Elective Africa: I never want to leave Africa...;)

Hi guys!!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Tuesday…I just got out of the shower and am winding down for the night!

Today was a great day at the hospital. Jess and I are now working together on the same floor and today…and we rocked the nursing gig today. There wasn’t any nursing students or interns on the floor that we were one besides us, so it really gave us a good opportunity of working with an actual nurse and learning quite a bit. Normally since the patient census is so high and the nursing staff is so low…most of the interns and nursing students do everything so that is who we are usually working with…and since they are learning and we are learning…it all becomes a “none of us really know what to do exactly…so we will just wing it” kind of game. We passed medications, charted, did observations (which is like a nurses assessment)…and Jess and I did it all. We got there early and were able to get a good start with the nurse from the beginning…so it was just great. It was really quite interesting because there was a patient on the floor in a complete catatonic state. Her eyes were fixed and he muscles were so tight and for a lack of batter word “frozen” in place. She is being diagnosed with acute psychosis secondary to some other disease (meaning the psychosis is being brought on due to a really bad illness) such as AIDS, Meningitis, or TB (is what the doctor is thinking). In order to diagnosis it will cost the family 4000 shillings for a CT…and they can’t afford it. So the doctor was explaining to us he is essentially treating all 3 diseases until he is able to rule out one of them…but he is at a stand still now because he can’t get the further testing due to the lack of money—like Jess said…in the end it would probably be just as well to do the CT to diagnose…rather than treat all 3? Treating one disease has to be loads cheaper than treating three…severe diseases. But that is just another small example of how the health care system differs from America. People in America are getting CT scans almost weekly to “cover the doctors butt” basically…and a patient who is extremely sick and truly needs the scan is lying in a hospital at a stand still because of the high cost. It’s just heart breaking. Charting, passing medications, and patient assessments took up most of our day and kept us busy all morning. We took tea at 11…but other than that we were busy doing patient care. We were almost done with our assessments and had 2 left (at about a quarter till one) and the nurse told us to stop because it was family visiting hours. Family is a very important part of the healing process over here so that is very important to them.

After the hospital we came home and had lunch and just bummed around the house. On Sunday, we bought beautiful African material and our house mother has a friend who is making us dresses with it. She came over and took our measurements and then I ran into town to run errands and pick up some things before we leave for our Safari J. My friend, Isaac, an intern program advisor has got me hooked on these stupid newspaper crossword puzzles and Suduko—and I’m awful and have no patience…but I have become addicted. Jess and I start the crossword puzzles in the morning before going to the hospital and on the tuk tuk ride...who would of thought I’d be a crossword puzzle participant…not me!

(Currently as I’m typing this I just heard this conversation)

Jess- “Silvanis…there is a lizard on the wall…”

Silvanis- “Yeah?” (In a tone like…You’re in Africa?...they’re everywhere…what’s your point?)

Jess- “I was just letting you know…?”

Jess-“ AAAHHHHHHHH OH MY GOD!!!” (screaming like my African woman patients who are in labor)

Silvanis-“ HAHAHAHAHAHAH”

(quiets down and I here them caring on conversation..)

Jess- “Oh my god…did I step on his tail?”

Silvanis- “Yea!” (In his high pitched “I’m happy all the time and nothing ever gets me down voice” he has

Jess- “They grow back right?”

Oohhh how I’m going to miss this place!

Last night was Phares last night in Mombasa before we leave (he had to leave town for work) so Jess and I took him and Isaac out for dinner in appreciation of everything they do for us. It was a beautiful beachfront restraint and the PIZZA WAS FANTASTIC! It was so nice spending the evening with these two…I have really become quite close to them…and I don’t even want to think about not being able to talk to them every day!

I forgot to mention to you guys about what I did Sunday night. Our house mother Dollas invited us over for dinner to her home. We were the first students ever invited and it just melted my heart when she asked us. She cooked a wonderful meal for us and we got to meet her beautiful family. John (her husband), Liam (5 yo), and Leon (6 mo). I tell Dollas all the time…I’m going to graduate and get a good job somewhere and move her to live with me. She is going to be my house mother…and cook me African food all the time…she reminds me every day that I must do it! Gosh…I really hope that happens!