Honey Sweets, Old Ladies, and Failed Consultations

Sabbath, October 23

Early Sabbath morning we packed our bags, loaded the car, and headed for the Atlantic. It was a four or five hour trip but, aside from the police check points, it was very enjoyable. Between sleeping and enjoying the scenery, I was able to pass the time very easily. Once in Kribe, we drove right along the coast where we could see locals fishing, mending their nets, and some young boys playing football. It seemed like a very enjoyable way of life. Almost immediately after we had turned inland we were swallowed up by the restaurants, shops, and bustling people. It seemed so far away from the peace of the lapping ocean, which lay just meters behind us.

Since we were basically the only guests at Hotel Residence des Fleurs, the manager showed us around and let us choose our rooms. That turned out to be a bit of a challenge since he spoke almost no English, and between the seven of us, we spoke almost that much French. Once we got our rooms, it didn’t take us too long to change and head to the beach. My first few steps in the Atlantic Ocean were tentative. The water was a muddy brown, and there were all sorts of things wrapping around my ankles, and poking my feet. However, once I got into the deeper water, I was leaping into the waves, floating in the salt, and having a wonderful time.  

                After a quick snack we decided to walk down the beach to Lobe Falls. We were able to get most of the way by just wading through knee deep water. However, once we were in sight of the falls, we had to swim across a narrow channel. Between the ocean tide, and the river current it was quite a challenge. On the other side, we saw several local boys doing flips, cartwheels, and handsprings into the water. I think they were pretty excited to have “white men” watching them. The falls were gorgeous and well worth the swim and the wading to get there. We all went out to a little sand bar near the bottom of the falls. Everyone else was just standing around talking, but since I couldn’t really reach the bottom, I kept floating away. Cherilyn had to hold me down, so I didn’t get washed out to sea.

                After our dinner of Spaghetti and butter at the Ilomba Resort, we went down to the bar and ordered pistachio ice cream. Bill and Nate played a game of chess, while the rest of us fell asleep on the beach.

Monday, October 25

                After breakfast and a little puttering around our apartment, Cherilyn, Bill and I went to pick up Pastor Rich. After we switched Pastor Rich’s things to Bill’s car, we headed to Limbe. On our trip down Pastor Rich caught us up on the news from Union and about some of the other SMs. For lunch we had some fantastic pizza with chocolate pancakes for desert, from Chella’s.

                Pastor Rich took Cherilyn and me through Limbe Wildlife Center. We had a great time laughing at the gorilla’s and monkey’s human-like antics.

                When we got back to our apartment, Pastor Rich gave us all the goodies he’d brought us from all our friends back home. It was like Christmas two months early! We had a great time reading notes, unpacking food, and finding a place for everything to go. Thanks to everyone who sent us stuff.

Sunday, October 31

                Heather, one of the Peace Corps Volunteers, invited us over for a Halloween party. It wasn’t much of a party, but it was really enjoyable. We had Chili, bread, popcorn with marshmallows, gold fish, brownies, and cookies with avocado frosting. Since it was mostly Peace Corps Volunteers there, they talked a lot about that, and the rest of us mostly listened to their stories.

                On our way back from Heather’s, the sky was so clear and we could actually see the stars. When we got back, Cherilyn and I slathered on the bug repellent and sat in the yard, doing some stargazing. It was so nice to see the night sky, it hadn’t been that clear since we’ve been here.

Friday, November 5

                Since neither Cherilyn nor I had to work during the day, we spent the morning getting the house ready for Sabbath. We kitty sat three of Milo’s kittens for the weekend, and they are not quite litter box broke yet. So with the smell prodding us to work quickly, we attacked the house with a vengeance. By lunch time, we had both our apartment and the house looking and smelling much better, and had worked up quite an appetite.

               

                When Matt first arrived, Cherilyn and I would go over every day about meal time and make food for all of us. We would sit in our room, meal planning, and then with recipes in our head, we’d march next door. I told Cherilyn that I felt like the little old ladies next door, who felt bad for the poor bachelor. So every day they bring him some of their “famous” home cooking, or just come over and fix him a meal and clean his house. Since then, it’s become better and we’ve figured out ways we can all contribute to keeping everyone fed and the house in order. I feel much less old lady these days. Although sometimes I feel like the elderly neighbor again, and I get a good laugh.

