Saturday, October 11th, 2008: Day 3

I woke up at 5:30 am this morning! This is about the normal waking hour for us in Lotore. I had a pretty good nights sleep. I didn't even need my fan or anything (that is a big deal for those of you who do not know me)! I did not get attacked by any large bugs. I didn't have to get up in the middle of the night to pee and my air mattress did not lose any air! Overall, I had a wonderful nights sleep. Other team members were not so lucky as I came to find out at breakfast!

Once I got out of my cocoon, I got dressed. Now you wouldn't normally think this is a hard task, but things are a little different here. Remember our windows. The ones that don't have a closure to them, so that anyone that is around can look in on you. Yeah, that makes things a little more difficult, considering that there were already a ton of people waiting to be seen!

I did the best that I could and jumped into my scrubs as quickly as possible! I then brushed my teeth. How, you may ask since we have no sink. I apply my toothpaste to my toothbrush and then take a sip of my bottled water that is constantly attached to my hip. I then start to brush my teeth. As I am doing so, I take a walk outside of our room and around the side of the school. I then spit on the ground and rinse with my bottled water. There you have it! It's not too complicated!

Now it was time for breakfast!

Matt and Chris do not look to thrilled this morning. I think someone either needs some coffee or Pepto-Bismol! Mandy and Brewster getting some grub!

Ed , Billy, and Matt enjoying coffee!

Breakfast was not as huge of a production as dinner was, but it was still very nice. I believe there were some eggs, bread, juice, coffee, and cokes. I had a piece of bread with peanut butter on it and a coke! The breakfast of champions! There was also a special Haitian jam/jelly called "Chedek" (pronounced sha-deck) that many people put on their bread.

Once breakfast was done, we all stepped in to gear and got things ready so we could start seeing patients! I began filling cups of Vermox (for internal parasites) to hand out to everyone and restocked the pharmacy. We then gathered into the courtyard and held hands to pray. This time the prayer was sung! Of course it was still in Creole, so I didn't understand. It was so beautiful though!

After the prayer, clinic officially began and everyone went to their designated areas. I was in the medical clinic again today and I started right off the bat seeing and treating patients! The crazy thing was that I was not even nervous! I knew that was from the Lord. Plus I had three "real" doctors around me for help/questions if I needed them.

One thing I never thought about before until this trip, was how reliant we are on our translators.For some reason (ignorance), I thought that we would be doing all of this on our own. Oh, how wrong I was. We would not be of any good without our translators. I am so grateful to our interpreters because without them, we could not do what the Lord had called us to. Our interpreters were: Dens, Webster, Bob, and Jean Louis. They all speak very good English and our wonderful with the patients.

Bob and Jean Louis

Dens
Webster

The waiting room, the porch.

Once the patients waited their turn, they registered here with Leslie. An interpreter would collect their personal info (name, age, township, etc.) and fill out our registration form. Then they had their blood pressure, pulse, and temperature taken by our Haitian nurse, Duponte ( I am sure I spelled that wrong). The patients name was written on the chalk board by an interpreter to assure correct spelling. Then Brewster would take their picture to have it placed with their information on their chart (only if they had not had it completed before).

After that process, the patient would go see Dr. Billy and Julie to have their lab work completed. They would have their finger pricked with a lancet and then their blood was tested for their blood sugar and hemoglobin. Then the patient would wait to be seen by either Dr. Matt, Dr. Chris, or myself.

Bob and I seeing a patient in one station and Matt with Dens in the other.

After the patient was seen by one of the "docs" and given medicine for their ailments, they left. Then cycle would then start all over again. This happened until we saw every patient or it became dark, whatever came first!

Matt and Brewster munching on some beef jerky for a snack!

While the majority of the team was inside the school building in the shade, the vet clinic was outside braving the elements. Dr. Ed "Ed Vet", Brian, and Frederic held the vet clinic on the side of the school building under some trees. While taking a break, I was able to see them in action. I was blown away with the number of "patients" they had!

They were constantly busy seeing donkeys, horses, cows, goats, pigs, and some dogs!
Look how cute the momma and baby goat are! I totally became obsessed with the baby animals! I made it my goal to pick up and take a picture with a kid before I left!

I found out that most kids (baby goats) do not need to be tied down or have a leash like the older ones do because they always stay close to their moms and will not wander off, how cute!
Frederic and Ed Vet hard at work!

