Tues 10/25 - Our morning began like all the others with coffee and PANCE questions from John... John is an ER PA on our trip who also happens to be the founder and owner of CME4Life which is an amazing PANCE/PANRE review course. He teaches PAs how to learn medical knowledge for life and not just for a test. He does this by simplifying things into pneumonics and flow charts to understand the topic. We are so blessed to have him on our trip as a fabulous resource in addition to JillRae and the other incredibly smart providers. But sometimes getting questioned on a topic we told him we don't know well at 7am is a littttttle too early!
Regardless, around 8am we packed up the vans again and headed north to another small village just off the main paved road. The off-roading time was shorter but a lot scarier since this "road" was basically small canyon we straddled. We could've gotten majorly stuck at any point!
When we pulled up to the church, the first thing I noticed was ALL OF THE KIDS! Seriously though... the niños were everywhere and definitely out numbered the adults. We had a morning devotion with the local pastor and prayed over the clinic for healing hands and patient hearts.
Today I worked with Dr Joel and our interpreter was Eleanor (main English teacher). We worked so well together and lunch came before we knew it. The most interesting patient Joel and I saw was an 18mo boy who still couldn't walk due to cerebral palsy. The Mom didn't understand what was going on so we had to really take some time to explain that her son will probably not ever walk but PT moves could help with tone and muscle strength.
As a whole, we had some very interesting patients come through the clinic today... JillRae dx a 19yo with Hanson's disease (Leprosy), Yolanda dx a 22yo with TB, and Dr Harrison dx two different kids with severe cases of mycobacterium. One of the kids had thick lichenified scales covering both of his legs from toes to knees and it was spreading to his trunk. The other kid had a 10cm circle over his umbilicus that was equally dry and lichenified. This dx is apparently pretty rare unless you live in the bush. Both of those kids traveled pretty far to get to the clinic today and I'm so glad they did!!
Final count today was 465 patients and 1122 prescriptions handed out. Several people walked 10+ km to get to us bc they heard the clinic advertised on the radio. Unfortunately we were not able to see all of the patients, so Dr Harrison, Scarlet, Meg and I will be going back on Nov 2nd to finish the work we started today!
One thing that JillRae stressed during our reflection today was to remember these patients are more than a number. We are here to serve the people - to listen and to touch. Take time to talk with the patient and get to know them as a person and not only about their diagnosis! It is the difference between a good provider and a great provider.
Polaroid project has really taken off!! I've never seen people so shocked at the magic of the printing camera box and excited for their face to be on the paper!
After the clinic we went to a gemstone market next to the hospital and the Zibu horn craft store down the road. Both were very interesting to learn about and then try to barter in a language I don't speak... may or may not have tried speaking Spanish to them but it didn't work out so well...
Another great (long) day! More fantastic learning opportunities and chances to make a difference in someone else's life. One fun thing I learned today with church mission events is that they play music on loud speakers to attract surrounding villagers to come to the church to investigate what is going on. The music was blasting all day and so many new faces came to the church and were able to meet the clergy and hopefully find a community at the church!
We finished off the day with wine-thirty at our place where everyone came over for wine, wifi, and worship songs played by Jill on the guitar. It was everything and we stayed up wayyyyy too late. Yolanda still wants to do Zumba tomorrow at 6am so hopefully I'll make it but no promises...
Daily devotion: Romans 12:12
“Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing stedfastly in prayer;” -Romans 12:12
This bible verse was painted above the altar at the church. The entire church is under renovation but the pastor made sure that part stayed visible. The words in Romans could not be more true in our mission here. We rejoice in the hope of spreading the gospel by opening the door with medicine. We remain patient in times where it seems too overwhelming to continue- like when you have 250+ patients to get to after lunch and you only have 2 hours or when you have walked 15km and have to wait all day to be seen by a doctor. We stay steadfast in prayer when you have nothing to offer a sick patient except for your love, compassion, and prayer. Please continue to pray for our patients who are traveling far and wide seeking medical care. Let us not only nourish their physical bodies but also their spiritual thirst.
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