Thursday Surgery
OK – another normal start to the day. Scrambled eggs and more fresh fruit and OJ. Back to the room to brush teeth (proper dental hygiene) and grab my bags for the bus ride. We get to our spot in the parking lot and have our quick team meeting then inside to set up. The hallways are always full of people waiting to be seen (by hospital staff, not our peeps). We get set up, the docs/anesthesiology/scrub nurses have their quick meeting while Michael and Miguel are rounding up the first set of patients.
We also screen people during the day that hear late about us. We had 4 of them yesterday. Three were operated on. But one of the ladies sat at the check in table and popped out her breast and feed her baby. Not that I was shocked, but kinda amused that she would do it right there. Why not wait the 20 minutes till you were done and sitting outside to pull the ole nipple out and let the youngin start slurping away. Even when the kid that was having surgery was in the Recovery Room, I happened to walk thru and there she was with her nipple out again. AND NO JOE PERROTTA, it wasn’t all that sexy to look at. Now if Miss Nicaragua was breast feeding a youngin, maybe I would have had to set up my computer in there (sorry Cindy – I am being bad).
Energizer boy had surgery
I have this lady who was hobbling down the hallway with a cane and her son (son or some man that is a few years younger, she seems to be 60’s or so, he seem 40’s maybe 50’s) by me, I have this 6 ft table I work at and we have a chair at the other end so my co-workers have a place to sit and do some work. She plops herself down and they are discussing something back and forth and she is whining and crying, not sure what about. This goes on for 3 or 4 minutes and then they start to go again. She says something to me, I tell her no hablo espanol and then danada (your welcome). I am assuming she is thanking me.
Yesterday we did 30 surgeries. Two that came in later on were labeled as Tongue Tied so Neil Wells did those, took about 20 minutes apiece. They were called Frenulectomy’s. The charts went into surgery before I had a chance to put them in the computer so I saw in Recovery and entered them. I did the first (remember things get a little hectic at times and the girl that just got it done was having a fit – she was having a fit before the surgery as well) and then went and sat down to enter the second. I was typing the same info for the Frenulectomy and thought I was screwing up. The names were different so I have Rebecca who was with the second child ask the mother if both the kids were related and they were cousins. Small world. The second one was a boy and he was very good before hand. However after he woke up in Recovery, he wasn’t feeling so well. So more crying.
Everyone’s sweetheart had his surgery yesterday. Energizer Boy from the first day. He was even cuter yesterday, his hair seemed to have more of a slicked back look to it, remember he has this blond really curly hair. He was all over the courtyard playing with stuff. Karen and I went out to take a pic with him, his dad had him in his arms at the time. He wasn’t having the best time at that point but did quit fidgeting for a moment so we could take the pic. We found out he was hungry and was being a tad cranky cuz of it. They are cut off a certain time before surgery from having any foods or water. It gets bad back there. Michael who is running Pre-Op, found a grandmother with her son under a wrap with a bottle in it’s mouth. He had to scold her about that. He had no other problems (that he could see, cept for this one, he figured the parents listened to him but the grandmothers think they can rule back there but he had to set her straight.
Late in the afternoon/early evening for some reason we had a grunch (there is that word again, it means a whole bunch) of skeeters. I finally couldn’t sit out in the hallway anymore as I was swatting my legs more than I could type, and my small can of spray was back in the room. Yeah yeah – I can hear you now. That does me a lot of good leaving it in the room. I thought it was in my backpack I bring daily. Oh well. I moved over into the break room, which you go thru the Recovery Room to get to. I finished up my daily surgery list, making all the changes to it and then inputting Friday’s list so I could print copies of that. Had it done and they added a late minute one on it, so made that change and printed (actually hadn’t printed the earlier schedule yet). Got it all printed and slammed stuff in my backpack and other bag (that I put the printer, paper, my scrubs so I could go into surgery) and boogied out to catch the bus as he was maneuvering it around some vehicles so they could leave. There were a few people still here that were going to take cabs back so it wasn’t like they were leaving me behind.
Oh yeah – almost forgot to post this. As I was sitting here right before the skeeter attack, I noticed something coming from behind me and here comes a dog trotting down the hallway. Remember, right around the corner from me is the surgery area. Only in a third world country.
Caught the bus back and I was going to go get some dinner with a couple of the Recovery Room and Post-Op nurses and Michael who is the Pre-Op Nurse and the restaurant was closed. So we ended up heading back to our hotel (which is about a mile away) and had dinner there.
Friday Surgery – last day.
