Some days are just like this. Was at hospital at 9 AM with a very young girl in labor. States age as 18 - I put her more like 15. Story is not straight forward. After awhile I learn she has been laboring for 3 days. We do an ultrasound. All looks well. Hear rate is about 150. The mom is complaining of back pain. I tell Ajak that the baby is probably turned wrong. Head is down, but not correct presentation. We watch her, she progresses. Pains fairly constant. Delivery is imminent. Then in comes the Commissioner of Bor. I have not seen him yet this year. Was good to see him, but I was a little busy. He said to me "we have a problem". Rut Roe, goes through my mind. There was an inserection north of here, quite a ways north between two Dinka tribes. They are being flown to Bor by the UN. The problem is Bor hospital is not all that big and there are many wounded. And they are from these two fighting Dinka clans. They don't want them in the hospital together. So they will bring one clan here, if it is OK, and the other clan to Bor Hospital. Of course I say yes, there is no other choice, no other hospital. But I do tell the commissioner that I have a plane to catch on Monday morning. Someone will have to drive me to Juba sometime on Sunday. He said he would talk to the Minister of Health. He said he would be coming this afternoon. I walk back into the hospital to check the laboring pt. Almost time, and then another vehicle pulls up. It is people from the Indian Army via UN forces. They picked up this patient who was being carried to our hospital some distance away. He had a broken leg. I got him onto a cot started an IV, gave morphine for pain and undid their splint. Looks stable, probably just the fibula. I told them they would have to wait awhile, we had a baby to help deliver. So I left and Ajak and I went into the birthing room. This child was not going to be born without help. Ajak did an episiotomy and then he pulled to get the head out. It presented the back of the head. I don't know how long it was in the birth canal but she had one heck of a cone head. All seems to be well. Sewed up Mom and then went back to broken leg guy. I found a splint that could go on - covered the foot and lower leg using velcro. It was a hard splint. Then I taught him how to use crutches. They preferred to go back to the traditional healer.
In the meantime, Mary wanted me. So I ran over to the cook house. She wanted me to cook lunch. Yikes. I guess our intervention this morning did not do anything. Started a chicken soup. Pulled out some noodles to put in it just before serving and went back to the hospital.
About 3:00 the Minister of Health came. He said it was possible there will be up to 40 patients, 18 casualties. Lori, Jina, Thais and EEEEffa where are you????? We only have 12 beds. We got the cot mattresses that the people use when they are visiting here and put them on the porch. We still only have 20. Some will have to double up. Besides, Sudanese have a habit of exaggerating. Thanks Aaron for making the porch last year. Naomi and Roda were great. They made all the beds, got more supplies, cleaned off all the IV poles. I came up with a system for triage and assigning and ESI number. See I really do pay attention in all those classes.
We came for lunch around 3 pm. Mary had put an entire bag (large, Sam's club size) of macaroni noodles in the soup. Lunch was a bust. All Ajak and I could do was laugh. I worked on it to doctor it up, but it was a disaster.
Around 5pm and truck comes racing up the road. I said "I think they are here". But no, it was the army, a militia here to guard us. The "Big Guy" comes up to me and says "Insurection, we are here to protect you". Yeah, OK. So, I take it that means he patients will be coming in the near future. I have been busy making sure that all is ready. I requested that IV cannulas be brought from Bor Hospital. We have about 10 24guage and maybe 6 22guage IV catheters. They will send them with the patients.
Obviously I am not going to Bor for the night with a barbeque turkey at Liberty Hotel - we had put in a request. Nor will we make it to Juba by noon to meet some people who are there from Samaritan's Purse. Dr. Deng is also there. Ajak and I will remove bullets, cleanse and suture wounds, make sure everyone is stable. Then maybe we can go. Jon Jok is here also. No matter what, I have to leave by Sunday afternoon, I will do that. My flight is 10 am on Monday. I have to be at the airport by 8 am. Funny how things turn out. We will see. Hope to write later and give an update.
In the meantime, Mary wanted me. So I ran over to the cook house. She wanted me to cook lunch. Yikes. I guess our intervention this morning did not do anything. Started a chicken soup. Pulled out some noodles to put in it just before serving and went back to the hospital.
About 3:00 the Minister of Health came. He said it was possible there will be up to 40 patients, 18 casualties. Lori, Jina, Thais and EEEEffa where are you????? We only have 12 beds. We got the cot mattresses that the people use when they are visiting here and put them on the porch. We still only have 20. Some will have to double up. Besides, Sudanese have a habit of exaggerating. Thanks Aaron for making the porch last year. Naomi and Roda were great. They made all the beds, got more supplies, cleaned off all the IV poles. I came up with a system for triage and assigning and ESI number. See I really do pay attention in all those classes.
We came for lunch around 3 pm. Mary had put an entire bag (large, Sam's club size) of macaroni noodles in the soup. Lunch was a bust. All Ajak and I could do was laugh. I worked on it to doctor it up, but it was a disaster.
Around 5pm and truck comes racing up the road. I said "I think they are here". But no, it was the army, a militia here to guard us. The "Big Guy" comes up to me and says "Insurection, we are here to protect you". Yeah, OK. So, I take it that means he patients will be coming in the near future. I have been busy making sure that all is ready. I requested that IV cannulas be brought from Bor Hospital. We have about 10 24guage and maybe 6 22guage IV catheters. They will send them with the patients.
Obviously I am not going to Bor for the night with a barbeque turkey at Liberty Hotel - we had put in a request. Nor will we make it to Juba by noon to meet some people who are there from Samaritan's Purse. Dr. Deng is also there. Ajak and I will remove bullets, cleanse and suture wounds, make sure everyone is stable. Then maybe we can go. Jon Jok is here also. No matter what, I have to leave by Sunday afternoon, I will do that. My flight is 10 am on Monday. I have to be at the airport by 8 am. Funny how things turn out. We will see. Hope to write later and give an update.
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