emails from africa #2

hmm, where do i start. i hope everyone’s doing great at home. things are going well out here in zim. this week i’ve spent monday through friday observing and working in the hospital. the hospital itself is a shock to the eyes. i’m absolutely sure that if this place were in the US, upon simply arriving at the hospital any sort of health and safety department would shut it down, but this is where people come to get well. the hspital has about 100 beds and a good sized maternity ward, an outpatient and admission area consisting of 2 examining and prescribing nurses. ths week i got the chance to observe and help out a little in surgery, what we call here “theater”. we performed several needed surgeries each day including c-sections, hernia repairs, tumor removals, among others. it’s amazing things actually get done here because while in theater you’ll notice ants and spiders casually making there way around the walls and windows, the “sterile” environment is actually cooled, by a window unit air conditioner blowing up above our heads with visible dust and dirt clinging to its vents, i’m sure though that none of the debri ever falls down onto the sterile tools and dressings directly underneath;) yet surgeries go on without a hitch. the inpatient wards are a single building with large rooms holding about 10-12 beds each(no private rooms like st. lukes!) we have women’s, men’s, and children’s wards seperated. about 80-90% of the cases here are malaria, tuberculosis, pneumonia, and immuno-suppressed disease(hiv/aids). it’s amazing, the majority of the patients honestly all have one of these diagnoses or complications. the wards are appalling and the care nothing close to what we expect at home, yet patients get treated and released in better condition. a bad part of the work here is that many of the cases seen in the hospital are very extreme. the people here, typically due to lack of money don’t come in for treatment until the are at a nearly life-threatening condition,(tumors the size of a grapefruit, pulmonary effusions completely whiting out both lungs from t.b., and blackwater fever(malaria) induced semi-coma, so i’ve already seen many of the most ill patients that i expect i ever will in my medical career. outside the hospital things are going well. my professors will be happy (or scared to death to know) that i’m now teaching several nursing students a few times each week after teaching them one day in the hospital how to write a worthwhile prgress note on their patients, instead of things like “patient had an ill day”, “patient very ill”. i’ve also been able to spend time with some other people from the area. today i went on a “hike” on a well-used but very small trail through the bush (actually one of the main roads for the area) with a guy who is studying at the hospital and until a year ago led safari’s in botswana. i think he got a kick out of leading an american down a rough trail again, even though i had taken myself down it last night…i didn’t tell him that. i’m still trying to get a feel of the culture here in this rural area, it’s tough when with some people i’m seen almost as a movie star and with other as a rich american tourist…so getting a real feel for the people is a little tough at times. i’ve already had several random knocks at my door only to open it to a woman or boy with goods layed out on my porch wanting me to purchase whatever i want. i’m definitelt getting a feel for the outdoors here. though it’s not exactly total wolderness since people actually live here, there is still good walks to be had. yesterday after reading in a book by jane goodall of a person she heard of that was buried in an ant bed to his neck and left to die back in the early 1900′s i actually stumbled on what turned out not to be a simple yet large dirt hill but a 20 ft. by 20ft. and 3 ft. high, but an army ant hill(matabela ants i’ve been told) anywhere from 3-5 feet deep. i decided not to walk up onto it for a better view and quickly watched over my shoulder for any sinister looking natives awaiting my capture for an ant dinner. well i think i’ve written a lot already, and i’m sure i’ve forgotten something interesting to tell (like buying a 25 year old sanyati native his first ever hamburger in kadoma) so i’ll stop for now. tonight i’m having dinner with the boone’s and tommorrow will be another area church, hopefully not too many miles away, and a nice sunny 75-80 degree day.

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