Medical Outreach Part 2

Ugh, I'm beginning to wish I had brought my own computer out here. I didn't realize that there was fairly good internet access and underestimated my dependency on it! Alright, Family Care Medical Outreach part 2....
Tuesday was a very hectic day, similar to how I felt the first day of clinical in nursing school- completely lost. Devotions and breakfast were at 6:45am and we were off to the hospital by 7:45. Now, having gone through a couple days in the OR back in teh US, working in the theater here was not sounding like much fun to me. So, I was really glad to hear that it had been arranged for me to do a couple home visits, one of which to the king's palace. The first visit was to see the mother of one of Josh's (main leader of Family Care) friends. After the doctor talked with her and rewrote her prescription we headed to the palace. Before coming here I had heard some of the Nigerian doctors saying how great this place was, comparable to Buckingham. Judging from the outside I kind of figured that was a bit of an exaggeration and I was write. To be fair, compared to a lot of the homes we past the palace was enormous and extravagant. Still, I couldn't help but notice the half broken light fixtures in the gardens, unkempt yard, and occasional broken windows. In general, it was a bit dilapaudated. We had a short tour and then met the king and queen. It was a bit odd seeing people bow before him. I know it's a sign of respect but I didn't really care for it. The other thing I really didn't care for was the 50 years of difference in age between the king and queen...so gross...
We did some formal greetings with the king, thanking him for having us here and he thanked us as well for coming. We gave him a quick check up then moved to the reception room to assess 3 more people. If there's one thing I've learned thus far about Nigerians is that they often don't say quite what they mean. 20 people later we were finally wrapping up. You'd think you were at the end of the line and then 2 more people would sneak in. However, it was really interesting to see that those people all shared one thing in common: out of control hpertension. I'm talking like a 200/110 blood pressure when a normal one is 120/80. One man's case was so out of control that his heart, to cope with the stress, had started beating in something similar to the rhythm of a waltz. Another woman who was 22, my age, was walking around with a BP of 150/90. I know part of it is the belief that fat is good and a general lack of education about nutrition but it makes me wonder how stressful their lives must be. After about 3 hours we had to leave. There were more people we could've seen but it was taking doctors and time away from people who couldn't afford any healthcare. On a selfish note, it was already 2:30 and we hadn't eaten since 7 that morning.
After a 20 min break for food they shipped me off to the theater. In truth, I was not too excited but had told myself before coming that I would open to whatever it is God would have me do. That's the general attitude I tried to keep and it really helped me get through some tough experiences, the worst of which happening this afternoon. Upon arriving to the theater, they immediately had me scrub in (really just wash my hands) to assist in a surgery. I told the doctors that I'm ready to help with whatever they needed but I wanted to be like this is not what I had in mind. I wasn't quite ready for it either. So, there I was all geared up in my handwashed, sterile gown and sandals ready to dig in. The doctor gave the local anesthetic, grabbed the blade from the patient's lap (that's where you set all the instruments), and began. There's this method called the cut and tear that they used on all the patient's here. You make a cut that gets just through the skin and then you reach in your fingers and tear the rest of the subcutaneous tissue apart, as far as you have to go. Fixing an inguinal hernia, it's not so bad but when you see them do it for a C-section it leaves a lasting impression.
The surgery I was assisting with, repairing an inguinal hernia, should've only taken about 45 min but lasted 3 hours. It was a mix of poor pain control, a nervous patient, and what seemed like a bit of inexperience on the doctor's part. I got the feeling that either he hadn't done this much or was really trying to rush through it. Either way the patient was moving and begging for more anesthetic and the doctor wanted to continue on. However, when you don't have a patient at ease things become increasingly difficult. An inguinal hernia is a protrusion of bowel through the inguinal canal, which is located near our hip. If the patient tenses his abdomen at all once he is opened up, his bowels will push farther out making it difficult to correct the hernia. With our patient uneasy and in pain, it was pretty difficult to correct. I stood there holding the instruments retracting the patient's skin wanting so badly to yell at the doctor to do whatever it took to get rid of the his pain; close the patient up and just be done with it. I knew, though, that with the extended period of time he had been open and al the pain he had already endured, it would've been far more cruel to close him up without finishing the repair. Thankfully another surgeon came and in 30 minutes everything was fixed and done. Didn't know how much longer of that I could take.
You might have a pretty bad impression of the doctor's and facility there, and by the end of the day I did too. In fact, I seriously considered begging to be relocated somewhere, anywhere else. I would rather be mobbed by people trying to pass out cards than go back to the theater. Thankfully I didn't leave because in the following days God opened my eyes to see everything with a new perspective.