Well, we headed off anyway in their SUV. We got to the park 2 hours later, and stopped outside the entrance to climb on top of the vehicle. Not once were we given any instructions to keep our hands in, hold on, watch out for branches, or anything to prevent us from becoming lion bait. We all mused at how long the waiver would be in the U.S. to be able to do something like this. Anyway, the countryside was so beautiful and it was such an exhilarating feeling flying throught the bush with the wind whipping through your hair.
That morning and afternoon we saw baboons, antelope, deer, hippos, crocodiles, and water buffalo. More excitement came after we took a siesta at the hotel in the park. We checked in about noon, and napped until 4:00. When we went out that evening we saw an elephant! We never actually saw a lion, but we heard one. We went back to the hotel that evening and I felt so sick. I realized I must have been dehydrated (although I was drinking lots of water throughout the day, you don't realize how much you're sweating when it's instantly being dried by the wind). I chugged a liter of water, then felt so sick I had to just lay down to try and keep it down. I went to bed about 8:30 that evening. The next morning we got up before the sun and saw more of the same animals. We stayed in the park until about 11:00 then headed back down to Natitingu, stopping at a waterfall on the way, where we went swimming, climbing, and jumping (no, I did NOT climb the waterfall; yes, I am a chicken). We got back to Nadine and Dany's, and they took us to this neat restaurant that was in an old traditional house made of mud. We had duck - I never knew I liked duck! The next morning we got up early once again to catch the bus back to Cotonou. We ended up getting there an hour early and Ingeborg and I realized we needed to use the bathroom before we got on the bus. We asked Marcel (our tour guide - don't ask me why he showed up at the bus station, but he did) where we could go and he brought us to a house next door. He asked the owners something, then pointed to the back of the house. Well, we hiked back there, relieved ourselves, then thanked the homeowners. After another grueling 8 hour bus ride we made it back to the ship safe and sound. Needless to say, my safari in Pendjari was one I will never forget.Saturday, December 5, 2009
Safari in Pendjari
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Hospital Visit
We are wrapping up the outreach in Benin. All the patients are gone, and the hospital is closed. There were a few people we had to send to clinics, and one we had to send to a hospital because she had a giant wound that was not healing. We head to Tenerife next week, and will hopefully arrive about 10 days later.
A couple days ago I went to two different hospitals here in Cotonou. One of the day volunteer translators brought a group of 5 nurses and 1 dietitian. The first was a public hospital. All the units were in separate buildings, connected by outdoor corridors. We went in to the emergency room and saw about 10 people laying on gurneys with ancient-looking IV fluids running (although about half had run dry). They were people who couldn't pay the hospital fees. They were waiting for money before they could be admitted. Some had enough money for the IV fluids and a few drugs. We walked around the corner and were hit by the most horrendous smell. There was a man laying there with just one leg covered by a sheet and flies all over the sheet. We were told he had been in a motorbike accident and needed his leg amputated, but couldn't pay for it. He was waiting for money to be brought to him and his leg had become gangrenous. He had waited there one week. He was clearly out of it, breathing extremely fast, glazed over eyes, and laying in his own feces. Now here are some sad financial facts: one night in the hospital is $9, or for a private "VIP" room about $60. To have your leg amputated costs about $160, plus $12 for the CT scan.
There IS some good happening to health care in Benin, however. For example, the government will pay for any Beninese person who needs dialysis. We witnessed this, and were amazed by the modern-looking dialyses machines. The government also covers cancer costs and cesarean sections, which brings me to my next hospital visit. It was a Catholic hospital a few miles away from the public hospital. Things looked a little better here, but we still felt like we were in 1940. We talked to many of the patients, heard there stories, and prayed with them - there is no HIPPA here in Benin. We walked by the operating theater and saw that it was in use. There was a woman on the table, about to have a cesarean section. Our tour guide asked if we would like to watch. We quickly agreed, but refused to take pictures when he insisted we could. We all watched through a window. I have to say, from what I could see they kept it sterile (I guess gauze could work as a face mask?), but their monitoring equipment was a little lacking - the woman had a pulse-oximeter on and a manual blood pressure cuff. As there was no infant bed in the room I wondered what would happen with the baby. Well, as soon as the baby was delivered and the cord was cut she was placed on a tray and handed, through the window we were observing from, to a nurse on the other side. The nurse then brought her to the nursery. When we asked if we could see the baby the nurse was more than happy to bring her outside where we were waiting. We all got to hold her and take pictures before the mother held her - quite strange.
The next day on the ship some nurses got money together to bring to the man who needed his leg amputated. Unfortunately by the time they got to him he had died. Apparently his brother had scrounged up the money, the man got the surgery, but then died - more than likely of sepsis.
The hospital visit was definitely an eye opening experience, and it has made me greatly appreciate health care in the U.S., even when you think you have good dental insurance and end up paying an arm and a leg to have 3 wisdom teeth taken out. At least I could have the darn things taken out.
Well, I hate to end on a sad note like this, so maybe I will blog about my safari experience in a couple days. No promises though. Excited to see everyone very soon!!