Ahhh – last day. I think they were poached eggs, little wieners (don’t ask me what kind of ingredients go in them down here), fruit and OJ. Back to the room, teeth, bag, TEAM T-SHIRT for the team picture and on the bus at 6:30. Had our meeting, picture and then all rambled in to get the surgeries started. Someone had taken my chair from overnight, I threw it under the table and it was here yesterday morning. No probs, just grab another plastic chair from another table.
We only have 14 scheduled for today (lips or a nose, no palates as those take longer and the recovery is longer). Karen and I have been to Post-Op twice to get our data and the second trip, this one older kid was in there complaining about his nose (he was supposed to get some Rhinoplasty done with it and it hadn’t happened. He got some Dental done (some teeth pulled) but they didn’t have the proper equipment so they sent him to Recovery then Post-Op. When he was awake enuf, that is when he realized no nose job. The docs sent some people around to find the right equipment from the hospital. 2 hour surgery later and he is done.
Some of these people are like gypsies here. I just watched a lady who has been sitting out in the courtyard waiting area for her to be able to go into the Recovery Room to see their son/daughter and they have their belongings with them. She had two suitcases, a bag, her purse. Of course there are people here who help them out, but it is like a person without a country around here. They go from the shelter with whatever belongings they have for a week plus stay, to the Pre-Op room the afternoon before then they head down to Post-Op where most will spend the night. Today’s kids were easier ones to do and I think they will be released late this afternoon. Some people only have a small bag. Guess they don’t have to worry about changing clothes every day.
I had to zip down to Post-Op, which is about a two minute walk down the hallway. This guy was in the process of mopping the floor, and on the way back (he was done and gone) you could see these dog tracks on the tile. Hmmmm. Who needs some surgery done. We have also had some skeeters this morning, but not as bad as last night.
I went back to Post-Op awhile ago (it is now 2:53 p.m. and have been writing off and on since 8:30 a.m.) and saw a medium size doggie trotting down the hallway. I yelled at it and it scooted away and when I turned the corner to go down the hallway, Mary Laurie (Recovery Room Nurse) asked me what I was yelling about and I told her. She just shook her head. The local people don’t seem to care. Maybe I should just get a Rum n Coke and forget about it. Sounds good to me.
We are in the process of finishing things up. The T-shirts I have been wearing during the day (I brought a bunch that I was not wearing back home) throughout the week, I have given out to some of the older male patients (10-18) and a couple of the guys that have been helping us around here.
Once everything is packed (I am still waiting on this last guy to get his Rhinoplasty done) and I have my reports printed out, I guess we head back to the hotel to do whatever before our big party tonight. I printed out Katie’s speech for her (I have the only computer with a printer) so she has that. Not sure what will be for dinner, but I bought a bottle of local Rum the beginning of the week, so all I need to get from the restaurant is my bottle of coke the bartender has in the fridge for me (part of it is left over from last night). There will be music and dancing as well (maybe dancing for me after a few rum n cokes). Our bus leaves at 7:30 tomorrow morning for Managua, which is about a 3 plus hour trip away. The students reminded me we have a pretty sizeable layover in Dallas (almost 4 hours I think) and they already have a good recommendation on a decent restaurant in the airport. We get back somewhere after 11:00 tomorrow night.
What am I going to do without SWEATING everyday.
3:55, most people are gone and Karen and I are trying to finalize things so we can boogy back. No doubt a lot of the others are at the pool sunning, having some adult refreshments and relaxing.
I will update pics when I get back and get a couple more videos loaded.
Me down in Nicaragua
On the way back to the hotel, what a different scene. Shops are open, lots of people milling about. When we were almost out of town, there were three guys probably within 50 feet of each other. One hawking peanuts, then there was a guy holding two live geese in his arms then a guy with two puppies in one hand and a cage with parakeets in the other.
that is it for now. Going for a swim, rum n coke, come back to shower and shave and go back to the pool for the party.
L8R G8Rs
Friday, February 12, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Picture Links
Below are three different links to photos on Kodak that I just uploaded. It is a pain putting them in this blog, I will add captions later on when I get home, not enough time here. I don't have Internet at the hospital.
