Curious about the conclusion of some of my adventures? I realized today that I've been telling stories and not always giving follow up, so here are come continuing stories mentioned in previous posts. Check 'em out at:
http://chariteservant.blogspot.com/2009/12/continuing-story.html
Stay tuned... Christmas post is coming soon! As we enter the season of celebrating Jesus' birth, I have been thinking about how He is Emmanuel, God with us, and what that looks like here, where life is so fragile.
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Choir Practice in the Hospital Hallway
Singing in the hospital?!? Yup, that was my day! Read more about it and the lessons the Lord taught me today at...
http://chariteservant.blogspot.com/2009/12/hospital-sing-long.html
May your days be merry and bright and full of singing!!!
http://chariteservant.blogspot.com/2009/12/hospital-sing-long.html
May your days be merry and bright and full of singing!!!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
A Day in the Life of Mis Diane
Curious about my daily life? I felt like today gives one a good idea of a typical medical person's day here in Haiti. They call me Mis Diane here, which means Nurse Diane, with the understanding that I function like a nurse practicioner. I have a really good imagination, but I don't think that even I could have imagined that my life would look quite like this... It's full of love and loss and hope and heartache.
8am-- Arrive at the hospital for an awesome time of staff devotions with our 83 year old pastor. Thankfully, I can understand every word he says because he talks so slowly. He's an incredible, godly man!
8:15-- Find out that one of my babies died. She was my precious little patient. She was 8 months old and so malnourished that she didn't have the strength to smile or even cry. She seems to have been neglected by her mother, who I only saw once during her 6 day hospital stay. Her AIDS test was negative, but I'm still suspicious... She was so malnourished that her skin was breaking down and allowing horrible staph infections on her arms and legs. We pumped her full of antibiotics and vitamins and milk every 2 hours, and she seemed to be doing so much better!! And she was, until early this morning when she spiked a fever and didn't pull through.
8:30-- Devotions end and clinic work starts. The clinic is like a combo ER/primary care office. If you're sick or pregnant, you sign in early in morning, and then get seen in order of arrival/level of urgency. If you're sick enough, you get admitted to the hospital from the clinic. If you need to be rechecked, a follow up date is provided. Usually pregnant women will show up for one prenatal visit before returning to give birth. What a different world here!
Noon-- Enjoy lunch with the other missionaries. Matthew's brother and his wife are visiting from my hometown, and it was fun to have a meal with all of them.
2:00-- Take Matthew's family on a tour of the hospital. Kelley is 6 months pregnant, so we tested out the ultrasound equipment on her and did an impromptu ultrasound! It was so sweet to see their son's little face!
3:00-- Go to the orphanage. Filled to the brim with 53 children ages 4-12, it is a place of stories of past heartbreak and present nourishment. Some of them look incredibly different, in a healthy, happy way, from the sad, starving little ones I saw in March when I was here for a week. I'm so thankful they can be there! And I'm so thankful that I can spend time with them! I had a group of 8 little girls who enjoyed braiding my hair and begged me to come see them again. I can't wait to go back!
4:15-- Getting ready to have the church's youth group come over. At prayer group on last weekend, they asked if they could come over to pray with us before we left to go to the States for Christmas. Justine and I were delighted to accept! How sweet! While I was getting ready for them to come, I got a call from Joy that one of our missionaries had been hit by a motorcycle! Dr. Emmett is a wonderful retired missionary doctor who comes to Haiti every year for a month or two to give some of the Haitian doctors a break. He's 77, and while walking back from the hospital this afternoon, he was struck by someone driving a motorcycle with brakes that don't work!! He doesn't remember the accident, but somehow he face-planted on the gravel road. The Haitian docs spent 3 hours sewing his face up, and we extracted a rock from one of the cuts on his chin. I ran errands for them and keep his wife updated on their progress.
8:00-- Go home for dinner. We finally finished up at the hospital and I managed to get home for dinner.
