After we said our prayer, we all went to our designated spots for the day. Quick reminder:
Pediatric clinic- Dr. Mandy and nurse Cynthia
Dental Clinic- Dr. Dave and nurse Laura
Veterinarian Clinic- Vet tech Brian, Veterinarian Dr. Ed, and Frederic
The Vet Clinic
Adult Medical Clinic- Leslie (registration), Brewster (Photos), nurse Julie and Dr. Billy (Lab), Dr. Matt, Dr. Chris, and nurse Carrie (seeing patients).
Dr. Billy ( I love his hat. It says "Haiti or Bust")
Julie checking blood sugars and hemoglobin levels.
Brewster getting some great pictures.
Dr. Matt, Leslie, and Dr. Chris ready for clinic to start!
We were ready to start seeing patients and they had already begun lining up!
As I told you before, I was put into the adult medical clinic serving with Matt and Chris. To be totally honest, my fear started to creep back in. The thoughts of being inadequate and not being able to help anyone began consuming my mind.
My job was to see patients which means: complete a physical assessment, listen to their symptoms/complaints (with help from a translator), and then treat the patient with medicine or other interventions if necessary or available.
I was a little nervous, so I asked the guys if it was okay for me to watch them in action so I could get a feel for the flow of things. They were both so nice and told me that that was fine and I would be okay. I didn't want to be a bump on a log, so I offered to do whatever needed to be done. I handed out Vermox to all the patients as they came in the door. Vermox is a medicine that treats all kind of worms (yeah, I know it is gross). It is safe to say that almost everyone in Lotore has worms due to poor water sources and living conditions.
I also helped distribute medicines to Dr. Matt and Dr. Chris from our pharmacy.
The Pharmacy is made out of two pieces of plywood placed on top of wooden benches. Then all of our prepackaged medicines are placed on the table in order depending on their type. Yes, there are people that package all our our medicines for us before we leave, what a blessing!I observed Matt and Chris (which they told me that I did not have to call them "Doctor", I found this weird at first but got used to it quickly). They were unbelievably helpful and so nice! They showed me how they did things from start to finish. They told me what to do or what medicines to prescribe for each symptom. Dr. Billy had developed a list of all the medicines we had with us and what each med is used for. He also had a "cheat sheet" of common symptoms/complaints and what to look for with each thing. All of this was very helpful. Remember, I have never done anything like this before.
It was amazing to see how the whole flow went so smoothly. I was looking over the guys shoulders and getting the medicines they needed. I felt like I was learning so much so quickly. During this process, they would quiz me. They would tell me the symptoms/complaints of the patient and then would ask me what medicine they should be given. When I got the answer right I was elated! Of course, I didn't get everything right, but I was never berated or made fun of. They would tell me what medicine would be the best and then explain to my why. I was so grateful to have them with me! I was blown away by their patience, kindness, and knowledge!
Before I knew it, Chris asked me if I would see a patient. I did not even hesitate, I went for it! I actually saw a patient (with a translator of course)! I then gave them the correct medicine for their problem! It was exhilarating and terrifying all at the same time! I quickly realized that I really was capable and that I had a wonderful group of references for questions or anything else I needed! Thank you Lord!
Everyone in all of the clinics were very busy this day and we were able to see many patients! Things got stressful at times (lack of communication, not knowing where things were located, the heat, crowds, etc.), but we were all able to pull through!
We finished our clinic around 5:30pm after taking some of the overflow from the pediatric clinic so Mandy and Cynthia could finish at a reasonable hour. It was amazing to see the teamwork and diligence everyone had. I was so proud to work with all of those amazing people!
Chris resting in his hammock after a long days work!
Coming up Next....My first night at Lotore!
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
ReplyDeleteAnother great post, Carrie! I especially enjoyed your photos of the kids at their regular positions gazing in the school window across the table of prepackaged meds and your photo of the vet clinic. Some of your readers may be surprised to see so many trees (not to mention real shade!) in Haiti. As you and your Pawleys Island friends know, the trees and shade are among the major attractions of Lotoré. I wish I had a dollar for every person who's asked, "Don't they understand that cutting their trees (for furniture and houses, to clear land for fields and especially for charcoal) wrecks their environment and makes their problems worse?" What can we say? Of course they understand; Haitians aren't stupid and they LOVE the shade under trees, especially if there's a bon ti van (nice little breeze). But they have to feed their families kounye la a (right now!) and, if the only way to make a little money is to cut trees and sell the wood for charcoal, homes, furniture, etc, they have no choice but to do it. In the long run, it's a Sophie's choice, but when one's children are crying from hunger, they don't have the luxury of worrying about the long run.
Thanks, as always, for your great posts, and bon jounen,
Burt