Word from the Medical Team in Tanzania

Saturday, June 6, 2015

Hi all

It is Saturday afternoon...or 5 PM!  The gang left at 0500 AM for safari.  Austin and I are here until they return. It is somewhat good as we have 2 daily wound dressing changes so I am here to do those.

Yesterday ended our last day for team 1. It was a great day in the Sakila clinic and even more of a blessings was some of the suggested we put forth were in action. They have someone coming in daily to do cleaning, and the flow of patients is much better than we first arrived.  Dr. Kassum has praised us several times and told us how happy he has been working and learning from the Dr's.  He is doing his own workload, but will then work with Dr. Ron and NP David when they arrive next week so he can learn more from them also. 

I spent the end of the week working with the clinic nurse.  The language barrier is hard, but we had our greatest joy was when she said "No antibiotics, no infection"  We celebrated on that one as the first thing they want to do is give antibiotics, even when there is no need. Everyone seems to prescribe medications and so we will be discussing that at our meeting next week.  We are still working on vital signs and assessments, but she is doing better.  It has been an amazing first three weeks and then team 2 arrives next week to start again.  We will also have a meeting with the medical team and Bishop to discuss the clinic and ask questions.  Tim and I had a good meeting with Bishop and John Matthew, now we will meet with everyone.

Today was graduation. A lot like USA as it was 3.5 hours long. Even harder when you totally do not know what is being said.  Had to poke Austin a couple of times to wake him from his naps.  There were many speakers and the only one we understood was Austin and myself!!  No translation except when we spoke.  The church was packed with standing room only. There was a Pastor from Kenya, who had sent 2 students and then a husband of a student who lives in England, but she will be pasturing a church in the Congo and they will do distance relationship. So many family members and so exciting. The food after was amazing. We had beef, chicken and pretty much every other dish possible.  A really fun day!

An update on our anthrax patient.  She spent 4 days in the hospital, and was released. Our patient with what we thought was osteomylitis was a correct diagnosis by the Dr's which they found was caused by a compound fracture from a biking accident. She went to surgery and is doing well.

Final care conferences were Thursday night and D, Kassum was present.  We were able to give further treatment and/or follow up to all our priority patients and all the dental.  This is always such a hard time as we are in charge of saying yes or no to the needs of many.  We keep saying yes until our money is gone and we spent $3500.  We wish we could say yes to them all, but it is just not possible.  Hard and tense night for all and I went to bed crying.

Thinking there will be no emails until after the new team arrives. I will just be working and helping at the clinic. Our storage shelves are together and so I will help with stocking and setting it up in a way that will work best for them.

Blessings to all and we will talk again next week
Mary