In a Good Place

We have been here 2 days and it seems like a week. We start rounds at 6 am, the most complicated ortho patients you can imagine. Most from the earthquake, with bone infections, and multiple broken bones. Patti RN has taken on the wound care and it takes her 12 hours to get to everyone. Charlie MD has the ER, working with the wonderful Haitian Doctors, many of whom speak Spanish, which is fabulous for us since we speak Spanish, and do not speak French. Tami RN, Sheila RN, and Leanna hold down the pediatric unit. They are hydrating babies and putting in IVs, which fall off because the tape will not stick in this humidity. Dale our pharmacist is all over the place helping us get the meds we need or making substitutions with what he can find. I graduated him to instant emergency PA today to help Laura MD staff the ER so Charlie and I could get over to the pediatric unit. Last thing I saw was Laura and Dale down on their knees cleaning the multiple lacerations on the face of a women who was in a car accident. One of my complicated OB patients needed a c-section with twins, I think our whole team was there we were so excited to be helping this mother have the chance for 2 healthy girls, her only children. One weighed 2 pounds and the other 5. They came out kicking. Lin and Kathleen our OR nurses were right in there for the surgery. Now the volunteer midwives from "Midwives for Haiti" are helping the mom and babies around the clock, syringe feeding the little one every 3 hours. I was working in the ER and this man came in with his 27 day old baby that was so sick that Charlie said he was over his head (now that is bad). Malnourished with scaling rash and blind. By the miracle of the modern age I was able to send pictures of the baby to an infectious disease MD in the US and he consulted over the phone, probably Vitamin A deficiency, maybe measles. I have seen so many sick malnourished babies it seems normal..

Yesterday I thought I was having an appendicitis for about 2 hours. I had abdominal pain and had to sneak away and go lie on my cot (abandon my comrades). We only had vascular, ob/gyn, and ortho surgeons so I was trying to figure out who would be the best at finding my appendix. I wanted one of our team to be in charge of swatting any flies that were in the OR. My pain was in the right lower quadrant, but luckily it went away. I was not going to tell my family until the surgery was over. Thank goodness Mohammad the general surgeon arrived last night!!

Pictures of our twins, of Charlie in his stylish woman's scrubs and socks, Leanna with her baby that she has been taking care of around the clock.