Video of screening day

Here is the official video of screening day....tell me what it says: ) The computors here don't have speakers: )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prJxp346a6U

First day of surgeries

Today was my first official day on the ward. Surgeries started this morning and I believe that all 6 OR rooms (or theatres as the Brits call them) were busy most of the day. We nurses and translate rs gathered in the ward and prayed for the day. I had 3 fairly simple patients, bilateral hernia repairs on a young boy and a very old man and, on a young woman,a huge shoulder Lima removal. My patients did well and were very happy and relieved at the end of the day. It was the first surgery for all three. My nurse partner sent a baby to the OR for club foot repair...thank goodness for pediatric nurses...not my comfort zone.

We had a very sad event yesterday. A young woman (I think that she was 17) who had been operated on for cleft pallet on the Anastasis as a baby was here to visit with some of the medical team that had cared for her as a child. She had longstanding cardiac problems possible congenital in origin. She collapsed at her hotel yesterday and was brought to the ship. Don Stephens made an announcement asking everyone to pray. Despite everything being done for her that the medical staff knew to do, she passed away in the night. I cannot imagine how this must be affecting those that knew her and those that worked so hard in ICU to save her life. I understand that she was a special person. But I also believe that she is now in heaven and if those on Mercy Ships had any part in God's work in that matter...then there should be great joy for her in addition to each one's personal sorrow.

I am adjusting to the rhythm of life on the ship and even slept for a full 8 hours last night..whooohooo. I have become quite addicted to frappacinos after supper and fresh pineapple for dessert. The food overall has been good. We had baked spaghetti for lunch. I understand that many of the African staff do not find the food so palatable and will cook their own meals in the crews galley.

I tried to post earlier about screening day but it did not go through so I will try again later. Hope that all are doing well. Here is another picture supplied by the ship of screening day. I understand that there is a video on you tube with this years film. We can't look at it on the ship as it will hog the bandwidth. Let me know what you think: )

Reflections from screening day

I have some time before my next job, the Internet cafe is quite, so thought I would post reflections from screening day. I am not a very good writer so will do bullets, mostly chronological.

Up at 4AM by accident, but had awesome devotional as result.

• We left at 7AM in a long line of land rovers for the stadium which was about 15 minutes from the ship.

Arrived before daylight to an empty stadium which was set up within about 45 minutes with everything we needed to do the screening. Awesome organization.

• Met my interpreter for the day...Roland who was very conscientious and was great to work with through out the long day.




• Patients stood in line outside, some having been there all night. They where pre-screened with those that we might be able to help ushered into the stadium while those with problems we could not help offered prayer in a separate area. Those who we might be able to help where sent inside to go to registration, they then sat in chairs and waited to have their health history taken (that was the job I did each day). After history, they were taken to see the doctors (another long wait), then if they had a condition we could help, they were sent to physical, pharmacy (we gave each patient vitamins and other medications to help build them up before surgery), blood work, and finally surgical scheduling where they got their all important appointment card. If at any point it was decided that the patient would not have surgery, they were offered prayer. At each station, they might have to wait for hours or in some cases had to come back the next day and pick up where they had left off on Thursday.




• The first patient I had was a woman with a large growth on the side of her face. She wore a scarf attempting for hide it from view. She had waited in line all night in the hopes that she could be helped.




• Throughout the day I had many children with cleft lips and pallets as well as club feet and what appeared to be problems from rickets (bandy legs as the Brit's called it). Many women and some fairly young children with huge goiters. Some would meet my eyes, others would not. The women with VVF (which renders them incontinent) where screened in another area. Those with cataracts where also sent to the clinics set up around the city for screening.




• As I reflected back, I was impressed with how patient the Benin people where as they waited in line after line through this process.




• One elderly gentleman was carried to the screening on the back of his son, I do not know what distance he had come from. Don Stephens spoke to him personally after they pulled him out of the line and brought him in right away.




• A long, long, hot day, but so rewarding. Thursday was somewhat slower for the history people as they quit screening new patients about noon. I believe that everyone where seen who came, which is a comfort.

The patient that affected me the most was a young gentleman who used crutches as he followed me to my table. It was late in the day and he was one of many until he showed me his leg. As he pulled up his pants leg, I was expected a misshapen leg or perhaps a tumor....I was not expecting the several inches of steel sticking out of his thigh. Perhaps it was the surprise, but I lost all of my professional nursing composure. My eyes flew open and (thinking "this man needs a hospital" I blurted out, did you show them in the screening line. I thought briefly that it might have just happened until I took a closer look. I then realized that at some point, this man must have had an accident during which he had a steel rod placed in his leg which for some reason was now poking out of his skin. He quickly covered his leg back up, I continued with the history taking and he was sent off to the next station. What affected me so much was the hopeless stoic look of his face. I can cry still when I think of it. I am not sure as yet if we will be able to help him. It will require more than one surgery to fix. I hope and pray that we can and it would be great if he came for surgery while I was here and I was able to see an expression other than sad and stoic on his face.

They just put up the official pictures of screening day and there was this brave stoic man. I pray that he will be able to get surgery.