Ok -- so today, you get two emails. Feel free to hit the delete button.
We may have finally exceeded our comfort zone for volunteer trips!! As Lauri said, to say our lodging is basic is a stretch. We will send photos of the kitchen, bedroom, toilet (and shower -- such as it is), etc. The bednet seems to allow better airflow than the mesh tent we brought, so guess we will stick with it. The morning call to prayers may soon require the use of ear plugs for me -- Lauri already is using them.
There are four local physicians who staff this place, plus a third year Med. resident from Stanford. So... one would wonder just why I am here. Be that as it may, the first several patients I saw with one of the young docs included anasarka (total body swelling) in a 10 yo, probable TB in an older woman, amebic dysentery in a child and severe COPD (that patient will stay the night in one of four in-patient beds). Later in the day, an older man (my age) with severe anemia and what looks like lymphoblastic leukemia under the microscope. Jason, the Stanford doc, then proceeded to take a photo with his iphone through the microscope eyepiece and will send it to a friend at Stanford to evaluate -- amazing. With fewer patients expected the other four days of clinic this week, it will be interesting to see how my time is spent. They do remarkable medicine with very limited resources and these young "Turks" are good.
WE took a nice walk after clinic today -- found another small shop that actually had sugar and flour and larger bags of coffee (ground to fine powder). There are no real ovens here, but they have, in some houses, a metal box that fits over the gas flame and can be used to bake -- will give it a try soon. Also, there is no whole wheat flour so will try combining instant oatmeal with the white flour to give the bread a little substance.
Even though we are seated on the steps of the clinic at present, we still are not connected to wifi, so guess I will send this tomorrow and see what can be done to leave the system on at night -- would be nice to do some internet work in the evenings.
All for now. Will send this in the AM
Jim and Lauri
We may have finally exceeded our comfort zone for volunteer trips!! As Lauri said, to say our lodging is basic is a stretch. We will send photos of the kitchen, bedroom, toilet (and shower -- such as it is), etc. The bednet seems to allow better airflow than the mesh tent we brought, so guess we will stick with it. The morning call to prayers may soon require the use of ear plugs for me -- Lauri already is using them.
There are four local physicians who staff this place, plus a third year Med. resident from Stanford. So... one would wonder just why I am here. Be that as it may, the first several patients I saw with one of the young docs included anasarka (total body swelling) in a 10 yo, probable TB in an older woman, amebic dysentery in a child and severe COPD (that patient will stay the night in one of four in-patient beds). Later in the day, an older man (my age) with severe anemia and what looks like lymphoblastic leukemia under the microscope. Jason, the Stanford doc, then proceeded to take a photo with his iphone through the microscope eyepiece and will send it to a friend at Stanford to evaluate -- amazing. With fewer patients expected the other four days of clinic this week, it will be interesting to see how my time is spent. They do remarkable medicine with very limited resources and these young "Turks" are good.
WE took a nice walk after clinic today -- found another small shop that actually had sugar and flour and larger bags of coffee (ground to fine powder). There are no real ovens here, but they have, in some houses, a metal box that fits over the gas flame and can be used to bake -- will give it a try soon. Also, there is no whole wheat flour so will try combining instant oatmeal with the white flour to give the bread a little substance.
Even though we are seated on the steps of the clinic at present, we still are not connected to wifi, so guess I will send this tomorrow and see what can be done to leave the system on at night -- would be nice to do some internet work in the evenings.
All for now. Will send this in the AM
Jim and Lauri
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