Monday, November 9, 2009
It's beginning to feel a lot like.....Africa
Monday, October 19, 2009
Malaria and Eggs
I had some very grateful patients this week. One 9 year old boy I took care of had a release of his ankylosis - basically, your mouth is frozen shut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ankylosis. I'm not sure the cause of his, but it can be caused by untreated trauma or infection. To fix this the surgeon needs to break the jaw and reset it. The patient then has a bite block in their mouth for 24 hours. After the bite block comes out they need to begin jaw exercises - here we have them stick more and more popsicle sticks in their mouth hourly. If they do not do the exercises the jaw will become locked again. Obviously this whole process is very painful. This first day I had this boy he still had his bite block in, and when he wasn't sleeping he was crying and asking for the block to be taken out. The next day I came back, the block was out, and he was a new boy. He was so happy because he could stick his tongue out for the first time in his life! Another man I took care of had a mass removed from his cheek. His wife came in to see him, and gave me a bag of eggs! There were about 20 eggs in it. One of the translators told me that eggs are a blessing. I was very touched by this.
I went to the fabric market on Friday. There are so many beautiful fabrics, I could go crazy there! I bought 4 types of fabric - one is a rooster print that I've seen a few people wearing. I'm excited to make skirts or pillows or curtains when I get home!
Well, I am off from work today and tomorrow, so I think I will do some exploring with a friend, and I'm planning to make a quiche!
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Night Shifts and Weekend Fun
After fishing we walked around the town. The kids were so friendly - much friendlier than they are in Cotonou, and they rarely asked us for money which was a nice change. We scared one baby who had probably never seen a white person in her life. She started SCREAMING when she saw us. Some just latched themselves on to us, holding our hands as we walked through town. We noticed that many of the children had umbilical hernias (the belly button sticks out, much more than just an "outie"). Later we learned that it is because they are strapped to their mothers' backs for so long, and they skip the crawling phase. This causes them to underuse their stomach muscles, making them weak and at risk for developing hernias. After walking around town we had dinner at one of the hotels. For dinner they had one option: a mexican salad (lettuce, red onions, corn, TUNA, and some sort of dressing) grilled chicken (a whole leg), rice and peas, and chocolate mousse for dessert. It was pretty good, but I wasn't a big fan of the chicken - a little too rubbery for my taste. After dinner we went to our hotel rooms (which were $12 each). In my room was a double bed with a foam pillow and a fitted sheet, a mosquito net over the bed, a table and a couple chairs, and a bathroom - which was a toilette, a shower, and a large bucket (no idea what it was for). There was no air-conditioning so we didn't need any more sheets or blankets on the bed. Luckily there was a fan. Here are some more pics from the trip to Possotome:
That's all for now!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
My Job
Yesterday I took care of 5 patients. One was a 24 year old pregnant woman who had a tumour removed from the back of her tongue. She had a naso-gastric tube, so required NG feedings. Another little 5 year old girl had a pharyngoplasty - a repair of a cleft palate that is VERY painful because there's a lot of stretching and repositioning of the roof of the mouth. She also required NG feedings. Then there was a little boy who had a cleft lip repair. This is a pretty easy recovery compared to a cleft palate repair. Another woman had a thyroidectomy. My last patient had a big old tumour removed from her eye socket - I think it had just taken over her eye, which had to be removed. It's a lot of wound care and teaching with these patients.
The plastic surgeons are gone now, but we still have quite a few of their patients here that we're praying will heal quickly so they can go home. Some have been here over a month. Most of these patients have had burns on their hands or feet that have caused contractures. So the surgeon releases the contracture, and uses a skin graft from the thigh to cover the wound. The extremity never looks "normal" again, but we warn the patient about this and explain that the goal is function.
Now that the plastic surgeons are gone we have general surgeons who will be doing lots of hernia repairs and thyroidectomies. We are also getting ready for the VVF ladies who come on October 10. They come for a repair of their vesicovaginal fistula, which is usually caused by prolonged labor. Basically, the baby presses on the bladder through the uterus for so long that it produces a hole, or fistula. These women then constantly leak urine, and become outcasts in their communities. Thankfully if and when this is fixed they are usually welcomed back into the community.
So that's what I'm doing!
Monday, September 28, 2009
This is Jamie, she's from Arizona and works in hospitality.
Paul (from the U.K. - does something in the engine room), Jamie, and me.
Christina (from California, teacher), me, Haley (from Alabama, teacher)
Then on Sunday we hired a local guy to give us a tour on a canoe. It was so peaceful and serene. We went through a mangrove and saw a bunch of crabs, drank from a coconut, then he took us to a village called Hévé, which is a Voodoo village. Many of the people are Catholic but still practice Voodoo. It was so sad to walk through the village and know that the people knew nothing of the freedom, forgiveness, and love they could have in Jesus. I didn't get many pictures from the village because the people believe that if you take their picture you are stealing their soul. But here are a few from the outing:
The canoe we took, the guide (in white and blue) and the paddler (in red)
Crayfish! Caught by local fishermen, and kept in this basket.
The Voodoo village
A Voodoo god - the protector of the village.
We got back Sunday night, and I'm ready for another week!