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=463138771506%3A57462033&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=863138771506%3A2045294307&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=173138771506%3A1121765965&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=463138771506%3A57462033&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=863138771506%3A2045294307&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=173138771506%3A1121765965&cm_mmc=site_email-_-new_site_share-_-core-_-View_photos_link
Day 7 Post - 2nd day of Surgery
Buenos días (Good morning)
**I am typing this here during the day on Tuesday in between printing out schedules and making changes in the database. It has been busy and I have had trouble finding the time to put down the thoughts. Kids are still crying everywhere – in front of me and behind me. I am in the hallway with a 6 foot desk pushed to the side of the wall and I sit at one end, different people will utilize the other end. People (Nicaraguans) think I am some kind of information person and are stopping to ask me directions and such. No hablo español (I don’t speak Spanish). I then find one of our translators to help out. There are a grunch (that is many) high school’ers that speak fluent both that have been helping us out. Some are Nicaraguans and some are English kids that live here.
Sorry for the delay in posting things but my butt has been busy. Got done with things Wednesday night and in bed at 10:30, get up at 5:30 to get something to eat in our little restaurant at the hotel and be on the bus by 6:30 to head to the hospital, which is about a 20 minute drive thru you-name-it traffic. This morning (Saturday morning) I saw it best coming up near the little bridge over this almost defunct stream. There was a horse drawn cart loaded with kindling/man and son on the seat, with a bicycle pulled cart behind, a car then a bus, two more bicycle carts and another horse drawn cart with nothing in the back and a couple bicycles strung thru there and a couple more cars. People walking on the edge or what you might call a sidewalk which is only feet away. Horns rule around here.
We needed to set up the check-in area to start screening kids (they ranged from 3 months to 30’s/40’s but most are under 10). We did 80 screenings the first day and 140 the second day. To say the least, by the end of Day 2, I had my butt kicked. I did not have all the charts done first day, as I was getting my system rolling and busy taking some pics and generally awed at the circus. There was the check in station to get the record filled out by local volunteers. Then a picture to put inside the record, then a picture of the mouth area, then they got weighed and a general check of the chest breathing. Next vital signs, then seen by a Plastic Surgeon, then the Anesthesiologist, followed by a Dentist, then Speech Therapist, then the Gatekeeper. It is his job to screen the record real quick to make sure they saw all parties, there was a diagnosis (or multiple made) and a surgery recommendation or not, that the medical waiver was signed by the parent and whatever else he was checking.
Then the record came to me to enter some of the basic information into the Electronic Medical Record. This info had name, known allergies, weight, what was diagnosed and what was proposed for surgery and once blood work came back their Hematocrit. So once we got started and there was someone at each station, the noise level got quite loud. Generally most kids were pretty cooperative. But you had some that were crying and THEN you had some that were pulling all out tantrum fits. The area we were in was not that big so the sound reverberated. At one mid afternoon the second day, there were a couple crying and throwing tantrums at the same time. Try entering data (data that different people have entered and who have different writing styles) with all that noise. We ask them to write legible, but hey. And down here, 99% of the kids have two last names and two first names. Ayyeee Carumba! Or whatever the Nicaraguan version is.
OK – back to type again. Had lots to do earlier, reconfigure tomorrow schedule and make sure all the Crits (Hematocrits) were in the computer so they would print out on my new schedule so I could then do the PICU Sheets. These sheets show the persons name and record number as well as age and weight. There are formulas built into the Excel spreadsheet so in case the child codes (quit breathing or has problems) the doc and Anesthesiologist know what drugs and how much to give quickly or how much Defibrillation they need to do.
Then had lunch (shrimp fried rice and some kind of meat – hmmmm some of those dogs weren’t running around this morning!!!!!) and went down to the Recover Ward to input Surgeon/ Anesthesiologist and what procedure was performed and if there were any implications involved. This is part of the record keeping that Op Smile is doing (a few of the many things to be inputed) to keep data for research and historical reasons.
After that, I went into the OR to watch a few cases. Part of being with these people is that you are all treated the same. We are welcome into the OR (even Kelly and Torrie came in after me and they are 16/17 years old) to see what is going on and the surgeons will explain stuff to you. I wasn’t sure what I personally would do when I saw slicing and dicing but I was fine. No queasy or falling out. Adam Kolker, a Plastic Surgeon of New York, asked me to come to the head of the table next to him and he was explaining what he was trying to do, and I was asking questions. It is hard to imagine the Cleft Lip and the big gaping hole you see in their lip and when they get done, it is closed up and looking really great. There was a bit of snipping, and dicing and slicing and he had taken one of his instruments and was kinda jamming it inside the nose towards the tip and around breaking up the excess cartilage that had built up over time.
I had taken a break and gone over to the next table to watch them start a little girl with the anestheology and the beginning of the lip preparation. They would outline where they wanted to cut with a surgical marker, the doc injected a bit of (looked like a lot of local anesthetics) into the mouth and gum line and straight into the nose (ouch). I went back over to Kolker’s bed and he had him almost done up. It was looking great.
