Ships log # 22

Another week has whisked by after an adventuress weekend that saw us motoring up the Kouilou River in a dug out canoe past the Jane Goodall chimpanzee island sanctuary during feeding time.  What a treat !!

 We travelled north west of the city, past the gorge area of the week before, and were able to hire a boatman to take us up river - we were assured that there were no crocodiles or piranhas in this part of  the Republic of Congo but never-the-less there were some big fish in the river.  We felt somewhat vulnerable, however, as we sat perched above the canoe on plastic seats with the canoe lurching sideways anytime somebody turned to admire the view.  I think I would have preferred to either squat in the bottom of the canoe or sit on small baskets like the locals do.

 

 

The scenery was spectacular with many tall trees lining the river bank, a wild orange tree vine and many more exotic plants in abundance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The village market area where we hired the canoe from was a hive of activity with children selling sugar cane - chewed straight from the stick - various local green vegetables, fruit (oranges, bananas and papaya) which we bought on the outward journey, and fresh bread - the smell was something to behold :)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Everybody was very friendly and they even had a local public convenience for us ladies but ........... more on that at another time !!!

Surgery has continued at a fast rate of knots attempting to get as many cases done before each surgeon departs with the worst of the cases being done first.  There have been medical and surgical emergencies as if we were at home.  I am working relatively long hours but loving every minute of it and enjoyed a extended Plastics team dinner out last night which included surgeons, ward and dressing nurses, as well as the rehab physios and occupational therapists - one of which is Erin from the US who is my cabin mate. We had a very interesting complex case yesterday and she very kindly found me pictures of tendons in her anatomy manual so that I could understand how the transposition of tendons (to be done during the operation) would affect the flexion and extension of the patients hand.

The hospital took the opportunity to open its doors to the wider ships community this week and I even took the time to explore where no theatre nurse has gone before - radiology I discovered has a brand spanking new CT scanner, the lab has some of the latest blood workup equipment and the product used for making individual casts for the postop contracture patients is ingenious !!  I also took the opportunity to visit some of "my" patients - something which I have virtually never taken the opportunity to do in the past. I have continued to visit a couple more times since and found both children and adult patients very receptive as well as the caregivers who are very limited while their child recuperates. Here where there is no travelling time home at night  it is easy to just pop in after work or on a Saturday afternoon - to play games or just chat (via an interpreter).  The games, however, usually require no conversation and in fact can be very educational for all concerned.   I got taught the higher numbers in French by an 11 year old as we played slides (snakes) and ladders - she very patiently continuing to correct my pronunciation - and she in turn learnt to count past 30 as we progressed around the board.  The teenager in the next bed then beat me well and truly with Jenga and with much hilarity by all who watched.

 

Tomorrow (Sunday) aims to be a quiet day but hope to get out for a long walk and maybe a swim.

I am up early to get the nest of the broadband again to load photos but with mixed success - and I have so many to choose from  so can't do it all justice - thank goodness for flash drives and fellow photographers.  Off to breakfast now - au revoir and bonjour :)

 

Ships log # 21

Just couldn't wait to write this blog - we have hit the ground running - in fact sprinting - and I have seen  extensive operations which will change patients lives in a very significant way.  We have started to repair some of the most serious conditions such as neck, jaw and facial tumours on some patients who have had severely affected breathing and eating.  We have also removed much burns scar tissue from young and old that will enable improved functioning of limbs, feet and hands again.  All these patients  will endure pain and much discomfort along the road to recovery and rehabilitation - relearning how to utilise body parts that had become a burden to them.  I am in awe of how they will endure this recovery phase as I know it will be long and often grueling - fortunately for most they don't know what lies ahead of them.  There will be many hands and hearts that will take them along this route - like  the physiotherapist who may see them for an hour every day for the next 6mth and do strengthening exercises with them - or the nutritionist who will manage their diet as they learn to reuse their mouth that has had a cleft palate and lip repair or partial jaw removal due to tumour.  I am working alongside surgeons who have specilaised in this work and am loving being a part of ensuring the surgery runs smoothly and efficiently timed for the patients well being.

The hospital is now humming with activity and the patients have on average a moderately high acuity level - that is to say they all require specialist nursing care, have very individual needs and some are required to be nursed on a one to one basis.  Somehow it doesn't surprise me that in the middle of central Africa we are on a hospital ship with some of the most experienced health professionals the world has on offer.  Everybody is so committed to the cause that when one theatre runs late, and another one finishes early everybody offers to help.   Highly regarded surgeons and  anaesthetists  have been persuaded by the philosophy of Mercy Ships to spend their annual leave or retirement giving freely of their skills to the needy.  Every nurse or other health professional comes with giving in her heart - and that includes me.

There is so much to give to here that it sometimes feels wrong to have some time off for yourself.  But we all need time off and planning time away from any work environment is important.  Fortunately there is always someone to share the load here and news travels fast when someone is in need of a rest

Even though it has been a busy and enjoyable time here in the Congo I have found it tough as I have not slept as well this time - but with the generosity of my bunkmate I have the super dooper version of earplugs and am once again sleeping like a baby and not waking up grumpy in the morning - I warned people when I was which I have found is a useful thing to do.  No they don't steer clear of me but they come and find out of there is anything they can do for me.  I am truly blessed with the colleagues I have here.

