Another brigade week...

This week is another brigade week, which for me means that I have more pictures to share with everyone. It is a gynecology brigade (not really my thing), but nevertheless we are learning lots of new things and there are a couple more white folks running around the clinic with us.

Last night we all gathered together for a big dinner as a send off for the Canadian family that is leaving to go back home after living here the last 4 months. We laughed so hard that I think I pulled a few stomach muscles!
Today my friend and fellow nurse, Cynthia, came back to visit me at the clinic.
Sheree has been getting funnier everyday...but nothing was funnier than when she told me today that I would be translating for this doctor...It was a totally frightening thought, but I actually think that it went okay.
This little doll is only one day old. I just thought this picture was precious with the little one resting between Sheree's healing hands.
Left to Right: Rachel (a nursing student that has been following me this week), Me, Megan (the gynecologist that is here training Sheree), and Sheree on the bottom...We went machete shopping after work today and we thought it would be funny to take a picture with our machetes pointed at Sheree...but notice that mine is in it's sheath...Sheree knows me well enough now that I was not allowed to hold an unsheathed weapon above her head. : )

Sorry about the mug shot...

Sorry about this first picture. It was one of those "turning the camera on yourself" moments. I realized this weekend that I haven't made it into a picture in over a month. Things are generally too wild at the clinic to stop and jump in front of the camera, and by the time I get home...well, I'm not exactly worth taking a picture of.

This is me the day after I finally rode Sheree's horse.

I thought these faces might soften your hearts a little after that last one. This little guy has had to be sent to the hospital twice for respiratory problems. Most of the little ones scream when they get a neb, but this little guy seems entertained by it...He spends the whole time sticking out his tongue, trying to lick the mask.
This little guy is one of the kids that we are trying to get accepted for surgery. He is 2 months old and weighs 6 lbs...He is so precious.

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As for what is going on with me...Today, I tried out my skills as a makeshift paramedic...I didn't care for it much. Our first patient of the morning was having chest pain, and the second I did his EKG I knew he has having a heart attack. We did all that we could for him at the clinic: morphine, nitro, aspirin, IV, etc. but our oxygen tank was empty. We put him into the back of one of the clinic cars and I continued to give nitro and morphine, while Giovanni drove 90 km/hr on bumpy roads to the nearest hospital 30 minutes away. (I have a new respect for paramedics.) It wasn't quite as easy as it would seem to draw up medication with a needle and put it into the IV line without poking anyone, when the IV is swinging from the overhead light fixture. But the patient did make it to the hospital, and the doctor there called the clinic later to tell us that he was doing fine, and that he was certain that we had saved his life.

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They're not all good stories like that one...About 20 minutes later Sheree called me on my way back to the clinic from the hospital telling me to get back quickly because she had a patient in respiratory distress. His oxygen sat was 64% (really bad) and we were out of oxygen at the clinic. We all held our breaths while we waited for the family to go and bring an oxygen tank to the clinic for him. We did get him some oxygen, but his situation is not good, and he is not long for this world. He recently accepted Jesus Christ as his savior so he is ready to go, but it was still a very sad time explaining the reality of the situation to the family. I sat in the ER with the family for hours, and then we prayed with them. It was a very draining experience, but I have learned over time, that while it is difficult to be a part of situations like these, it is also a privilege to be allowed to be used by God in these moments.

If she doesn't make you smile, nothing will...

This is Kelin and she is adorable. She always has the biggest smile on her face. She is just one of several of Sheree's heart kids. This week I have been working on the paperwork for five more little ones that need surgery in the U.S. One of the little kiddos is only 2 months old.

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This week has been particularly busy because we have been short 2 nurses this week, and I have been the only one at the clinic. One of our nurses will be returning from vacation next week, but the other one has been moved to help out at one of the community projects.

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Just so you know that I am still myself no matter where I go...

Today I did something very "jen" like.... I walked full on into a wall. Thank the Lord that I broke the initial impact with my forehead or I am very certain that I would have broken my nose. As it was, it brought tears to my eyes and I already have a bruise on my forehead. I told Sheree afterward that it was my new method of trying to knock some sense into myself.

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Answers to prayer and other such things...

As to answers to prayer...

This is Ana Sarahi.

I sent out a prayer request through my mother earlier this week for this little girl, and I am very grateful to all who are praying for her. Ana was born with bilateral clubbed feet. She traveled yesterday (Praise the Lord) from Honduras to the States for surgery. I believe this little girl is only 3 years old, and in order for her to get the surgery she needs, she had to leave her mom and dad and travel alone to a different country where they don't speak her language, all for an operation... I can't even imagine how scary that is for a little kid. She will be living with a host family in the states probably for a minimum of 2-3 months before she can return to her family here in Honduras.