By then I needed to come out and get some work done. More schedule changes for Wednesday, needed to go back to Post Op and get some updates and sneak in some more typing in here. All along while helping out a few lost folks (remember no hablo espanol ), sweating my ass off (it gets up to 90 or so and humid) in this hallway that doesn’t always have a breeze. It is open in front of me about 50 feet away but it T’s behind me so every once in a while I can feel a breeze but mostly I sit here sweaty. Oh yeah, don’t forget crying kids in front and behind. Patients coming by on gurney’s or walking along with IV bags hanging on a cart or by their own hand. And fly’s flying around. If there are one or two, there are dozens of them. While I was in surgery, there was a fly in there they were shooing away.
Think of this place as a cross between a Mash Hospital and Gray’s Anatomy (without all the sex crap going on). Some patients scheduled for surgery come up sick so they are canx’d for the day and someone is moved up on the list and someone from another day is added and someone runs to the shelter to get them if they are there or they are called if staying somewhere in town.
Speaking of the shelter people and once they get here. Remember we feed them at the shelter. They report to the hospital the afternoon before surgery (the child and one parent) so they can pre-check in. There is a room behind me at the end of the hall where it T’s and there are 22 beds in there and we have like 25 patients tomorrow. So you double the amount because most have one parent with them. These beds are packed tighter together than you would have in a dorm room. Maybe 2 feet between some. NO A/C either. One door coming in and one door leading out and not much cross breeze. There are a couple fans trying to blow air around. But it still sucks to be in there. We feed them here as well (they need to eat). I helped for awhile, they were getting a plate of beans with some kind of white sauce and a large roll. There was some sweet milk along with some cereal dumped in for the kids as well. They ran out of food and had to go get some more so I went back to my computer.
Speaking of food, it is 7:45 right now and our peeps (the coordinators here) ordered 25 pizzas for us as we will be here to at least 9. They still have a couple surgeries to go then the docs will make rounds real quick, see their patients and sign some forms in the records so I or Karen don’t come hound them. Karen is in charge of Medical Records and we work side by side - however they are 40 feet down the hall from me. They poke their head around the corner once in a while to make sure I am alright.
We will get home, take a much needed shower – I will print out tomorrows schedule, try and get this sent out, talk shit with my roomies and lights out by 11:00. Get up tomorrow at 5:30 and ramble over to t he little restaurant to get some food, on the bus at 6:30 and do it all over again.
It sucks the workload, the heat, the noise and such. HOWEVER, as I sit here and the kids come by, they recognize me (most do) from screening and they smile at me as well as the parents. What they are getting here is thousands of dollars worth of care that will make them WAY SO MUCH BETTER in life, they won’t be ridiculed and they will be able to live a more normal life.
It is worth what I am doing and will do it again in a heartbeat. I just hope I have the same great people that are on this trip in the future. Karen and Aleisha that I am working with are great – we all get along superbly. No flare-ups, no short tempers, no losing it. Whatever happens, we help each other out and do it.
I better go down and check in with them to see what’s going on and maybe get another slice of pizza. Mushroom and Pepperoni just arrive. Two more flavors arriving next. Ham was on the first one.
p.s. my nasal condition seems to be getting a little bit better. Our team doc got me some 12 hour Afrin and put me on a extra large dose of Zythrymicin (sp), I haven’t had the sinuses running as much today.
Well helped cart a patient down the breezeway to Post Op so he can settle in for the night. Hung around waiting for the last two patients to come out of Recovery (which we go thru to get to our break room. We got out of there at 9:30 and are back in our rooms. I am waiting my turn to take a shower. It is now 10:15 so time to get this on the streets and update everyone.
I will try and write more about our party we went to Saturday night and the beach day we had Sunday.
Adios
**I am typing this here during the day on Tuesday in between printing out schedules and making changes in the database. It has been busy and I have had trouble finding the time to put down the thoughts. Kids are still crying everywhere – in front of me and behind me. I am in the hallway with a 6 foot desk pushed to the side of the wall and I sit at one end, different people will utilize the other end. People (Nicaraguans) think I am some kind of information person and are stopping to ask me directions and such. No hablo español (I don’t speak Spanish). I then find one of our translators to help out. There are a grunch (that is many) high school’ers that speak fluent both that have been helping us out. Some are Nicaraguans and some are English kids that live here.
