Silvestri’s Blog

Slowing the pace

Hello again!

Friday AM the team we came with left to go back to the US.  Darryl and I miss them a lot but are so thankful we had the chance to work with such great people.  I love seeing people do what they are passionate about and everyone was so it was awesome.  You bond with people pretty fast in this environment so I miss them all and hope I see them again!

Darryl and I moved into a new house today so we could compact things and we now live with this other couple who is here with their little boy.  Its fun having a 2 year old around… hes adorable.  Friday and today were just adjusting to how things will work with just four of us here (two docs who are full time here).  Friday clinic was my favourite clinic day so far.  I really love clinic here although it is non-stop I just like that I have independence and the ability to make people happy that they are going to get taken care of.  Friday was another market day on a clinic day so usually they are super busy but we got through it all at a decent time and even with the procedures we weren’t done too late.  Darryl and I had time at night to hang out with the resident and his wife and just chat about our experience here and what they have found easier or harder to adjust to.  Its nice to have people to kind of talk it out with and just share things.  Its also nice to have the time to do that now.

Today was my first half day off since we arrived and it feels SO good!  We rounded on all the patients in the AM and did procedures.  I tapped a knee on one guy and drained an abscess on my patient who I admitted… its kinda neat to take care of someone from clinic to procedure room all by myself.  She actually was the first patient I have seen get better overnight. She presented at clinic yesterday with an abscess on her leg that is already partially amputated but the whole limb was swollen and sore so I was really worried she would need the whole thing off.  We put her on IV antibiotics and kept her overnight and today when I brought her down for the I+D her leg was way less tender and less swollen and I was so happy I almost cried.  If she had actually had to lose the rest of her leg that would have changed her life drastically.  Anyways, I just poked the abscess and although I like lots of puss I was happy I only got a litttle :).                                                                                                                      So today I was home by noon and it was amazing to have the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted.  Darryl and I honestly acted like little kids and played with a ball part of the day… Im not sure why it was so fun but it was!  Its nice to do something lighthearted… seeing lots of death gets you down.  We also took time to explore and walked back near the hills and through part of the village.  For part of the walk because it was just the two of us we created less of stir than when we go with a bigger group so it was nice to just see life happening around us and not be pointed out.  Life here is so communal and you really feel that walking through the village.. everyone is at the water pump doing their laundry or just sitting outside talking.  We also saw a funnel cloud.  First I saw this lady running and pointed her out because it just looked funny and then Darryl noticed she was running from this funnel cloud of dust and leaves.   It felt like wizard of oz watching it blow by us haha.  Anyways, I was exhausted yesterday so today was so refreshing to not think about medicine for half the day.  I think Darryl is going to go to the TB village every AM this week and then spend time with the pastors.  Here the chaplains or pastors are really the “bad news” breakers.  They are the ones who host a family meeting when one member is diagnosed with HIV or TB.  They also get consulted when we are sending home patients who are going to die.   Tough job.

Well tomorrow I am on call so I am going to go enjoy the rest of my evening with Darryl.  He is trying to upload a couple pictures so I can post them here so if it works you will see them soon!  One is of this guy from clinic who has keloids… to the extreme.  I know it all started with a bump on his ear and I am not sure what surgeon would keep cutting but someone must have thought they could help but trying to remove them… anyways.. I tried to explain to him Friday what exactly keloids are and to never let anyone cut on his face again.  The language barrier made it hard but eventually he said he thought there was just infection in all of the scars and that he needed me to get the “bugs” out.  I wish it was that easy.  They do a lot of tribal cutting which is normally really cool looking but I am sure that contributed to some of his keloids.  The other picture is of a little girl at the TB village who got some new clothes and a couple balls.  SO many cute kid pictures.. its hard to choose.

Ok. all for now!