9:00-- Start neuro checks on Dr. Emmett. Without a CT scanner here, I have no way to know for sure that he doesn't have a bleed inside his brain. Even if we could do one here, he's still at risk for bleeding for the next 72 hours. So, tonight, every 4 hours, I'm going over to check and be sure that he's okay. Please keep him in your prayers!
Whew! Such is my life! I'm so thankful that God promises to order our steps, cuz my day sure is full of steps!!
8am-- Arrive at the hospital for an awesome time of staff devotions with our 83 year old pastor. Thankfully, I can understand every word he says because he talks so slowly. He's an incredible, godly man!
8:15-- Find out that one of my babies died. She was my precious little patient. She was 8 months old and so malnourished that she didn't have the strength to smile or even cry. She seems to have been neglected by her mother, who I only saw once during her 6 day hospital stay. Her AIDS test was negative, but I'm still suspicious... She was so malnourished that her skin was breaking down and allowing horrible staph infections on her arms and legs. We pumped her full of antibiotics and vitamins and milk every 2 hours, and she seemed to be doing so much better!! And she was, until early this morning when she spiked a fever and didn't pull through.
8:30-- Devotions end and clinic work starts. The clinic is like a combo ER/primary care office. If you're sick or pregnant, you sign in early in morning, and then get seen in order of arrival/level of urgency. If you're sick enough, you get admitted to the hospital from the clinic. If you need to be rechecked, a follow up date is provided. Usually pregnant women will show up for one prenatal visit before returning to give birth. What a different world here!
Noon-- Enjoy lunch with the other missionaries. Matthew's brother and his wife are visiting from my hometown, and it was fun to have a meal with all of them.
2:00-- Take Matthew's family on a tour of the hospital. Kelley is 6 months pregnant, so we tested out the ultrasound equipment on her and did an impromptu ultrasound! It was so sweet to see their son's little face!
3:00-- Go to the orphanage. Filled to the brim with 53 children ages 4-12, it is a place of stories of past heartbreak and present nourishment. Some of them look incredibly different, in a healthy, happy way, from the sad, starving little ones I saw in March when I was here for a week. I'm so thankful they can be there! And I'm so thankful that I can spend time with them! I had a group of 8 little girls who enjoyed braiding my hair and begged me to come see them again. I can't wait to go back!
4:15-- Getting ready to have the church's youth group come over. At prayer group on last weekend, they asked if they could come over to pray with us before we left to go to the States for Christmas. Justine and I were delighted to accept! How sweet! While I was getting ready for them to come, I got a call from Joy that one of our missionaries had been hit by a motorcycle! Dr. Emmett is a wonderful retired missionary doctor who comes to Haiti every year for a month or two to give some of the Haitian doctors a break. He's 77, and while walking back from the hospital this afternoon, he was struck by someone driving a motorcycle with brakes that don't work!! He doesn't remember the accident, but somehow he face-planted on the gravel road. The Haitian docs spent 3 hours sewing his face up, and we extracted a rock from one of the cuts on his chin. I ran errands for them and keep his wife updated on their progress.
8:00-- Go home for dinner. We finally finished up at the hospital and I managed to get home for dinner.
9:00-- Start neuro checks on Dr. Emmett. Without a CT scanner here, I have no way to know for sure that he doesn't have a bleed inside his brain. Even if we could do one here, he's still at risk for bleeding for the next 72 hours. So, tonight, every 4 hours, I'm going over to check and be sure that he's okay. Please keep him in your prayers!
Whew! Such is my life! I'm so thankful that God promises to order our steps, cuz my day sure is full of steps!!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Medical Website!!
I finally did it! I started my medical blog!
For a little more medical detail on today's patients, please read:
http://misdianediagnoses.blogspot.com/
I hope that you're healthy today and don't need to answer the question, "Sa ou genyen?"
For a little more medical detail on today's patients, please read:
http://misdianediagnoses.blogspot.com/
I hope that you're healthy today and don't need to answer the question, "Sa ou genyen?"
The First 48 Hours
It's nice to be back online! I spend the weekend travelling the country, seeing a few other missions posts, a little sightseeing, and taking care of fellow missionaries who had malaria and dengue fever. Whew! What a weekend!