Sorry for the delay in posting things but my butt has been busy. Got done with things Wednesday night and in bed at 10:30, get up at 5:30 to get something to eat in our little restaurant at the hotel and be on the bus by 6:30 to head to the hospital, which is about a 20 minute drive thru you-name-it traffic. This morning (Saturday morning) I saw it best coming up near the little bridge over this almost defunct stream. There was a horse drawn cart loaded with kindling/man and son on the seat, with a bicycle pulled cart behind, a car then a bus, two more bicycle carts and another horse drawn cart with nothing in the back and a couple bicycles strung thru there and a couple more cars. People walking on the edge or what you might call a sidewalk which is only feet away. Horns rule around here.
We needed to set up the check-in area to start screening kids (they ranged from 3 months to 30’s/40’s but most are under 10). We did 80 screenings the first day and 140 the second day. To say the least, by the end of Day 2, I had my butt kicked. I did not have all the charts done first day, as I was getting my system rolling and busy taking some pics and generally awed at the circus. There was the check in station to get the record filled out by local volunteers. Then a picture to put inside the record, then a picture of the mouth area, then they got weighed and a general check of the chest breathing. Next vital signs, then seen by a Plastic Surgeon, then the Anesthesiologist, followed by a Dentist, then Speech Therapist, then the Gatekeeper. It is his job to screen the record real quick to make sure they saw all parties, there was a diagnosis (or multiple made) and a surgery recommendation or not, that the medical waiver was signed by the parent and whatever else he was checking.
Then the record came to me to enter some of the basic information into the Electronic Medical Record. This info had name, known allergies, weight, what was diagnosed and what was proposed for surgery and once blood work came back their Hematocrit. So once we got started and there was someone at each station, the noise level got quite loud. Generally most kids were pretty cooperative. But you had some that were crying and THEN you had some that were pulling all out tantrum fits. The area we were in was not that big so the sound reverberated. At one mid afternoon the second day, there were a couple crying and throwing tantrums at the same time. Try entering data (data that different people have entered and who have different writing styles) with all that noise. We ask them to write legible, but hey. And down here, 99% of the kids have two last names and two first names. Ayyeee Carumba! Or whatever the Nicaraguan version is.
OK – back to type again. Had lots to do earlier, reconfigure tomorrow schedule and make sure all the Crits (Hematocrits) were in the computer so they would print out on my new schedule so I could then do the PICU Sheets. These sheets show the persons name and record number as well as age and weight. There are formulas built into the Excel spreadsheet so in case the child codes (quit breathing or has problems) the doc and Anesthesiologist know what drugs and how much to give quickly or how much Defibrillation they need to do.
Then had lunch (shrimp fried rice and some kind of meat – hmmmm some of those dogs weren’t running around this morning!!!!!) and went down to the Recover Ward to input Surgeon/ Anesthesiologist and what procedure was performed and if there were any implications involved. This is part of the record keeping that Op Smile is doing (a few of the many things to be inputed) to keep data for research and historical reasons.
After that, I went into the OR to watch a few cases. Part of being with these people is that you are all treated the same. We are welcome into the OR (even Kelly and Torrie came in after me and they are 16/17 years old) to see what is going on and the surgeons will explain stuff to you. I wasn’t sure what I personally would do when I saw slicing and dicing but I was fine. No queasy or falling out. Adam Kolker, a Plastic Surgeon of New York, asked me to come to the head of the table next to him and he was explaining what he was trying to do, and I was asking questions. It is hard to imagine the Cleft Lip and the big gaping hole you see in their lip and when they get done, it is closed up and looking really great. There was a bit of snipping, and dicing and slicing and he had taken one of his instruments and was kinda jamming it inside the nose towards the tip and around breaking up the excess cartilage that had built up over time.
I had taken a break and gone over to the next table to watch them start a little girl with the anestheology and the beginning of the lip preparation. They would outline where they wanted to cut with a surgical marker, the doc injected a bit of (looked like a lot of local anesthetics) into the mouth and gum line and straight into the nose (ouch). I went back over to Kolker’s bed and he had him almost done up. It was looking great.
By then I needed to come out and get some work done. More schedule changes for Wednesday, needed to go back to Post Op and get some updates and sneak in some more typing in here. All along while helping out a few lost folks (remember no hablo espanol ), sweating my ass off (it gets up to 90 or so and humid) in this hallway that doesn’t always have a breeze. It is open in front of me about 50 feet away but it T’s behind me so every once in a while I can feel a breeze but mostly I sit here sweaty. Oh yeah, don’t forget crying kids in front and behind. Patients coming by on gurney’s or walking along with IV bags hanging on a cart or by their own hand. And fly’s flying around. If there are one or two, there are dozens of them. While I was in surgery, there was a fly in there they were shooing away.
