I am settling into a routine. The morning revilee blasts at 5:30- most of you know that this is not my favorite time of day!!! I get to breakfast ( by the way, I am eternally grateful for the honest to God Starbuck coffee!!!) & then it is off to a briefing called POD- Plan of the Day for all medical providers. Today, I actually had responsibility for 3 patients. One of my little "charges" was a child with a facial crush injury. Only his mommmy & he survived. They had to re-construct a nose for him & he actually looks pretty good. he is our "mayor"- walks around waving & smiling to everyone. he is truely amazing.....My second patient had a very complex arm fracture & he is getting better & has dressing changes each day with anesthesia- He is doing pretty good. He is 14, and his brother stays with him who is 25 yrs old. They have 4 brothers & 3 other sisters- a family of 9 kids like me so I can identify. Unfortunately, both parents died. They are delightful. Finally, I had a young teenage girl of about 14 who is very quiet- also fractures due to crushing concrete etc. Each day is mostly predictable. I am learning so much about the culture of Haiti, culture of the Navy & oh, yeah- medical-surgical problems related to the earthquake. We have seen tetanus, typhoid fever, & many other crazy things.
Today- I felt the movement of the ship for the first time....I understand we may go "out to sea" this weekend for taking on new fuel, water, 7 supplies- should be real interesting for someone who gets "car sick". Last night, for Ash Wednesday I had ashes placed on my forehead from Haiti-That had special significance for me.
Oh- the food is amazingly good- I have had the best rice krispie treats for dessert most nights- almost as good as tommy & Lindsay's wedding cake.
I read your comments- they are a life line for me away from home. Thanks so much- I appreciate it. So- that's today. TTYL
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Well,ashes from Haiti..that should bring you special blessings! During Lent it is a perfect time to concentrate on the riches we have, and to say extra prayers for all the victims in Haiti. My kids at school wrote Haiku about Haiti, and I hung up your Hopkins team picture for them to see. They were quite taken by all of this too! Take care, and I hope you thought to bring along your dramamine!
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ReplyDeleteKathy, Thinking of you everyday and knowing what a difference you making. What an amazing experience for you and the people you touch. Take care of yourself! Love, Glenn and Robin
ReplyDeleteI knew I should have smuggled in with you- tonight at clinical one of my students cared for a man with crushing bilateral lower extremity injuries from a snowplow accident. And, if you didn't need my ortho expertise, I could always bake some awesome desserts! Why am I not surprised you found some good chow? All of the news reports seem to talk about the resiliency and strenght of the Haitian people and you are definitely seeing that. What a wonderful experience.
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