I got off the boat Tuesday evening on my new home of LaGonave, and we had just arrived on the missions compound, when an urgent need presented itself. One of our sailors was unloading the boat and dropped an oil drum on his finger causing a near amputation. Right away, I hurried over to the hospital to sew it back on.
Yesterday was my day off. I was awoken at 8 am with a knock at the door and the plea for “Mis Diane” (nurse Diane, as I am called here, with the understanding that I am like one of their senior nurses who diagnoses and treats) to come help in the hospital. Many stitches and 3 hours later, I returned back home to spend my day off doing laundry and unpacking.
Today I technically started work.
Today I saw my first AIDS babies… scrawny little scarecrows with sunken eyes and bulging bellies and stick-figure limbs.
Today I saw my first stillborn baby… and the agony on his mother’s face when we told her that he didn’t have a heartbeat.
Today I heard that my first machete-hacked patient from yesterday that we spent 6 hours sewing up died in Port Au Prince.
Today I heard of a seizing mother that we desperately need to do a C-section on to remove the baby but we must wait to do so between seizures.
Today I felt the swollen neck, enlarged to be twice the size of a normal neck, of my first little girl patient with TB.
Before today, I lived in a medical world of plump babies, seizure-free mothers, and little girls who could never even imagine TB. As I write, I am fighting to see through my tears. Each patient has a story, a family, and a piece of my heart. I can only pray for them, serve them with the strength that God gives me, and ask Him to make me a “well-watered garden and a spring whose waters never fail” (Is. 58:11) to meet these unique needs.
And this is only the first 48 hours!
I got off the boat Tuesday evening on my new home of LaGonave, and we had just arrived on the missions compound, when an urgent need presented itself. One of our sailors was unloading the boat and dropped an oil drum on his finger causing a near amputation. Right away, I hurried over to the hospital to sew it back on.
Yesterday was my day off. I was awoken at 8 am with a knock at the door and the plea for “Mis Diane” (nurse Diane, as I am called here, with the understanding that I am like one of their senior nurses who diagnoses and treats) to come help in the hospital. Many stitches and 3 hours later, I returned back home to spend my day off doing laundry and unpacking.
Today I technically started work.
Today I saw my first AIDS babies… scrawny little scarecrows with sunken eyes and bulging bellies and stick-figure limbs.
Today I saw my first stillborn baby… and the agony on his mother’s face when we told her that he didn’t have a heartbeat.
Today I heard that my first machete-hacked patient from yesterday that we spent 6 hours sewing up died in Port Au Prince.
Today I heard of a seizing mother that we desperately need to do a C-section on to remove the baby but we must wait to do so between seizures.
Today I felt the swollen neck, enlarged to be twice the size of a normal neck, of my first little girl patient with TB.
Before today, I lived in a medical world of plump babies, seizure-free mothers, and little girls who could never even imagine TB. As I write, I am fighting to see through my tears. Each patient has a story, a family, and a piece of my heart. I can only pray for them, serve them with the strength that God gives me, and ask Him to make me a “well-watered garden and a spring whose waters never fail” (Is. 58:11) to meet these unique needs.
And this is only the first 48 hours!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Urgent Prayer Request
Hi, again!
I just received some news of a patient who urgently needs your prayers! For more details, read:
http://chariteservant.blogspot.com/2009/12/pray-for-miriam.html
Thank you!
I just received some news of a patient who urgently needs your prayers! For more details, read:
http://chariteservant.blogspot.com/2009/12/pray-for-miriam.html
Thank you!
There's No Place Like Home
LaGonave is a wonderful place... a place I'm excited to call home for the next year.
