erupted and did the “there’s a lot of ash in the sky” thing, so they couldn’t fly out and instead they arrived at 1:30 Tuesday morning…got back to their housing at 3:30…slept until 6am…so I can ONLY imagine what they felt like running this crazy clinic all day today.
Monday we went to the church to set up the clinic in the morning…there are 2 40-ft shipping containers that will become the permanent clinic once they cut all the holes out for doors and windows and put in supports for walls and all the welding that goes with that. Because there was a 3-week delay getting the permit to set up the “building” there, and a 1-week delay moving the containers, they weren’t ready. They still aren’t ready. So we had to completely change our plan for the layout but it’s working out well. We’re using 1 of the existing offices as our pharmacy (the room is FILLED with drugs, and it’s a little cramped in there but we’re dealing) and 2 of the offices as storage. There’s a small tent we set up with a bunch of chairs under it, for waiting. Then they enter the big-top tent for registration, and get their blood pressure, temperature, weight, etc. taken, then they see a doctor. There are 4 small tents with sheets clothespinned around them where the doctors are, there’s 5 or 6 of them. After they see the doctor their prescription gets brought to the pharmacy while the patients talk with a spiritual counselor. That gives the pharmacy time to fill the prescriptions, and then they head out with their free drugs.
So Monday we figured all that out and unloaded all the drugs and small tables into the pharmacy. Tuesday the team was supposed to be there but they weren’t, so we set up all the drugs in the pharmacy and set up the tents and were going to do an orientation, but we put that off until today.
We left and went to get more of the DELICIOUS pizza…and we did. Then I sat at home in the candlelight writing the number 1-325 on registration forms and 1-550 on contact cards. I was intending to do it in the light but I had no choice this time. :-P
Today I got there around 8:15 and traffic made the US team late..they got there around 8:45. So…despite the fact that some of the church’s volunteers were there I set up chairs and tables …basically by myself…until they arrived. They are huge. 36 people. I don’t think I realized how many people 36 is because when I pictured them I think I pictured like 20. Some of them are nurses, a couple are doctors, and some are not medical and did mostly spiritual counseling stuff. When we started this morning there was nobody or very few people there for the first hour(which was god because we got to a late start) so the ENTIRE team went in small groups into the nearby Mukuru slum to see it/hand out fliers about the clinic. It was a really good experience for them, however it left very few people to run the clinic…so I got through doing the vitals on 45 patients before they got back. It was sort of fun, in a non-fun way…because I like being busy and feeling a little rushed, but it’s stressful.
So once the team got back I let some of the nurses take over vitals and went to the pharmacy, which was backed up because there were 4 doctors working and 2 people in there. I love being in the pharmacy because it’s exactly that kind of environment I like…there’s always something to do, you’re rushing a little to get through the pile of prescriptions that just keep on coming, you’re surrounded by all the drugs but it’s like an adventure trying to find the one you actually need. Thankfully Chrissy always knows where everything is as well as the answer to all my questions about dosage and what not.
I felt really bad for her, because she was getting 50000 questions about eeeeverything. Everyone needed to know where something was, and QUICKLY. So she was running around like a crazy person for a good part of the afternoon.
At one point someone came into the pharmacy and asked for iodine, gauze, and shears. I knew that meant there was a wound somewhere, so I asked about it, and found out a guy was there with a huge leg wound. I went to see but it was still wrapped up, so I told the nurse I’d be back in 5 minutes to see it. Now I’m going to tell you about the wound so if you don’t want to read about it, skip to the next paragraph. When I got back the bandage was off…he had gotten into a motorcycle accident on May 29th and had a huge laceration down the middle of his shin that had been stitched, but the stitches were still in. They were supposed to come out about a week ago. Below the laceration was a huge infected wound that was like a 2-inch diameter circle of black and yellow. So they removed the stitches and cleaned him up and later I saw people carrying him away- they were bringing him to a hospital- he needs surgery to debride it.
I overheard a conversation that leads me to believe he will be having that surgery taken care of by us. I don’t know if “us” is the Chicago team, the general clinics-that-the-Basses-have budget, or what, but he’s getting that surgery. Which is good because an infection like that untreated would have cost him his leg or life if untreated. I saw THE coolest thing ever while they were cleaning his wound…it’s this spray can of saline…instead of pouring it out of a bottle, or poking a hole in the bottle and squeezing for some pressure, there’s actually a pressurized can of saline, that squirts it out like spray-on sunscreen, only a thicker spray. Pretty awesome.
So basically I spent the whole day spinning around in circles in the pharmacy, after a morning of vitals. We finished around 4:30 and cleaned up and had dinner started (eating, that is) by 5:30. At 6 the church had its regular Wednesday night prayer meetings, and the pastor of the team spoke for a little bit. The senior pastor of the Imara campus informed us at that meeting that 22 people made decisions to follow Christ today, which was pretty awesome. J We treated about 150 patients, I believe. Everyone got multivitamins and de-worming medications plus whatever the doctor prescribed. The only complication with that is that you’re not supposed to take Levamisole, the de-worming med, if you’re pregnant. One patient had “note: 5 months pregnant” on her sheet so of course she didn’t get it. But I was about to give it to another woman and realized she was probably pregnant and put it back. After that I realized the doctors weren’t even necessarily aware that we were de-worming everyone and not asking/writing about pregnancy…so then I started asking everyone if they were pregnant (well…not men) and prayed we hadn’t given any to pregnant people before. I don’t know what the negative effects are but I’m praying they’re not happening.
I was talking to Chrissy in the middle of the day, and we were saying how AWESOME a safari is going to be after this…not just because a safari is awesome, but the relaxing vacation aspect of it is going to be THAT much more awesome because this week before it is craaaaaaazy busy.
It’s really nice, and it’s my first time, doing a free medical clinic in Kenya….WITHOUT jet lag. I like it. But the ligaments and muscles behind me knees are rather sore from standing all day. Oh well.
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