Our apologies to anyone who believes we have fallen off the blogging planet. How is it September already?
After a short but good trip back home for a family wedding, we have been back at it again here in Tansen for a little over a month. There was no time for jet lag, either going or coming back here. Things continue to be extremely busy, and we find ourselves being involved in many different things and being pulled in many different directions. The challenge remains finding a balance between the many very real needs here, and knowing what we're called to take on.
Monsoon
The rains continue here in Nepal, and we're all getting pretty tired of it. There are definite perks to the rain - like a more abundant water supply and greener fields - but for most people the constantly damp, mouldy clothes, the constant need for an umbrella, the mud and puddles everywhere, the grey skies, and the unsafe travel, are enough to make them look forward to the end of monsoon. A few weeks ago the skies cleared and for 3 days we even saw the mountains! But then the clouds and rain came again, and we're still in the thick of it.
Paul
Paul has a few major projects on the go, and is also regularly being called upon for input into one or another building or maintenance issue. A few of the main things he is working on are...
A 3-storey residence and classroom building. Fortunately there are outside contractors who have been hired to do the work, and so Paul is mainly there to ensure things are getting done properly and that things are moving along smoothly. There have been many bumps and hiccups along the way, and we're still looking at approximately another year's worth of construction and work before it will be finished inside and out.
A new nursing station for the medical ward. Paul designed this building, and is overseeing its construction. The first (and perhaps biggest) challenge has been to break up the rock that is where the nursing station will be. There are no jack-hammers or dynamite, so this is being chipped away at painstakingly by guys with hammers and chisels. Amazingly, they're almost done...after more than a month's worth of work! Notice the tarp over the area to allow for work to continue in the rain.
The project that has consumed most of Paul's time in the last few weeks has been a cart to house our new laparoscopic equipment for the Operating Room. (We recently received a high definition camera, LCD screen, and light source to replace the very outdated ones we have been using) We are looking forward to actually being able to see what we are doing when we are doing laparoscopic surgery, or cystoscopy, or arthroscopy! Of course, the equipment that arrived needed to be assembled along with the old pieces that we will still need to use. It is still a bit of a hodge-podge, but it will be a huge improvement on what we've been doing. Paul had to design and build this cart from scratch, with the help of some guys in the workshop. It should be up and running by tomorrow. We're both excited...Jessica to finally be able to use it, and Paul to finally be done making it (everything takes longer than anticipated here)!
Jessica
With only 2 general surgeons here currently, life is very busy, and Jessica often has to work late or go in when she isn't on call. We are excited to report that 2 new Nepali general surgeons will be arriving later this month, and they plan to be here for a few years, at least. They have just completed their surgical training, and haven't yet been registered as specialists with the Nepal Medical Council. As such, there will still be a few months where they cannot work as independent surgeons, but we look forward to their coming, and hope that it will help make the workload a little less.
Jessica has spent a lot of time on various administrative activities lately: organizing the surgical teaching for interns and residents, designing and implementing new paperwork and updating the protocol for the burn ward, putting together a teaching schedule for our daily morning reports, and most recently, working on creating an evaluation form for us to use for our trainees.
The burn ward has remained quite busy, but thankfully no patients have died recently of burns. We have had a few success stories. Two young ladies who were both burned on approximately 30% of their body surface area, who both required skin grafting, both did well and have been discharged. We still need to work on their mobility and preventing the stiffness that is so difficult to deal with in burns patients, but we are making some progress. There was a gentleman in his 40s who had both his hands badly burned, requiring grafting. He did really well and has gone back home with relatively normal hand function. We've had children who have also done well, including this little one who burned his hand and needed grafting. There is a sad story of a 27-year-old man, an electrician, who was electrocuted while working with wires and had to have his right arm amputated as a result. Electric burns are awful!
We have a urologist visiting us at the moment, who is helping us to update some of our urology protocols, as well as teaching us a few new skills that we will hopefully be able to use after he goes. He was also helpful in the operation on a 70-year-old lady who was having quite a lot of pain when passing urine. No wonder. Here is her X-ray showing a 7 cm stone in her bladder...and the stone, which we removed yesterday!