On to other such things...

Today was crazy, as expected. Friday's are always nuts, and there are always more emergencies on Friday. We had 6 emergencies today (only 3 beds in the emergencia). I started the morning with an unconscious diabetic with a BG of 32, and rounded off the day with a hypertensive alzheimer's patient that tried to hit me twice. All in a day's work...

With Sheree in Chile this week, I spent a lot of time getting to know some of the other staff that I work with, and getting to know the town better (as I had to walk home twice). I had many opportunities to chat with them this week that were a blessing to me, and I hope to them as well. Every conversation is still painful for me, but worth it. I found myself frusturated and embarassed several times this week with communicating, but I think I am growing more accustomed to feeling like that, and it doesn't seem to hinder me quite as much as it did before. That was a huge answer to prayer for me...humility can be a tough.

Just a few of the little reasons...

I don't know all of their names, and I don't know all of their stories...but these little guys have stolen my heart...

Sheree with one of her adorable little patients. The kids absolutely love her.

Just another one of the angels waiting to be seen at the clinic.

This is Antony... a very sick and dehydrated little guy that I got to know pretty well over a couple of days. This picture was taken as he was finishing his IV fluids and starting to feel a little better. He has the biggest, most adorable curly hair.

This kid is one of Sheree's heart kids that we are working on getting accepted in the U.S. for open heart surgery.

This is Yorbin. Please pray for this little guy, he is 2 years old, and the cutest thing since sliced bread. He has a heart defect known as Tetralogy of Fallot, and he also needs surgery in the U.S. On any given day his oxygen levels are usually only around 75%. This little one has been rejected by one organization, and we are still awaiting a response from the other organizations.

Catching up on posts...

These last two weeks have been absolutely jam packed with opportunities and craziness, and I want to catch you up on some of the stuff that has been happening. These are some of the photos from last week when the brigade came to help out. There were many projects that they helped us with, and there were many pictures taken during their time here. I can't wait to show you guys everything when I get home...

The brigade consisted of 6 spanish students from a christian high school in California, with 3 adult chaperones. They were small in number but very useful. They handed out items like toothbrushes and toothpaste to the patients, and entertained the kids while they waited to be seen by the doctors. Some patients literally wait 6 or more hours to be seen at the clinic.

The group packed their bags full of every sort of medication/bandages/supplies that they could get their hands on, and brought them down as donations. And then they spent hours upon hours sorting through and organizing the mess in the pharmacy.

The big project that I helped them with was organizing and painting our emergency area. If you read my blog about a whole lot of chaos, this is from that thursday.

From left to right this is me, Sheree, Yadi, Larry, Jeanie, and Cindy standing in the finished ER.

But in the midst of it all, I finally made it to the only tourist spot in all of Olancho... The Caves of Talgua. They are thousands of years old and the burial site of an ancient people group. It was pretty awesome to see, and it was also a great way to escape from the afternoon heat here. : )

So much has been happening...

So much has been happening that I want to tell you guys about that I will have to post a couple of different things in the next couple of days. But I have to start with today...

Today Sheree was in the capital trying to get visas for these 4 kids who need to go to the states for open heart surgeries. Thank you to all of you who prayed...all of the kids were approved to travel for their surgeries in the next couple of weeks.

But since Sheree was out of town, that meant that once again I was at the clinic without any english speakers. And today, that was a challenge because there were some really complicated moments. There was a 17month old little boy named Josue completely listless, in hypovolemic shock. I mean totally out of it. His eyes were open, but he wasn't really seeing anything, and he wasn't moving at all except for that really scary fevered breathing. It was really scary. I put an IV in him and took his temperature...it was 105. I spent 2 hours sponging him in tepid water before he really came back around. We gave him a lot of fluid and then we sent him on to the hospital.

And then just shortly after Josue had come around a bit, this little 8 month old came in with a fever of 104, I gave her a suppository, but less than a minute later she was seizing. It took us 4 attempts to get an IV in the little girl before we could give her some medicine to stop the seizures. I sat and monitored both of these kids for an hour or more while we waited for taxis to send them to the hospital. It was totally scary, and such a crazy morning.

But it was kind of an uplifting experience for me because for one, I do actually think the kids are going to be okay, and because I was able to do what I came here to do. In the midst of the craziness with Josue, Dr. Gerardo and Dr. Salavarria came over to the bedside, and I told them that I was going to pray for the kid but in english. And I prayed for the kid in english while they prayed beside me in spanish. That was a powerful moment. And then later before I left for the day, Gerardo thanked me for being there because he said when he got there that morning and the kid was dying in his arms he turned around and saw me, and he said it was like from heaven. It was nice to hear.

More to come...