Bloggable Moments

Monday, September 20

            After a week of nights in the hospital, switching to days in the clinic was a nice change. Since not every patient needs to see a nurse, I spent most of my day at the front desk. We are their first stop when they arrive at the clinic. They give us their hospital book, and in it we record their blood pressure, temperature, pulse, weight, what they need to talk to the doctor about, their address, age, and occupation. Then, we also have a giant black book that we write their name, address, age, and occupation. We then charge them for the consultation, send them to the waiting room, put their book on the doctor’s desk, and start all over with the next patient. After the patient has seen the doctor, we record in the black book what the diagnosis is, and what the treatment will be. I know everyone in the waiting room had a few good laughs at my expense while I was talking to the patients. When Helen would ask questions I could hardly hear her, but obviously, it was loud enough because the patient heard her. When I would ask questions, I felt like I was shouting at them but they still didn’t get what I was saying. When they finally understood and replied, I had no clue what they had said. Several times I could hear the others in the room snickering at our communication problems.

Tuesday, September 21

            We had a little patient with malaria that came up to the hospital for a quinine drip. The poor little chap had such fragile veins that we ended up having to put his IV in three different times. The first two one of the other nurses started, but when the third one came around she told me that it was my turn. Thankfully, he had cried himself to sleep after the first IV, so I wouldn’t have to worry about him screaming and moving around while I was trying to stick a needle in his arm. I tied the tourniquet around his arm, cleaned the area with spirit, and picked up my needle. I placed it above the only thing that looked remotely like a vein, and looked at Lea for confirmation. She nudged it back a few centimeters to where I couldn’t see anything that even kind of looked like a vein, “here,” she told me. “Here?” I thought, “Shouldn’t I go where there is a vein?” I sent up a quick prayer for guidance, and gently pushed through the delicate skin. Almost immediately I got the flashback, I couldn’t believe it! Lea helped me tape it down, and we opened up the line to let the rest of his fluids infuse.

               

                Later, I gave another IV injection. It started out a little rough, but when I finished the man told me that was the most painless injection he’s ever had, and that I am a great nurse. I’m not sure if he was telling the truth, or if he was just being nice, but either way, he made my day!

Wednesday, September 22

            I spent most of the day at the hospital making sure our second inpatient was doing ok. Two weeks earlier he had tested positive for HIV. His is a very sad and probably fairly common story. He has to have several blood tests before he can get the free HIV medications, but he can’t afford the tests. His mother doesn’t even know what is wrong with him, and he doesn’t want to get the rest of his family tested. I’m sure it’s a very tough place to be in.    

            When the little boy with malaria had finished his second infusion of quinine, I removed the IV and taped a piece of cotton over the small dot of blood that had appeared.  Almost as soon as I’d finished, he reached down and removed the tape and cotton, wadded them up in his tiny fist, and then handed it back to me. He didn’t want any reminders of his stint in the hospital.

                Our last outpatient of the day was a young girl whose eye was bothering her. When I told Lea that we had someone there, she nudged me forward and said, “You consult her.” I had no idea what to do. I hadn’t even eavesdropped on a consultation before. What little I did know to do, quickly escaped my mind. Lea began telling me things to do, until she finally just took over the consultation. I was thankful and I’m sure our patient was too.  I tried to pay close attention to everything Lea asked or did so next time, I will know better what I need to do.        

                After work, Bill and Trixy invited the Peace Corps Volunteers, along with Cherilyn and me, over for games and food. We didn’t actually get much playing done, but we got to eat some fantastic peanut butter cookies, and had some good conversation. All in all it was a good night. 

Second Week in Cameroon

Sabbath, September 11, 2010

Since it wasn’t pouring rain Sabbath morning, we walked to Church. It is about a mile, so we got to see that part of Buea from a new prospective. Aside from the hard wooden benches, I really enjoyed the Church service. I love listening to the Cameroonians sing; they make such a joyful noise! The sermon was given in English, and translated to French. Whenever the translator was stuck on a word, the speaker would turn to her and repeat what he had said, only several decibels louder.