Please continue to pray for us, for strength for the many demands, for wisdom to know what to take on and how to prioritize, and for ongoing grace for living in a culture that is not our own. There are days where it is very challenging and frustrating, and other days where we love it. But we know that this is where we are to be at the moment, and so we carry on.
After a short but good trip back home for a family wedding, we have been back at it again here in Tansen for a little over a month. There was no time for jet lag, either going or coming back here. Things continue to be extremely busy, and we find ourselves being involved in many different things and being pulled in many different directions. The challenge remains finding a balance between the many very real needs here, and knowing what we're called to take on.
Monsoon
The rains continue here in Nepal, and we're all getting pretty tired of it. There are definite perks to the rain - like a more abundant water supply and greener fields - but for most people the constantly damp, mouldy clothes, the constant need for an umbrella, the mud and puddles everywhere, the grey skies, and the unsafe travel, are enough to make them look forward to the end of monsoon. A few weeks ago the skies cleared and for 3 days we even saw the mountains! But then the clouds and rain came again, and we're still in the thick of it.
 |
| A few weeks ago...a brief hiatus |
 |
| The same view. Are there really mountains out there? |
Paul
Paul has a few major projects on the go, and is also regularly being called upon for input into one or another building or maintenance issue. A few of the main things he is working on are...
A 3-storey residence and classroom building. Fortunately there are outside contractors who have been hired to do the work, and so Paul is mainly there to ensure things are getting done properly and that things are moving along smoothly. There have been many bumps and hiccups along the way, and we're still looking at approximately another year's worth of construction and work before it will be finished inside and out.
A new nursing station for the medical ward. Paul designed this building, and is overseeing its construction. The first (and perhaps biggest) challenge has been to break up the rock that is where the nursing station will be. There are no jack-hammers or dynamite, so this is being chipped away at painstakingly by guys with hammers and chisels. Amazingly, they're almost done...after more than a month's worth of work! Notice the tarp over the area to allow for work to continue in the rain.
The project that has consumed most of Paul's time in the last few weeks has been a cart to house our new laparoscopic equipment for the Operating Room. (We recently received a high definition camera, LCD screen, and light source to replace the very outdated ones we have been using) We are looking forward to actually being able to see what we are doing when we are doing laparoscopic surgery, or cystoscopy, or arthroscopy! Of course, the equipment that arrived needed to be assembled along with the old pieces that we will still need to use. It is still a bit of a hodge-podge, but it will be a huge improvement on what we've been doing. Paul had to design and build this cart from scratch, with the help of some guys in the workshop. It should be up and running by tomorrow. We're both excited...Jessica to finally be able to use it, and Paul to finally be done making it (everything takes longer than anticipated here)!
 |
| Before (minus the machines) |
 |
| After |
Jessica
With only 2 general surgeons here currently, life is very busy, and Jessica often has to work late or go in when she isn't on call. We are excited to report that 2 new Nepali general surgeons will be arriving later this month, and they plan to be here for a few years, at least. They have just completed their surgical training, and haven't yet been registered as specialists with the Nepal Medical Council. As such, there will still be a few months where they cannot work as independent surgeons, but we look forward to their coming, and hope that it will help make the workload a little less.
Jessica has spent a lot of time on various administrative activities lately: organizing the surgical teaching for interns and residents, designing and implementing new paperwork and updating the protocol for the burn ward, putting together a teaching schedule for our daily morning reports, and most recently, working on creating an evaluation form for us to use for our trainees.
The burn ward has remained quite busy, but thankfully no patients have died recently of burns. We have had a few success stories. Two young ladies who were both burned on approximately 30% of their body surface area, who both required skin grafting, both did well and have been discharged. We still need to work on their mobility and preventing the stiffness that is so difficult to deal with in burns patients, but we are making some progress. There was a gentleman in his 40s who had both his hands badly burned, requiring grafting. He did really well and has gone back home with relatively normal hand function. We've had children who have also done well, including this little one who burned his hand and needed grafting. There is a sad story of a 27-year-old man, an electrician, who was electrocuted while working with wires and had to have his right arm amputated as a result. Electric burns are awful!
No comments:
Post a Comment