Oh my goodness  !!!  It is so late already - I must away to bed - don't want to be grumpy in the morning - but then again sometimes it is useful :)  Bonsoir mon ami xo

Ships log # 20

This week has sped by with the focus on the patient screening day on Wednesday - the stats for the day are as follows :

7,354 people in total (patients, caregivers and family) showed up

4,236 patients came through the gate for assessment

Peak crew on site: 311

Line was open for 12 hours and 20 minutes.

The line snaked around three roads which had to be cordoned off from traffic.

The day was extremely well organised with dozens of designated escorts ferrying patients and their families from one station to the next - from medical, surgical and physical assessment to photographing to scheduling to final check - palliative care and prayer stations were also provided. I personally think that the escorts got the hardest job on the day as they had to be mindful of those patients who we were not able to help as well as though who were preassessed as not even appropriate for assessment. All assessed patients (4236) came thru the final check station that I was on whether they were scheduled for surgery or not. The majority of people were either accepting of their lack of opportunity for surgery or relieved that they were part of the group of chosen ones. Some patients were confused by the whole event, some were very upset that they hadn't been scheduled for surgery but others with the same condition had, and the parents were just very thankful that their children were going to be given the chance of a better life.

Many patients were found with conditions that could be readily treated like this multiple nodal goiter .....




.... but there were others like this child with bilateral club feet that may need such extensive treatment that it is not possible on the ship as on going rehabilitation treatment may be required after Mercy Ships departs.

 

We had visits from several Congolese media groups and the president  Denis Nguesso and entourage arrived in style to examine proceedings.   There was also a reporter from the US -  Dana Perinos - who  fronts a talk show on Fox news who with her husband are supporters of Mercy Ships.  They  took many photos and interviewed crew members and did a live article from the ship on Thursday night.  The link is as follows:

http://www.google.com/url?q=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.foxnews.com%2Fon-air%2Fthe-five%2Fcontent%2Ffollow-dana-perinos-mercy-ships-mission&sa=D&sntz=1&usg=AFQjCNE_8NZbP3DvRhuOTpF0p-bN5RiYDA

or if that doesn't work copy and paste as below :
 www.foxnews.com/on-air/the-five/content/follow-dana-perinos-mercy-ships-mission

I am apparently in it but have yet to see the full clip due to lack of good broadband here. Dana  was press secretary for George W Bush and has of course numerous stories to share and is a brilliant speaker so we were entertained one evening with stories of war zones and behind the scenes transgressions !!

It was a huge day with most people working 12hrs straight - including moi :) - but the time seemed to go very quickly in 3hr slots - was alerted to looking at somebodies watch usually when my stomach started to rumble :D

We finished the week ensuring we had the correct instrumentation, dressings and equipment for the first batch of patients and left work  on Friday feeling very satisfied at the week just gone.  I intended to have a quiet start to the weekend so come Saturday checked emails, started this blog and went for a long walk on the local surf beach.  It looks harmless but has a big undercurrent so we are not advised to swim there.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Saturday evening saw us watching the chosen movie night film - Arsenic and old lace - in black and white with Cary Grant - filmed circa 1910 (yes I am just kidding) - certainly post Charlie Chaplin but only just - but we rocked in the isles and   screamed with laughter - so a good night had by all.

Sunday saw me attend church at the local Assembly of God - great vocals and band but very emotional as the current pastor and his wife of 17 yr told the congregation that had been asked to move to Libreville, in the Gabon to start a bible school - much heart felt thanks and crying later we were finally given refreshments and headed home - each one of us thinking about when we would need to say goodbyes at some stage in the near future :(

 

 

 

 

Sunday afternoon lifted our spirits somewhat as we heading in a land rover an hour out of town to a forest area with promises of dense Congo jungle and beach side fare at the end.  We arrived at the top of a gorge and half our party descended the steep decline with the aid of a rope ladder......

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 ........ the rest drove straight to the beach - we made our way thru tangled trees and  open tussock areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Under foot ranged from red clay to fine white sand with just one small stream being fed by an audible spring. 

 

 

We came across large wild beasts... aka small black ants !!  Suggest you zoom in on this photo for good effect :)

 

 

 

...and some unidentifiable mud mounds.

 At the end of the journey we relayed tales to our colleagues of meeting huge snakes and spiders, hearing lions roar and imagining the little people that lived in the mud mounds (??) . They did not believe a word of it but we never- the- less had trekked thru the Congo jungle and survived  - and we deserved a feast at the end of it :D

 

On the beach at the end of our trail was conveniently placed a restaurant which apparently cooked the best fish around. We subsequently dined on fresh bass and plantain (fried banana but much sweeter - yumyum)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW - what a week of it - life in Africa is so full of surprises - you never know who you are going to meet and what you are going to learn - I continue to enjoy the community atmosphere and have found a whole new family - I now have even more places to visit on my world travels and have learnt that just about every state in the US is represented on the ship.  We do have many Australasians as well and have enjoyed a hilarious night out on Friday ...... but will keep that for next time .  Will just say however that the ANZAC cause is hail and hearty.

Definitely time for bed - first surgery tomorrow - can't wait to get going now - TTFN xoxo