Meet Mark the ER doctor pictured with Beth and Mikell. Good news for the Hopital Adventiste, new arrivals yesterday, Michelle the pediatrician and Mark, both staying for 2 weeks. That means our incoming Ukiah team will have the support they need. You would think that after a long travel a person would be able to rest the first day, not so at the Hopital. Mark was entrenched in the pathos in the ER in less that an hour.
The temperature is 95 degrees with 100% humidity. We slog through the day with sweat pouring off our faces and drenching our clothes. Yesterday my tongue was so dry it kept sticking to the roof of my mouth and I had trouble speaking (now that is a problem). I kept drinking, drinking drinking. I quit peeing and thought I was dehydrated so I drank some more. Then I got queasy, felt dizzy and had a headache so I drank some more. Then it dawned on me that I had water intoxication! Hyponatremia. A dangerous electrolyte imbalance. David our PT got me some gatoraide powder and I slowly started to improve, I had to rest for my first time in 11 days.(see picture) I managed to rally enough to take Michelle to the Peds unit and orient her so she could manage two new admissions, and I could officially pass the pediatric unit to her care.
Scott Nelson is the orthopedist that is dedicated to the Hopital Adventiste d’Haiti. He lives here most of the time and was here during the response to the earthquake. Yesterday he told this story. “The Hopital Adventiste d'Haiti is located 1 mile from the epicenter of the quake. It is the medical center closest to the most devastated area. After the quake, everyone was afraid to go inside buildings. There were 1200 people camping on the hospital grounds. They took the mattresses out of the hospital, patients and their families were lying on the ground in the open. Devastating loss, injuries,and pain. Everyone was overwhelmed and afraid. On the forth day at 4 am someone on the grounds started singing the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus”, pretty soon another person joined in, then another. The singing spread to all of the 1200 people." They sang together in the night that beautiful hymn of love.
This past 2 weeks we have seen progress at the hospital. Slow recovery from the disaster and getting on it's feet. Our pre med student Shan helped the director of nurses clean out and organize the nurses station in the pediatric unit, it is beautiful, you can get to the sink to wash your hands. He worked with a public health doctor to make a system to identify the patients and number the beds. They made a form which is taped to the wall, before this it was hard to know who was who and why they were here. He is also on the official baby feeding team. Three times a day he goes to check on the babies, make formula and make sure the babies eat. What a man.
I have a new assignment which is bed control. Until now patients would stay in the ER for days with no one to coordinate getting them to the floor. I find beds and move people out. The ER looks great, there is room for new patients. Tomorrow I am going to work with the International Migration Organization to discharge patients from the tents outside and move people from the hospital to the tents. This afternoon we hope to go to an orphanage that has an outbreak of a rash probably scabies and impetigo.
Tami H. and Kristy have dedicated themselves to the inpatients. They told me that they have "One mind". They are creating a system to help organize the med surg area and are on a roll as a team. Picture of Tami with a patient, Kristy with my favorite nurse who is trying to learn English and is great at getting IVs into dehydrated babies.
Pictures of David and Melanie our Physical Therapists. They are out on the floor all day long working with the endless supply of earthquake victims with healing fractures.
Scott gives us an inspiring talk every morning at 6:30 am. He reminds us that the most important work we can do is make relationships with the Haitian people. It is not the quantity of our work but the quality of our relationships. Every time I walk through the hospital there are people sitting silently in thought, with looks of sadness, boredom, worry. I say Bonjou or Bonswa, and every time the people light up and greet me in unison, they come to life with big smiles of love and appreciation. That is one of my favorite joys here at the Hopital Adventise d'Haiti.
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