The pastor said that it wasn’t good to have so many single young people in the church, so one Sabbath he is going to change that. He will line up all the single girls on one side, and all the guys on the other and make us choose a life partner. He said he would even officiate the ceremony right there. So I may not be coming home, it all depends on what my new husband will want to do.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Every Sunday morning, Colwell’s invite all the “white men” over for fresh coffee.  This week the only ones that showed up were Carolyn and I. But it was lovely just to have a cup of coffee.

Since it was a beautiful day, we decided it would be great weather for drying laundry. It took us about an hour, and lots of elbow grease, to get all of our clothes scrubbed, rinsed, and wrung out. Nine months of laundry and I will have arms like Jillian Michaels. Yay! We hung our clothes on the line out back, and by Wednesday, they were all dry and ready to fold.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

On Monday morning we opened the hospital for overnight observation. Cherilyn worked 8 am- 6 pm, and I worked from 6 pm to 8 am for the week. We didn’t really advertise the opening so it was a very quiet week. Our first patient, JL, came on Tuesday evening right before our shift change. When I first came in the hospital Cherilyn gave me a warning, “Be careful, you might end up married to this guy.” That was all she said. No explanation, no words of wisdom on how to avoid a wedding. Just, “you might marry him.” The first thing that came into my mind was, “wow! I’ve got to see this guy! He must be REALLY hot!” However, when his adorably plump mother breezed through the doors, I discovered the real reason for Cherilyn’s warning. His mother  wrapped me in a huge bear hug and with a mischievous grin, whispered in my ear, “that is your husband, you marry him,” then she spun me around and pointed at her son.  I smiled politely, not really sure how to respond to her proposal.

JL had malaria, so we hooked him up to an IV of Quinine, B complex, and electrolytes. The IVs here are very different from the way we do IVs in the US. They don’t have catheters on the needles. Instead, they push the needle all the way in the vein and leave it. Also, there is no such thing as saline locked. When they are done with one infusion, they take the needle out, even though they will have to start another infusion four hours later. I tried starting an IV on him, but the first try I blew the vein, and the second stick I just couldn’t find the vein. I was very discouraged.

Later that evening JL’s mother came back with a bowl of what looked like pudding and plopped it down on the nurse’s station desk. “….Hot…?” She asked me. I had no idea what she wanted, so I pointed her to the other nurse who spoke French. She left, but was back soon, “Can you hot?” Now I had an idea what she wanted but I wasn’t sure how to accomplish it. She left again and returned shortly with Lea in tow. Lea explained to me that she wanted me to take it back to my apartment and heat it up for her. When I returned it, she gave me a hug and thanked me profusely.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

This week we had Bible study on the hospital breeze way so that all the nurses could attend. It was a nice time of relaxing, singing, and talking about God. I really enjoyed it. There were five Americans there, so we tried to teach everyone else the song, “Sing Hallelujah”. It was probably one of the funniest renditions of the song I’ve ever heard. I don’t think the locals were terribly impressed with our singing abilities, either.

Shortly after Bible study, JL was ready to check out. His mom came to take him home. She came over to the desk where Cherilyn and I were, thanked us for all we had done, and blew us kisses on her way out. She was such a cute little lady!

 Sabbath, September 18, 2010

Last night Cherilyn came up to the hospital and we had a sleepover! She read me some really funny books, while we listened to the church across the street make a joyful noise until well past midnight. Cherilyn, Dr. Trixy, and I stayed here today to watch the hospital, while everyone else went to the district get together in Dbantja (Not really sure on the spelling). We only had one patient come for an IV injection. I got the IV on the first try! I was so excited when I saw the flash back. Trixy came over for lunch and brought fresh pineapple and frozen bananas for dessert. Later we went out to the yard and picked some guava and sugarcane for our mid day snack. The sugarcane was absolutely delicious! Also, quite an adventure to eat. 

Welcome to Cameroon!

                I spent my summer telling people about the adventure to Africa that I was about to embark upon, but it didn’t really sink in that I was going to Africa. It finally hit me when Cherilyn and I climbed into the bus that would take us to Transfer T in the Brussels airport. While we were standing wedged between all the Cameroonian passengers about to board the same plane as me, it started becoming real. Cherilyn and I arrived safely in Buea, Cameroon on Monday evening. It was about 8 o’clock by the time we arrived at our apartment, and we could hardly keep our eyes open. Our room was a welcome sight after our hours of travel and sleepless nights.