Think of this place as a cross between a Mash Hospital and Gray’s Anatomy (without all the sex crap going on). Some patients scheduled for surgery come up sick so they are canx’d for the day and someone is moved up on the list and someone from another day is added and someone runs to the shelter to get them if they are there or they are called if staying somewhere in town.
Speaking of the shelter people and once they get here. Remember we feed them at the shelter. They report to the hospital the afternoon before surgery (the child and one parent) so they can pre-check in. There is a room behind me at the end of the hall where it T’s and there are 22 beds in there and we have like 25 patients tomorrow. So you double the amount because most have one parent with them. These beds are packed tighter together than you would have in a dorm room. Maybe 2 feet between some. NO A/C either. One door coming in and one door leading out and not much cross breeze. There are a couple fans trying to blow air around. But it still sucks to be in there. We feed them here as well (they need to eat). I helped for awhile, they were getting a plate of beans with some kind of white sauce and a large roll. There was some sweet milk along with some cereal dumped in for the kids as well. They ran out of food and had to go get some more so I went back to my computer.
Speaking of food, it is 7:45 right now and our peeps (the coordinators here) ordered 25 pizzas for us as we will be here to at least 9. They still have a couple surgeries to go then the docs will make rounds real quick, see their patients and sign some forms in the records so I or Karen don’t come hound them. Karen is in charge of Medical Records and we work side by side - however they are 40 feet down the hall from me. They poke their head around the corner once in a while to make sure I am alright.
We will get home, take a much needed shower – I will print out tomorrows schedule, try and get this sent out, talk shit with my roomies and lights out by 11:00. Get up tomorrow at 5:30 and ramble over to t he little restaurant to get some food, on the bus at 6:30 and do it all over again.
It sucks the workload, the heat, the noise and such. HOWEVER, as I sit here and the kids come by, they recognize me (most do) from screening and they smile at me as well as the parents. What they are getting here is thousands of dollars worth of care that will make them WAY SO MUCH BETTER in life, they won’t be ridiculed and they will be able to live a more normal life.
It is worth what I am doing and will do it again in a heartbeat. I just hope I have the same great people that are on this trip in the future. Karen and Aleisha that I am working with are great – we all get along superbly. No flare-ups, no short tempers, no losing it. Whatever happens, we help each other out and do it.
I better go down and check in with them to see what’s going on and maybe get another slice of pizza. Mushroom and Pepperoni just arrive. Two more flavors arriving next. Ham was on the first one.
p.s. my nasal condition seems to be getting a little bit better. Our team doc got me some 12 hour Afrin and put me on a extra large dose of Zythrymicin (sp), I haven’t had the sinuses running as much today.
Well helped cart a patient down the breezeway to Post Op so he can settle in for the night. Hung around waiting for the last two patients to come out of Recovery (which we go thru to get to our break room. We got out of there at 9:30 and are back in our rooms. I am waiting my turn to take a shower. It is now 10:15 so time to get this on the streets and update everyone.
I will try and write more about our party we went to Saturday night and the beach day we had Sunday.
Adios
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Some Video Posts
This video shows us at our beach party last Sunday. It was a 45 minute bus ride to get there on teh Pacific Coast. It is basically a restaurant establishment, with a fence around it to keep people out at night. you walk out the back and jump down off the edge about 3/4 feet and then on down to the surf. The water felt great. Lunch was provided to us - steak, chicken or fish. It was good. Couple people of course got a little too much sun. Not I tho. I was in the water for half hour then got out. My head and back of the neck/top of the shoulders were a little bit red (could feel it slightly) so I was lucky to quit when I did.
Another video of the restaurant at the beach and some of us!!!
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Day One Arrival more pics
You can barely make i[out (taken from the bus) the small shack back there where a family lives, this was taken on the road to Chinandega. A lot of these houses are made out of tin, decrieped wood,, thrown away materials, whatever is laying around is used. Some looked like they were cardboard strwn together.
Our hacienda (mine and the lead doctor and lead Anesthesologist), the whole bldg isn't ours, there are a bunch on rooms in there.
A view down our street, this is off the main highway with a guard and a gate (like a railroad track gate)
The swimming pool, it is about 200 yards down the road to get to it.
These are the two cabanas off to the side of the pool, this is where we will hold our team functions and dinners, when we have them.
Another view of the pool and the two cabanas.
The Chinese have invaded. Actually this is a nicer looking card/cycle contraption than what you see on the streets in town. Way much nicer looking.
