Hello! The past week has been extremely busy! (I feel like I start all of my entries like that, but it's always true). Last Saturday night, one of the girls became sick with some kind of stomach virus, got extremely dehydrated, and then came down with malaria. She spent two nights in the local clinic we've been doing some of our clinical hours at. She's been recovering well since being released.
I spent Monday and Tuesday at the Zimba Mission Hospital again this week. The first day, I was in the outpatient clinic and in the lab. I was able to get my first experiences doing blood draws so that was exciting. The second day, my partner Alissa and I were in the pediatrics ward. Four of our eleven patients were HIV positive children under the age of five and were admitted for illnesses secondary to the HIV. I knew it was going to be tough to see children suffer, but it's been emotionally tiring thinking so much about the death and injustice we have witnessed. A seven-year-old girl had been bitten by a snake on her left hand, which was already deformed from birth. The bite caused her wrist to flex back toward her elbow and could not be manipulated back to the normal position. She was no longer on any medications, but was being held there until a doctor from the capital city can come down to fix it. Until then, her grandmother ad little sister are sleeping in her hospital bed with her on the concrete floor. She could not speak English, but she loved having new company to sit with and draw.
Wednesday, a few of us went to the Choma Hospital's AIDS clinic. The patients get check-ups and ART (ant-retro viral therapy) if they qualify. I sat in with the doctor and registered children when they came in. It's been interesting to see not only the clinical side of the health care, but also seeing the administrative side. There is no filing system. Each patient has a file with a number on the front. They tell the worker their number and the worker looks though every file until they find the right number.
Thursday morning I woke up feeling pretty tired and a little foggy. One of my roommates had a headache and got tested right away for malaria and had it. Around lunch I had a headache and felt a little warm so I decided to take my temperature. It was 102.6 so I went to get tested and I had it too. I was very blessed, though, and only felt sick for two days. The treatment medications have really helped me feel better. Thank you to everyone to who has been praying for my recovery!
Today we had the opportunity to visit a school for the disabled children of Choma. Most of them are hearing impaired, some are visually impaired, and the rest are mentally handicapped. There is a group of Japanese teachers volunteering at the school right now and they held a Japanese culture day. They invited us to go watch Japanese and Zambian traditional dances. It was an amazing sight to see Japanese, Zambians, Americans, children, adults, disabled, and blind all dancing, singing, and celebrating together!
Visually impaired students leading each other
My roommate, Keri, using her sign language to communicate with the kids
Brothers watching the Zambian dance
Picture 1: An older gentleman waiting outside the outpatient clinic at Zimba Hospital
Lauren,
ReplyDeleteDuane wants you to come home now, since you have been ill. I told him you could not and you are feeling better. God has a purpose for you and it is not to come home early. We miss you.
Duane and Liz