This past week was wonderful!!! On Thanksgiving morning, we left bright and early to head to LaGonave to celebrate with other Americans. We sat in the front of a huge truck (think along the lines of a Mack truck) and spent some time praying that we didn't hit any pedestrians, goats, or brightly painted taxi buses on the way to the boat dock. Matt was sitting in between our very skilled driver and I, and unfortunately was the only one without a seatbelt (I think maybe it increased his prayer life!!). Then we arrived at the Wesleyan wharf and were whisked across the sea in a speed boat by Butch Alexander, the director of WISH, or West Indies Self Help Organization. It was great! Usually, I don't associate Thanksgiving with speed boat rides and working on my tan! Here's some pics from the Wharf on the main land side:
It was absolutely wonderful!!! I really felt like I was home as soon as we arrived!! Dan and Joy Irvine are my amazing area directors (aka boss) and already call me one of their kids! Their 16 year old daughter Brooke feels like the little sister I never had but always wanted! Butch and his wife Trisha were also incredibly welcoming. It's neat to live in a place where you can unpack your bags and also your heart.
We had a great Thanksgiving feast with all of us and a great group from Long Lake, NY, who were here for 10 days on a missions trip. I feasted only on green bean casserole and coconut pie (i'm still sticking to safe foods until these allergies die down), but it sure was yummy! To the right is Mois, Dan and Joy's future grandson (their daughter Beth and her husband are in the process of adopting him) playing with my token Thanksgiving decoration, an adorable scarecrow that my boyfriend's wonderful and thoughtful grandma sent down with me. Mois loved it!!
On Lagonave, there were many opportunities to be out amongst the people, which was great for my Creole and my sightseeing!! In Port Au Prince, it is more difficult to get out right now as there have been several riots this month by upset students. Sadly, with Christmas coming, there is also an increase in kidnappings in the capitol. It's important for us to be extremely cautious at this time. Thankfully, it is much safer on LaGonave, and we even have the mayor in our English classes!
On one of our adventures, we hiked up to the top of one of the small mountains surrounding the town of Anse-ga-le, where I live. The view was incredible! You can see across the sea to the mountains back on the mainland! It was quite a workout, too, as most of our afternoons are 100-110 degrees!
I also got to visit at the hospital, and I can't wait to get started! I will start out working closely with the Haitian senior nurses, who are essentially nurse practitioners, as I learn more medical Creole and the ropes of their hospital. I will then rotate in their schedule of clinic, in-patient hospital, and on call work. I'm so excited! i was also encouraged as I was able to understand much of what the hospital staff said to me and could communicate with many of the patients!
One of my roles this year is to be the medical liaison for the hospital and American medical teams. I had my first duty in that role, and it was really fun! I got to write a thankful note for our supporters of the hospital. There are funds to provide milk to impoverished families with little babies, scholarships for the training of Haitian nurses, and an indigent fund for patients who cannot afford their medical care. It only costs $1-3 a day to stay in the hospital, and some cannot even afford that. Below is the story that I included in my thank you letter; I got to see the indigent benevolence fund in action for this patient, and I was so encouraged:
Also, I had my first real experience with culture shock! It occurred when we transferred a patient. He had gotten into an argument with his brother, who threw a rock at him and broke his leg, resulting in an open tibial fracture. We wanted to transfer him to Port to see an othropedic surgeon. Well, in the States, a transfer means several phone calls, a whole lot of forms to sign, and figuring out how to transport the patient there. Here, it means writing a letter, addressing it to "whom it may concern," and letting the patient hop on the back of a motorcycle taxi to ride down to the wharf and catch a ferry into town. So different!!!!
I also got to be part of God's amazing timing! I had my first real patient (other than myself). Joy developed a funny little rash the day before I arrived. It burned, had blisters on a red base, and the pain radiated all down her leg and into the sole of her foot. She has chickenpox as a child and has had a lot on her plate this fall. She showed it to me about 24 hours after it started, and I got to see a classic case of shingles. The medication for shingles needs to be started within 48 hours of the onset of the rash, and thankfully, when we poked around the hospital pharmacy, we found exactly the right medicine. They only have that medicine because it can sometimes be helpful in HIV/AIDS patients, which we see frequently here. As I sat down to count out 200 pills for her (sadly, she needs to take 4 pills 5 times a day for 10 days; but it's exactly the right med), I saw a little pill counter on the table. I have very little experience in a pharmacy, but I moonlighted for an internist for 2 years. He runs a weight loss clinic and supplies his patients with medicines. Having worked for him, I know exactly how to use the pill counter!! How wonderful that God knew long ago that I would need that knowledge here in Haiti over Thanksgiving to treat a missionary!!! I'm so sorry that she has shingles, but I'm so glad that the Lord brought me at the right time and sent us the right medicine!!!