This is the volcano you can see from out Hotel, about 10/15 miles away. The smoke is always coming out.
A view of our room.
Another view.
Get together last night, where we all introduced ourselves, had a nice meal and Katy put out some words to us.
Chow line.
People eating (duhh did I have to say that)
Katy and Rebecca putting out the good word and then having us all introduce ourselves.
The meal. Empty plate had a simple salad on it (after three salads so far (yes dear I am doing well), they usde oil and vinegar here, none of the fat stuff we have in the states. piece of bread, rice with some veggies in it and a piece of steak with the sauce and some kind of veggies cooked in. It tasted good but was pretty tough. You had to cut the eat in small bites and chew for awhile, tho it tasted good.
Day One Arrival
Whew what a day. After getting to bed at 11:30 Tuesday night, then up sometime like 3:30 Wednesday morning to leave the house by 4:00, I wanted to get to the airport by 4:30 and get checked in as our flight was supposed to leave at 5:45.
Supposed to being the operative word! Tower Control informed out crew that there was a possibility of snow being in the air and that being the case, the plane HAD to be de-iced. So the ground control crew were called and this was unexpected so they were gearing up to head over and de-ice when control figured out there was no snow in the air and we could take off. So we did 15 minutes late.
However we landed 40 minutes late into Houston and that gave us only 20 minutes to get to our departing terminal (and they close the gate and doors easily 10 minutes ahead of time). We came into concourse b and needed to get to Concourse E. Well we got to that concourse and Pam, who is the Student Volunteer Coordinator was standing there waiting on us as the two girls in our group of seven were in her charge. So we were lucky that there were seven of us, I think that helped them keep the plane there.
We landed in Managua to 90 degree weather. Stifling a little bit. We milled about (Navy term for goofing off a little bit) waiting on some others to arrive from Miami (that was only 20 minutes later), we exchanged some money, got a quick bite to eat from a Subway and then got aboard a couple buses to do our 2.5 hour ride to Chinandega.
Well 3 plus hours later and we arrived to our hotel. What a trip along the way. Talk about third world. Some of the vehicles (buses) were brightly colored, carts being pulled by horses, mopeds on the median as well as bicycles and even adults and kids walking along not 4 feet away from the 80 kmh traffic along the paved highway. Outside the city, all other roads were dirt. Not gravel or crush and run. But good ole dirt. Kinda bare trees, no grass around the houses, which were made of cinder block, tin, and even one that looked like it was made out of cardboard. Fences were all crudely fashioned out of small logs with barbed while attached to it or trees growing in a row. Saw one gate made out of poles sunk in the ground to keep people or things from going thru.
Along the way, you could see the volcano, not sure the name of it, but smoke was wafting out of it. At first, it was across from Lake Managua, which is a large lake here in Nicaragua. Once we got to our hotel, the volcano is much closer, I would estimate prob 10-15 miles away. Late in the afternoon, there seemed to be more smoke billowing out of it. Supposedly it is a tourist attraction around here.
I am in an upstairs room with the head anesthesiologist and the head Medical director who is also considered the team doc if anything happens to any of us. Lucky me. 3 twin beds, simple sink in the room but a spacious bathroom,- toilet, large sink and shower where the curtains barely hit the edge of the floor rim 9means water gets on the floor somewhat I you aren’t real careful).
We had our first Team Meeting at the pool area, where there is a real nice cabana/table/chairs. The pool looks to be about a 20 meter pool, will try it out later. Dinner was served, consisted of a simple salad, steak with a gravy sauce on top and rice. Someone had them bring out some wine and beers to go along with the water and cokes. Then Katie – the lead op Smile worker on her last mission introduced some key people then we all went around and introduced ourselves. There were about 45 of us there.
Back to the room to start arranging things for the next day and finally got to bed about 10:30, after a long day.
We were at a stop light and this guy jumped out and quirted water all over the window from a soda bottle and proceeded to clean the window with a squeege, there were a few of these at intersections. You could also buy food/drinks at intersections as wel, and these weren't at 7-Elevens but at small portable or semi rigid stands.
Supposed to being the operative word! Tower Control informed out crew that there was a possibility of snow being in the air and that being the case, the plane HAD to be de-iced. So the ground control crew were called and this was unexpected so they were gearing up to head over and de-ice when control figured out there was no snow in the air and we could take off. So we did 15 minutes late.
