Life Lately

So, we tried to post this a long long time ago...and couldn't. So, here's a rather old post, and we're about to try to write a new one....

Hey all!

Here are some statistics-

Birth count (observed and delivered): 14

Deliveries (working together): 7

Deliveries (solo, for each of us): 1

C-sections: 4

Death count (patients that we've seen): 16

CPR count (full arrest that we were involved in): 1

The hospital is composed of several long buildings enclosing a court yard. There is a men's medical ward, men's surgical, women's medical, women's surgical, maternity, TB, and children's ward. There are 118 beds, 1 doctor, and many of the workers here are posted here by the government (doesn't really seem to be high on anyone's preference list). During the night, there are only five people acting as nurses on duty. During the day, it is more, but we aren't exactly sure how many. Our usual day starts at the hospital at around 0800. We either go to surgery or follow doctor on his rounds or go to whichever clinic we're spending the day with. At about 1000 is tea break, which amuses us and is an hour of tea or coffee and muffins. Then we continue observing or helping where we can, often times ending up in outpatient. By about 1330 (everyone uses military time here) we usually head back to Canada house for lunch. Depending what's happening at hospital, sometimes we go back and sometimes we don't. They try to call us up for deliveries, though they often don't, and any other interesting cases. Evenings are often spent either quietly at home or having dinner and hanging out with either the missionaries or the Zambians. The power goes off at midnight, so that's about when we go to bed, but we do have some battery lights.

This last week we've gotten to observe the ART (which is AntiRetroviral Therapy - given for HIV/AIDS) clinic, a child's week clinic for children under 5 at a nearby village. Children were weighed, vaccinated, and given prophylactic deworming and vitamin A tablets. We've scrubbed for a few more surgeries, delivered 2 babies before tea this morning, and there was a situ inversu (we think that's how you say it) patient. That's a person with all of their inner organs on the opposite side that you'd expect. The x-rays and ecgs and everything come out backwards. We stopped by the lab, and they showed us what malaria looks like under the microscope. Our hardest situation was a stillborn child who we delivered. It had been dead for a few days and bore the marks. It was heartbreaking to watch the women go through the entire process without getting to keep her baby. Another heartbreaking case is a 2 year, 2 month old 4.5 kg, 73 cm long child with AIDS. To put that in perspective, that's what we'd expect a 3 month old to weigh. Also, Carolyn was heavier than that at birth. He isn't getting either adequate medication or nutrition, and if ever we wished for DCFS, this is the child to prompt it.

Away from the hospital...we went down to the river with the young people recently to wash clothes for the old people. So yes, we've washed clothes by hand in the Manyinga river. A few from our group dug latrines for them as well (prompting a discussion about squat toilets and amazement that we don't use those in the US). Wednesday night, the young people's group watched Left Behind, and it was incredible because over 60 people showed up. We all crowded into Julie's (Julie is one of the missionary nurses-from Canada) living room -which isn't large, and filled every single square inch of it. The leader used the opportunity to encourage people to accept Christ.

The hospital administrator informed us that, since coming here, he'd gained 18 kg. Because we still want to be able to wear our clothing when we return home, and, we, too, partake of teabreak, we've decided to start jogging in order to counteract the effects. They've told us that as long as we stick together, we are safe going anywhere during the day, and on the mission at night. So, we jog back and forth from our house to the hospital at night. If our safety concerns you mom, there is a night watchman who waves at us when we run past.

Last night we went over to one of the female staff houses, where several of the nurses had invited us to come learn to make shima and other Zambian recipes. I think we can cook you Zambian style greens and chicken now, but shima might take more practice. We can, however, show you pictures and video of the first attempt. They're hoping we'll teach them to make pizza and mac and cheese in return, which of course, we agreed to. Last night, we also showed them brownies, which they said were too sweet. The nerve! Oh well, not everyone can be perfect.

Today we walked up and down the airstrip (which is a mile long) and chatted with the man who lives at the end of it. We then baked cupcakes, and will soon be eating pizza at a gathering at Julie's house. But, at least we walked! We are appreciating the prayers and support that we get from all of you, and look forward to telling you more and showing you photos and catching up when we get home. But, before then, we have lots more places to go and things to see and pictures to take and sweets to eat and etc.

love,

Ali and Carolyn

Delivery #2!

Hey all!

We've been having lots of experiences, and learning lots about tropical diseases and all sorts of other things.  Our favorite is babies.  And today, we delivered our second one!  It was a joint effort between the two of us, and it was exciting.  Lynn, if you're reading this, we think you'd be pleased at how much we've learned :)  We love the after birthing traditions...the women gather and sing and dance.  They make us do it too.   And then they laugh at us :)  We've also been practicing monitoring women in labor, fetal heart rate (fetoscope and doppler), contractions, vaginal exams, the whole nine yards (where does that expressino come from anyways?).  We continue to observe lots of other things - rounds, outpatients, surgery...and doctor is letting us scrub for theatre sometimes now!  We've each gotten to assist him twice, and we also usually get to recieve the baby (and sometimes resuscitate it) for C-sections.  We've also seen some gruesome wounds (fan belt snapping, child vs ax, epileptic vs fire, etc).  It is amazing how different the hospital is from American hospitals.  The list of meds we were out of for today was 30 strong, and we've had no rabies or leprosy meds since we've been here.  The government hospital in Kabompo, however, lacks a blood pressure cuff and cardiac monitor, so we're rather richly blessed.

And for those of you who don't like the hospital stuff so much...we went to Kabompo and got the  tour of the city.  We attended an agricultural fair.  We've found that children LOVE it if we take their picture and then show them what it looks like.  At the ag fair, we had a veritable army of them following us around...which was fun :)  We are learning to eat lots of shima - which isn't as bad as we'd feared (perhaps because it's mostly corn meal so far), though we can't eat nearly enough to satisfy the Zambians, and they laugh at our technique (and Ali putting sugar on hers).  We went out to Bruce's (the hospital administrator) plot one evening with about 15 other people and had a meal of shima and a camp fire (which we brought marshmallows to!).  We sang hymns around it and just generally had a good time.  It is beautiful out there along the Kabompo river with all the planting and cultivating going on.  We attend a Zambian young people's group (in English, thankfully.  Luvale church services get a little long) every wednesday night, and Friday, we're going to have some of the nurses over to hang out at the Canada House (where we live). 

We're taking lots (really, lots) of pictures and both of us (but especially Ali) are journaling lots, so we'll be able to tell/show you pretty much anything when we get home.  Good night all!

Love (and so on) from,
Carolyn and Ali