Yesterday, as we sailed away from LaGonave to return for a few more days of intensive language study, I felt a pang of homesickness. I miss LaGonave already! I had to snap a picture as we sailed away!
It's such an incredible feeling to know that you are exactly where God wants you doing exactly what He's gotten you ready to do in the strength that He provides! So cool!!! I can't wait to go back.
And we passed a boat full of people who had just gone out to the sandbar for a baptism:
I'm so excited to get back to that wonderful island! I'll be here in Port until Friday, and then a small group of us are going on a quick trip to the northern part of Haiti. We're going to see some of the missionaries and there work up there and then will spend a day sightseeing in Cape Haitian (i know, i know, another vacation! i promise i work some of the time! :). On Monday, we'll be back in Port to grocery shop (it's safer to buy meat from Port and it's the only place to get cheese and yogurt and white chocolate chips). Then by Tuesday, I can go home again!
There's no place like home.
This past week was wonderful!!! On Thanksgiving morning, we left bright and early to head to LaGonave to celebrate with other Americans. We sat in the front of a huge truck (think along the lines of a Mack truck) and spent some time praying that we didn't hit any pedestrians, goats, or brightly painted taxi buses on the way to the boat dock. Matt was sitting in between our very skilled driver and I, and unfortunately was the only one without a seatbelt (I think maybe it increased his prayer life!!). Then we arrived at the Wesleyan wharf and were whisked across the sea in a speed boat by Butch Alexander, the director of WISH, or West Indies Self Help Organization. It was great! Usually, I don't associate Thanksgiving with speed boat rides and working on my tan! Here's some pics from the Wharf on the main land side:
It was absolutely wonderful!!! I really felt like I was home as soon as we arrived!! Dan and Joy Irvine are my amazing area directors (aka boss) and already call me one of their kids! Their 16 year old daughter Brooke feels like the little sister I never had but always wanted! Butch and his wife Trisha were also incredibly welcoming. It's neat to live in a place where you can unpack your bags and also your heart.
We had a great Thanksgiving feast with all of us and a great group from Long Lake, NY, who were here for 10 days on a missions trip. I feasted only on green bean casserole and coconut pie (i'm still sticking to safe foods until these allergies die down), but it sure was yummy! To the right is Mois, Dan and Joy's future grandson (their daughter Beth and her husband are in the process of adopting him) playing with my token Thanksgiving decoration, an adorable scarecrow that my boyfriend's wonderful and thoughtful grandma sent down with me. Mois loved it!!
On Lagonave, there were many opportunities to be out amongst the people, which was great for my Creole and my sightseeing!! In Port Au Prince, it is more difficult to get out right now as there have been several riots this month by upset students. Sadly, with Christmas coming, there is also an increase in kidnappings in the capitol. It's important for us to be extremely cautious at this time. Thankfully, it is much safer on LaGonave, and we even have the mayor in our English classes!
On one of our adventures, we hiked up to the top of one of the small mountains surrounding the town of Anse-ga-le, where I live. The view was incredible! You can see across the sea to the mountains back on the mainland! It was quite a workout, too, as most of our afternoons are 100-110 degrees!
I also got to visit at the hospital, and I can't wait to get started! I will start out working closely with the Haitian senior nurses, who are essentially nurse practitioners, as I learn more medical Creole and the ropes of their hospital. I will then rotate in their schedule of clinic, in-patient hospital, and on call work. I'm so excited! i was also encouraged as I was able to understand much of what the hospital staff said to me and could communicate with many of the patients!
