Plastic surgery is wrapping up! Our smallest, 10-bed ward (C Ward) is still full of plastics patients who are here a little while longer for dressing care, but most have left to make room for the OBF patients. The plastics program focuses on releasing burn contractures - that is, skin and scar tissue from a burn that healed over a joint, limiting that joint's range of motion.
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| Patient M., who had massive burn scars over her neck and upper back, can now whip AND nay-nay. |
The repair process usually involves grafts, and thus can take a long time to heal, but the newfound freedom it gives is quite evident.
Maxillo-Facial and EENT surgeries are also in full force, with many tumor & goiters being removed, and cleft lips & palates being repaired.
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| Goiter patients waiting for admission. |
Cataract surgeries are also ongoing. Just before I arrived, there was a huge "celebration of sight" for all the ophthalmology patients!
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| Patient J. just after her eye patch was removed for the first time! |
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| Celebration of Sight. Hopefully I can catch another one of these! |
Unfortunately for some patients, once their treatment is complete, it means they have to return to school.
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| Not. Impressed. |
As I mentioned, the plastics patients are clearing out to make room for the Obstetric Fistula patients on B Ward (the B is for Best)! There were only 3 of them on my first shift, but every day the ward is filling up with 3 or 4 more, and it is just beautiful to watch the friendships and community of support that is already forming between them all.
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| Our first few lovely ladies waiting to be admitted. |
We also have several gynecology patients right now, who are having massive fibroids removed. One mass was the equivalent of a 36 week pregnancy. That patient needed some extra monitoring after surgery, so she went to D Ward (which also holds the ICU), but seems to be recovering well.
It still can be astonishing how dehydrated and malnourished some of the patients are on arrival. One patient required 3 units of blood pre-op to get her hemoglobin (iron) levels to an acceptable level...and she likely had several more units during surgery. As always, the crew of the AFM serve as the blood bank for the patients - sometimes a nurse ends up transfusing their own blood! It's a weird thing to watch a part of you trickling into someone else's veins.
In other news, two teams are heading out from the ship this week: one to visit Madagascar for follow-up, and one to visit Cameroon to start preparing for the next field service there.
Something that has been a big difference so far from my experience in Mada is the number of patients who speak French fluently (or, at least, as "fluently" as me). It makes SUCH a difference when you can have even a very simple exchange of honest, direct conversation between you and your patient with no one in between. Don't get me wrong, I have an INCREDIBLE appreciation for our Day Crew who serve as our ward aids and translators, but there is always a barrier there to establishing a real bond or rapport with your patient. Tonight, near the end of my shift, I said "Une dernière fois," to my patient (one last time) as I took her vital signs. She nodded, then said, "bonne travaille" (good job). Just that little conversation, with no middle man, was a beautiful moment for me! In Mada it was often a challenge knowing if your patients really understood what you were trying to tell them, and vice versa. Being able to have some discussion, albeit still limited, beyond "Hi, what's up?" is a HUGE deal.
And that is why, this is indeed un bon travail. Le MEILLEUR travail, in fact. (the BEST job)
Alright. I need to hit the hay. The ship's really rockin' tonight, as there's a storm-a-brewin'. Good thing I don't get seasick!? nervous laughter
-D
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