   

                Our patient, Sophie, was doing really good earlier in the day, but about six p.m. she started getting worse again. Her fever was back up to 39 C, and her whole body ached. Since she was pregnant and we really had no way of finding what was going on with her, we advised her family to take her to the General Hospital. While we were waiting for her to go, her brother came over and struck up a conversation with Cherilyn and me. After the usual questions of where we’re from, how long we’ll be here, and the like, the conversation went something like this. “Do you have a husband here?” He asked us. “No.” We almost shouted in unison. “We have guys back at home.” Cherilyn quickly added. “Do they call you every day?” He held his hand up to his ear like a phone. “No.” “Every week, then?”  He asked. “Um… yes. That’s more like it.” Cherilyn answered with a little giggle. “I would think you would be homesick. Don’t you miss everyone?” He prodded. “Um… no, we’re not too homesick.” Cherilyn answered. “Maybe when you get back you will make babies, since you have not seen your honey sweet for so long.”

  

Sabbath, November 6

                After a great church service, and great stir fry and rice for lunch, we headed out to look around Buea. Matt wanted to visit a former patient, so we set out in search of the General Hospital. We headed up towards the Campost, taking a few detours on our way. On our way to the hospital we passed a sign that caught our attention. It read, Destiny Ambulance Service-Coffins Available. While Matt went in and saw his patient, Cherilyn and I sat outside and people watched.

                On our way back to our hospital we took a little detour down Campaign Street. I was holding Jordan, and before long several kids had gathered around whispering about her. They all wanted to pet the dog, but were so shy and nervous. Finally I convinced them that she was nice and wouldn’t bite, and then, they all took turns, timidly coming over and stroking her back. After they had, they were so excited, and a few of the braver ones came back and pet her again.

                Cherilyn, Matt, and I had a Dutch Blitz tournament after dinner. We played for several hours, but finally had to call it a night before the champion was determined. Really, I was winning but Matt wouldn’t admit it.  

Monday, November 8

                I had been working nights for the past three days and Monday night was my last one before my four days off. The first three had been very quiet and I was hoping for a fourth. We had one patient on a quinine drip, but she would be pretty easy to take care of. I was reading the Clock Tower when a woman brought her daughter in for a consultation. I hoped, more than actually thought, that she was joking. I ushered them into a room, and went to gather everything I would need for the consultation. I did my assessment, and asked all the questions that I could remember, and still had no idea what was wrong with her. I took my precious few findings, and went to discuss them with Matt and Cherilyn. In the first five minutes Cherilyn came up with a lengthy list of questions that I should have asked, but didn’t remember. Finally, after much discussion, Matt decided to come up and take a look himself. After a few short minutes of examining the patient, Matt prescribed some medications and sent them on their way. After they were gone I sat down at the desk, very frustrated. I couldn’t believe how little I had known! I felt so useless and fake!

Big Needles, Bad Food, and Blocked IV Lines

Thursday, October 14

I carried my Bible and hymnal up to the hospital to see if we would be having our Thursday night study. The only two staff present were Cherilyn and Dr. Trixy, who were busy with a consult. Since I really had nowhere else to be, I busied myself with herding curious kids out of the exam room, and looking at pictures in an EMT book. While I was absentmindedly scanning the chapter on airways, I happened to glance up and see Cyril galumph through the double doors into the hospital. My stomach felt like someone had tied it in knots. After the initial pleasantries, I slipped into the nurse’s station, telling him that Cherilyn needed my help filling a syringe. He apparently thought we took too long because he came and poked his head in the room looking for me.  Cherilyn told him we were busy and helped him close the door. I ended up giving the injection, and taking the leftover medication to the fridge in hopes that he would see I was busy and go away. He didn’t. Instead, he joined us for Bible study. Since he didn’t bring his own hymnal or Bible, he just had to sit by me and share mine. Which, sharing would have been fine except both my hymnal and Bible have print so small that you have to get your face right in the book to read it. Even though I stretched my arm as far toward him as I could possibly reach, he still felt the need to lean over my char to see. So he had his arm on my arm rest, leaning over me, but facing the other way so he could actually see the hymnal that I held way over in front of him.

 After Bible study I was waiting for Cherilyn to walk back to our room. Cyril came and asked me if I’d received his notes, and what I thought. I told him that, while he was a good writer, I was not interested. “Oh, oh,” He laughed, “I am so sad!” A few seconds of awkward silence… “But you are so beautiful. You really aren’t interested?” “No, I’m really not interested, at all!” At that I picked up my books and marched back to my apartment.