However we landed 40 minutes late into Houston and that gave us only 20 minutes to get to our departing terminal (and they close the gate and doors easily 10 minutes ahead of time). We came into concourse b and needed to get to Concourse E. Well we got to that concourse and Pam, who is the Student Volunteer Coordinator was standing there waiting on us as the two girls in our group of seven were in her charge. So we were lucky that there were seven of us, I think that helped them keep the plane there.
We landed in Managua to 90 degree weather. Stifling a little bit. We milled about (Navy term for goofing off a little bit) waiting on some others to arrive from Miami (that was only 20 minutes later), we exchanged some money, got a quick bite to eat from a Subway and then got aboard a couple buses to do our 2.5 hour ride to Chinandega.
Well 3 plus hours later and we arrived to our hotel. What a trip along the way. Talk about third world. Some of the vehicles (buses) were brightly colored, carts being pulled by horses, mopeds on the median as well as bicycles and even adults and kids walking along not 4 feet away from the 80 kmh traffic along the paved highway. Outside the city, all other roads were dirt. Not gravel or crush and run. But good ole dirt. Kinda bare trees, no grass around the houses, which were made of cinder block, tin, and even one that looked like it was made out of cardboard. Fences were all crudely fashioned out of small logs with barbed while attached to it or trees growing in a row. Saw one gate made out of poles sunk in the ground to keep people or things from going thru.
Along the way, you could see the volcano, not sure the name of it, but smoke was wafting out of it. At first, it was across from Lake Managua, which is a large lake here in Nicaragua. Once we got to our hotel, the volcano is much closer, I would estimate prob 10-15 miles away. Late in the afternoon, there seemed to be more smoke billowing out of it. Supposedly it is a tourist attraction around here.
I am in an upstairs room with the head anesthesiologist and the head Medical director who is also considered the team doc if anything happens to any of us. Lucky me. 3 twin beds, simple sink in the room but a spacious bathroom,- toilet, large sink and shower where the curtains barely hit the edge of the floor rim 9means water gets on the floor somewhat I you aren’t real careful).
We had our first Team Meeting at the pool area, where there is a real nice cabana/table/chairs. The pool looks to be about a 20 meter pool, will try it out later. Dinner was served, consisted of a simple salad, steak with a gravy sauce on top and rice. Someone had them bring out some wine and beers to go along with the water and cokes. Then Katie – the lead op Smile worker on her last mission introduced some key people then we all went around and introduced ourselves. There were about 45 of us there.
Back to the room to start arranging things for the next day and finally got to bed about 10:30, after a long day.
Pam from Colorado along with Torrie and Kelly of Virginia Beach, those two are high school student volunteers. they will work with the kids before and during checkin, teaching them proper brushing techniques and just basically keeping them busy. The second pic is us standing in line exchanging monies to Cordoba's. It is 20 to 1. The blonde is Aleisha from Texas who is working with me.
The center courtyard at the airport in Managua Nicaragus. The young lady on the right is Katy who is are Mission Coordinator for this trip, she is from Norfolk. The other young lady is Rebecca from Managua and is one of the two coordinators here in Nicaragua.
The bus being loaded, there was this bigger one, then two smalled ones. Most of the luggage was loaded on top, some stored in the very back. Then a pic of some of my new friends all loaded onboard. The lady (Kristy) next to me had just cut her hair two weeks earlier, it was down to the middle of her back, she got a wild hair and cut it and donated the hair.
We were at a stop light and this guy jumped out and quirted water all over the window from a soda bottle and proceeded to clean the window with a squeege, there were a few of these at intersections. You could also buy food/drinks at intersections as wel, and these weren't at 7-Elevens but at small portable or semi rigid stands.Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Pre Leaving 29 Jan Post
http://www.operationsmile.org/
Well thought I would start posting stuff to the blog. I will go in one more time into the office on Monday to help finish packing the next trip on our board, grab another set of scrubs as we wear these during the day, shorts aren't allowed and these are comfy.
I leave at 5:45 on Wednesday, February 3rd. Ouch that is early, and for Cindy as well as she will drop me off at the airport on her way in to work. That will be some extra time for her so she can take off early another day. I return 11 something at night on February 13th.
I have a lot of other things going on but I can feel myself starting to get excited about the trip. I went over to the military base today and picked up some Imodium and Cipro to take along in case of intestinal issues. I also got the H1N1 (Swine Flu) shot as well just to be on the safe side.
Need to figure out what shorts and T-shirts to take. Pair of running shoes to wear at the Op Smile site, sandals for other times, sunglasses and warm weather stuff. Here we are getting snow tonight (Friday night) and I will be in nice warm weather in a few days.
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