I was so intrigued watching these guys work with the animals. They were vaccinating, neutering, and treating wounds (saddle sores). I was truly amazed at their skill and patience that God has given them!
These guys worked so hard all day long! They were outside in the heat with the bugs and surrounded by animals and their excrement's! Let's just say that they all needed showers! Not only that, but they had to deal with the owners of the animals. Some people would get upset that their animal did not get the same treatment as someone else, regardless of the type of animal or problems it was having. If one animal got two shots and someone else got three, this could potentially create problems, so these guys had to be very aware of their surroundings and be quick on their feet! Ed said that he thought a lady cast a voodoo curse on him because he didn't give her animal the same vaccination as her neighbors! Don't worry, he didn't turn into a chicken or anything! Just kidding!

In the dental clinic, Dr. Dave and Laura were machines! They were set up in the corner room with the most windows so they had the best light! They wore headlamps so they could see into the patients mouths.

Dr. Dave looking for some supplies while he has an audience!

This is the table of supplies and tools that they used. Dr. Dave performs extractions (pulling teeth) during clinic. One of the main crops in Haiti is sugar cane, so everyone chews on the sticks. Without proper hygiene their teeth rot and become extremely painful. They come to see Dr. Dave to have their tooth/teeth pulled for some pain relief.
This is a picture of Edward. He is a school teacher and helps Dr. Dave in the dental clinic when we are here. He speaks some English and is able to help organize the patients as they come in.

There are also two ladies from the community that come and help sterilize the equipment/tools in between patients. Yes, they do sterilize the equipment!

Dr. Dave is such a hard worker and will not stop until every patient has been seen for the day. He even works into the night until he can't see anymore! His job is physically exhausting but he never stops!

Laura was such a wonderful asset and assistant to Dr. Dave. She is a registered nurse who usually works in the operating room. She has never done any work in the dental field before. I was amazed at her willingness to step out of her comfort zone to help where it was needed. Usually Dave is on his own, so I am sure he appreciated an extra set of hands! I think Laura really enjoyed herself too!


While Dave and Laura were yanking teeth, Dr. Mandy and nurse Cynthia were in the pediatric clinic seeing all the babies!

Cynthia taking a much needed break in front of the pediatric pharmacy!

I didn't get to see the ladies very much because they were so busy and their room was usually full of people!

One thing I found very interesting about the pediatric clinic was that the entire family came to the visit. The mother, father, aunts or grandmothers would bring all of the children of the family at the same time. I guess that was different for me because I don't have any children myself and don't need to go to the pediatrician. I don't know if that is just a Haitian thing or not.

Webster helping Mandy interpret for one of her patients.

Like I told you before, Mandy is one of our veteran team members. She has been on multiple trips and truly has a love for Haiti. She has always run the pediatric clinic and has been blessed to have her own interpreter, Webster. They work very well together and over the years have become very good friends!

Mandy, Cynthia, and Webster were an amazing team! I really enjoyed watching them work together. You could tell just by watching them how happy they were to be helping the people of Lotore. They were so calm, patient, and loving to all of the people they came in contact with, no matter their condition.

A daughter and her mother waiting to be seen by Dr. Mandy!

The ladies that prepare our meals work tirelessly all day long. Before sunrise to way after dark, these ladies are cooking for us! They are unbelievably amazing in what they prepare in the environment and tools that they have to work with.

Here are the ladies preparing and cooking our dinner in the cook house. Of course this is a favorite spot for all of the puppies hoping for some scraps or something to fall on the ground!

The dogs are so sad and skinny here. It is truly a fight for survival everyday, just like the people. The dogs in Haiti are not treated like ours, or at least mine, in the U.S. These animals are not pets but are considered pests to these people, almost like cockroaches to us! My heart truly breaks for these poor dogs.

Dave and Laura greeting some locals.

We took a break for lunch and had a chance to sit, eat, and rest for a little while. Even though we were tired, we quickly got back to work because there were so many people still waiting to be seen. After lunch it suddenly got very hot! We plugged away continuing to see patients.

I saw a number of patients today. Many had minor complaints like body aches, headaches, stomach pain/indigestion, and weakness. Then there were others who had hypertension (high blood pressure), anemia, and a few curve balls. I had one lady with multiple lumps in her breasts. There was really nothing that we could do for her at this clinic, but we were able to refer her to a clinic down the mountain in Anse-a-Galet. However, we have no idea if she was able to get transportation down the mountain or have the money to see a specialist.

Of course I had Matt, Chris, and Billy at my side at all times. I asked them many questions and I was so grateful to have them! They are really great, smart and fun guys and I enjoyed their company! They were willing to answer any questions, show me new things, and gave me opportunities to do/see things I would never have gotten before. I am so grateful and blessed for their friendship and guidance!

A picture of the porch with all of our patients waiting to be seen.

The courtyard was full of people! There were many children playing ball and having fun!

We finished the adult clinic at 4:30pm today. Overall it was a wonderful day and we were able to see and treat many patients! It was a wonderful feeling knowing that you helped so many people!

Coming up next...USC vs. Clemson in Haiti!?