                Tuesday was market day! For those of you who have had the pleasure of shopping at an outdoor market in Africa, you may be able to identify with my experience. We took two locals with us to help us find the best bargains. It had been raining all day, so the water was flowing freely through all the booths and across the paths. We must have been quite a sight: two locals strolling through the market like they owned the place, their umbrella’s held high, warding off the rain; and two totally lost, soaking wet, Americans sloshing through the mud, trying to keep up. We bargained, scrutinized merchandise, crossed streams, converted Francs to US currency, and avoided Cameroonians looking for an American wife for two hours. It was a very stressful afternoon, but well worth it when we got back to our room and took inventory of all we had purchased.

                Wednesday we talked to the Hospital staff and found out exactly what we are expected to do. It was a bit overwhelming, but also good to know what we need to accomplish. We hung out at the clinic, trying to help out wherever we could. I was able to assist Dr. Trixy while she removed a hemorrhoid. It was pretty cool. 

                Thursday Cherilyn was asked to help dress a little girl’s burns. The burns were about a month old so it was mostly scar tissue, and a small scab that needed to be cleaned up. I was asked to give an IM injection. It has been a while since I’ve given one, but it was ridiculous how ignorant I felt! It was like I’d never seen a needle or filled a syringe before. I drew blood later, and it wasn’t as bad, so hopefully I’m just a little rusty from the summer.

                We went to Colowell’s for Bible study last night. After everyone else left we did our best to make an American meal- Banana pancakes, and popcorn. I’m sure most of you have had the opportunity to watch popcorn popping on the stove, but I have never had that experience. I feel like I’ve really missed out, so last night I indulged and watched it. Twice. While we munched my freshly made popcorn, we watched a British detective show called, Foyle’s War. Towards the end of the show Trixy brought the kittens out, so we all got to cuddle one.

                Today, we only spent a few hours at the clinic. However, I was still able to get in on a little of the action that is constantly happening there. There was a four or five year old girl that needed a malaria test. The other nurse, Christiane, handed me the lancet, cleaned the finger with spirit (what they use for alcohol), and gestured for me to poke the finger she held up to me. I did. The little girl ripped her finger from Christiane’s grasp, and started bawling. Christiane immediately went after the bloody finger, the little girl fought bravely, but she was no match for our blood drawing team. Between the lab tech, Christiane, Cherilyn and the girl’s mother, they got the drop of blood needed for the test. While I stood by, traumatized by the tizzy I had thrown the little girl into, simply holding my lancet. When we said goodbye to the little girl, she wouldn’t even look at us. I don’t think she was too happy.

                Bill took Cherilyn and me to Limbe today. It is a coastal city, about 20 miles from Buea. We were on a mission to find a gas bottle for our new stove in our apartment. We scoured the city, top to bottom, front to back, and every other way, but couldn’t find one that the owners were willing to part with. However, it wasn’t a totally wasted trip because we got to eat at Chella’s. Bill says it is the best “empty” (vegetarian) food in Cameroon. I must say, it was very tasty! Cherilyn and I also got to take a little tour through Limbe Wildlife Center. We got to see how we compare in size to a gorilla 

                When we got back from Limbe, we went up and helped Bill wipe mold off the walls in the hospital. Many hands make light labor, so it didn’t take too long. On her evening walk, Trixy found a gas bottle for our stove, and Bill went to the carpenter’s house and picked up the stand for it. They helped us get it all set up, so tomorrow we will be able to make our own food, and won’t be living off the snacks our moms sent us.   


If you want to hear more about what we are doing, check out Cherilyn's blog: simplechacolife.blogspot.com 

Last Days of Summer

You know that time at the end of the summer when you realize that summer is really over? When you think back to all the plans that you had for the summer, and then realize how few you've actually accomplished?  Then you console yourself with everything you've done, that wasn't on your to-do list, and that makes you feel better somehow. Then you decide you can still get some of that list done! So you prioritize everything you didn't do, and decide that you can get at least the top ten in, before you are off to your next adventure -three days from now. The last few days of summer when you feel like you can do more in three days than you have all summer, and still have time to pack, and say your goodbyes. When you feel like you could take on the world - and win! That is where I find myself right now, and I am soaking up every minute of the last few days of summer.