Haiti 2010, Surgery in La Gonave
Just got back from eating supper after a long day in the OR. We finished around 9 pm. Exhausting, but extremely rewarding. Doing anaesthesia without the full range of monitors, with limited drugs, with minimal post anaesthesia care (no oxygen sats, so sides on the beds, hanging IVs from fan strings or sticking to bulletin boards with pins...) is pretty tiring actually! Ravi is also quite tired as he is doing things he isn't used to - an old fourth degree tear worsened by a recent delivery, larger hernias than any of us have seen, children as small as 10 kg, C-sections for twins, looking for bullets in a leg with an entry wound but no exit wound - the list goes on. It is interesting that in spite of this I feel we are providing a very safe surgical experience for these folks who wouldn't otherwise have their surgery done; it just requires a different emphasis and good use of the local nursing who are excellent.
We have between 3 and 6 cases tomorrow, and may have more Monday am before we leave for POP.
Still no time to get photos on this blog - Ravi and I are having trouble getting the images uploaded from his computer, and we've been too busy to sort it out.
We would never work this way at home, but we think the experience will make us much better at what we do. A small bonus compared to the satisfaction of doing cases we know would never be done without someone here...
On a slightly different note, the nurses here are excellent; keen to learn and friendly. The local staff physician (Dr. Ferdinand - also the medical director for the entire island of La Gonave)) has been coming in on many of our cases, and has transformed from being a little reserved to giving a high-five after a good case. The food at the guest house in the Wesleyan compound is amazing, and the missionaries who are here are friendly and obviously very devoted to what they are doing. The local children are beautiful, and the patients are as a rule grateful (and without exception a stoic crew).
Chat soon ... Colm
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