Sabbath, October 16

  I had the day shift at the hospital this Sabbath. I spent most of the morning studying my Bible, and journaling. A little five year old boy came in carrying his little bag of medicine and syringes, so I could give him some shots. I was hoping that I could give him both of his medications in one IV site, so I wouldn’t have to stick him too many times. He watched me with the biggest, saddest eyes as I tied the tourniquet around his arm. As soon as he saw the IV needle, the sad eyes went away, and he started screaming and wiggling, and trying to get away. His brother had to hold him down while I pinned his arm down and stuck him. We still weren’t able to hold him still enough, and the IV blew. The next one I decided to just do IM, since he couldn’t really sit still enough for an IV. When he saw me whip out the IM needle, he just about died. He was screaming at his brother, “no, no! See how big?!?!” We finally got him pinned down so I could stick his thigh, but he let us know that he wasn’t very happy about it.

Sunday, October 17

 The little five year old came back for his second set of injections. This time there were two people accompanying him.  “Good.” I thought to myself, “reinforcements. We’re ready for him now!” But how wrong I was. This time I hardly had  time to tie the tourniquet before he started screaming and trying to get away. I told the brother that he would have to hold him down so I could give the injection. He did his best but still the arm was moving way too much for me to even hope to stick a vein. I went to our apartment and made Cherilyn cut her shower short so she could come and help us hold the patient down. Cherilyn and the brother managed to keep his body mostly still while I tried to hold his arm down. His sister was next to useless and just kept slapping the arm that I was trying to stick, so even if he would have been still enough for me, he hand was between me and him half the time. Finally, after much sweating, and grunting, and holding, and poking on our part, and screaming, and kicking on his part, we got all the medication inside him, and sent him on his way. In retrospect it was a really funny experience, but at the time it was awful! By the time I had finished I was shaking. The few minutes listening to him scream had totally drained me. I was praying that I wouldn’t have to do another injection for a good long time.

Monday, October 18

By the time the little boy came in for his last injection we’d figured it out, and it went pretty smoothly. Fortunately I only had to give the IM. We stretched him out on the bed, then his brother laid across his chest and then put his leg over the little boy’s. He could still kick pretty good, so I caught his feet between my knees. By the time we had him so he couldn’t move, the only part of him that was showing was his thigh where I was going to stick him, and his little feet. He was very happy when I told him that was his last injection and, hopefully, he wouldn’t have to see me again.

Later that day we had two new patients come in, both needing quinine drips right away. About every two minutes, while I was gathering supplies for the IVs, someone would come in the room asking how long it would be, or if I was ready yet. I guess they never figured out that the more they interrupted me, the longer it would take for me to finish what I was doing. Cherilyn was kind enough to come up and help start one of the IVs for me.

Thursday, October 21

Wednesday night a little boy came to the hospital with pneumonia and malaria, so first thing Thursday, I needed to start his second quinine drip. I spiked and hung the new bag, opened the line, but nothing happened. The old bag had stopped running a while ago, so I thought it might have become clogged. I really didn’t want to have to start a new site on him, so I grabbed a syringe and 10 mLs of saline. I tried to flush the line through every port I could find, but still nothing was working. When I had exhausted every trick I could think of and none of them had worked, I decided the only thing left was to re-insert the IV. When I had taken all the tape off, I found the problem; the part of the catheter that stuck out of his arm had shifted and become kinked. I was so relieved that I didn’t have to stick him again! I straightened everything out, taped it back down, and started the drip.

Later that afternoon, one of my patients invited me to join them for lunch. I had politely declined the day before and they seemed a little offended, so I thought I should probably join them this time. She said it was vegetables and yams. Vegetables are always good, and even though I don’t really like yams, I figured I could handle them for one meal. At first the two giant pieces of yam weren’t too bad; they actually tasted like regular potatoes. But the more I ate, the drier they got and the more they tasted like yams. The vegetable was actually just greens, similar to kale, with chunks of fish in it. When it comes to their fish, Cameroonians closely adhere to the adage, “waste not, want not,” and so, eat the whole fish. A fact I had forgotten about, until I shoved a forkful of fins, scales, and bones into my mouth. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a born and raised vegetarian. I can barely choke down a bite of salmon that hardly even tastes like fish anymore; a whole pile of green slimy stuff that tastes like it was scraped off the bottom of the ocean, then mixed with charred fish carcasses is just more than I can take.  I couldn’t chew it up! I tried to swallow it, but I knew that if I swallowed that stuff whole, I’d probably choke to death, right there in the hospital, so I kept chewing. By the end of the meal, all I could do was pray that I didn’t throw up before I got out of the patients room, and try to gag down the last few bites. I think, aside from the sauerkraut when I was two, that was the worst meal I’ve ever had. However, I really appreciated the families generosity.