One of my roles this year is to be the medical liaison for the hospital and American medical teams. I had my first duty in that role, and it was really fun! I got to write a thankful note for our supporters of the hospital. There are funds to provide milk to impoverished families with little babies, scholarships for the training of Haitian nurses, and an indigent fund for patients who cannot afford their medical care. It only costs $1-3 a day to stay in the hospital, and some cannot even afford that. Below is the story that I included in my thank you letter; I got to see the indigent benevolence fund in action for this patient, and I was so encouraged:
One recipient of your contributions is Jazmin, a fifty year old woman who was recently admitted to the hospital with a case of severe high blood pressure. She suffered from a terrible headache, which can be a symptom that precedes or indicates a stroke. High blood pressure, and its complications such as stroke and eclampsia, are common in Haiti and often can go undetected due to lack of primary care. After several days on a new medication, her blood pressure reduced from 210/110 at arrival to 140/90 at discharge, and her headache completely resolved. During her hospital stay, she was visited by no one, which meant that no family member arrived with food to sustain her. She has no money of her own with which to purchase a daily supply of the medicine that helped so much and could prevent a stroke. Her hospital stay and a supply of medication were provided for her by your generous donations, as her stay was paid for by the Indigent Benevolence Fund. Thank you for caring for this woman who had no one else to do so.
(and when I found out at the time of discharge that she hadn't eaten in 3 days, I was so thankful that I had 2 little cookies in my purse and was able to share something with her!) Also, I had my first real experience with culture shock! It occurred when we transferred a patient. He had gotten into an argument with his brother, who threw a rock at him and broke his leg, resulting in an open tibial fracture. We wanted to transfer him to Port to see an othropedic surgeon. Well, in the States, a transfer means several phone calls, a whole lot of forms to sign, and figuring out how to transport the patient there. Here, it means writing a letter, addressing it to "whom it may concern," and letting the patient hop on the back of a motorcycle taxi to ride down to the wharf and catch a ferry into town. So different!!!!
I also got to be part of God's amazing timing! I had my first real patient (other than myself). Joy developed a funny little rash the day before I arrived. It burned, had blisters on a red base, and the pain radiated all down her leg and into the sole of her foot. She has chickenpox as a child and has had a lot on her plate this fall. She showed it to me about 24 hours after it started, and I got to see a classic case of shingles. The medication for shingles needs to be started within 48 hours of the onset of the rash, and thankfully, when we poked around the hospital pharmacy, we found exactly the right medicine. They only have that medicine because it can sometimes be helpful in HIV/AIDS patients, which we see frequently here. As I sat down to count out 200 pills for her (sadly, she needs to take 4 pills 5 times a day for 10 days; but it's exactly the right med), I saw a little pill counter on the table. I have very little experience in a pharmacy, but I moonlighted for an internist for 2 years. He runs a weight loss clinic and supplies his patients with medicines. Having worked for him, I know exactly how to use the pill counter!! How wonderful that God knew long ago that I would need that knowledge here in Haiti over Thanksgiving to treat a missionary!!! I'm so sorry that she has shingles, but I'm so glad that the Lord brought me at the right time and sent us the right medicine!!!
Yesterday, as we sailed away from LaGonave to return for a few more days of intensive language study, I felt a pang of homesickness. I miss LaGonave already! I had to snap a picture as we sailed away!
It's such an incredible feeling to know that you are exactly where God wants you doing exactly what He's gotten you ready to do in the strength that He provides! So cool!!! I can't wait to go back.
And we passed a boat full of people who had just gone out to the sandbar for a baptism:
There's no place like home.
You've Got Mail (hopefully :o)
I have an address! Our mail is flown in once or twice a month from Florida, and I can receive letters or media mail. Anything larger than a manila envelope will go through customs and probably not reach me. I would love to hear from you!!
Diane Busch
Unit 2089-WES
3170 Airman’s Dr.
Fort Pierce, FL 34946
I also just finished my November newsletter. It's more like a condensed version of the blog, but you're most welcome to read it if you'd like! Sadly, I don't know how to upload it onto here, but you can email me and I'd be happy to email it to you!!
I also just finished my November newsletter. It's more like a condensed version of the blog, but you're most welcome to read it if you'd like! Sadly, I don't know how to upload it onto here, but you can email me and I'd be happy to email it to you!!
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