Malnutrition

You mean another week has gone by? This one went fast! I guess that means I didn’t sit around, doing nothing. Did my past, where I’d sleep till 7, go to work at 9 a.m., have an hour off at noon, go back to work till five, and come home and watch TV, or read or do whatever I wanted, really exist? I can hardly grasp my “prior life” now.

Monday started off fast paced – my nurse is gone for this week. Thankfully I’d just trained one of the ladies working here at Canaan to check-in my patients for me. But I had 16 patients to see by myself, and that makes for a long morning! (till 2:30 p.m., in the heat, and you’re almost wilting by then.)
I found out of one huge answer to prayer for Canaan. Mark Pohl, one of the guys on the team here for a week, has committed himself to come back again on the 24th of this month. He will be in charge of directing the school here at Canaan. (school starts again Aug. 25) That is such a big load of Sister Gladys’ shoulders. May God keep him here a LONG time! He will be an awesome addition to the family and a great influence on the kids, especially the boys. They need good male role models so badly. He is wonderfully equipped, both spiritually and academically.

Tuesday – full clinic in the morning and malnutrition in the afternoon. My girls translating stepped up and helped a little more with the actual clinic, since I’m by myself. I’m trying to teach them more, since they dream of being nurses one day. I had other help as well at the clinic today. Karen, one of the ladies with the team that was here for a week is a nurse and spent the day with me, as well as Erica, who is planning on going into nurses’ school.
In the evening Dr Ric got here, as well as Bonnie, 2 of her nieces, and 4 of the Canaan girls that have been in the US since May. It’s starting to feel like I’ve been here a long time when people come back for their second visit since I’ve been here. It was also the visiting team’s last night here.

Wed. – While Steve took his team to the airport, I was able to have Dr Ric at the clinic. Why is it so much easier to have a doctor around? Though I was trying not to fill up more than one morning for him, I had quite the list of patients I had asked to come back for him to review, as well as the normal people coming. It seemed the last week I had quite a few more difficult cases. Or maybe it was just I knew he would be here. Anyway, we worked till after 2 p.m., after which he went with Steve to visit another clinic, visiting other medical facilities being part of the purpose of his trip. By that time my malnutrition clinic was suppose to start as well, and I hadn’t stocked my Medika mamba yet. I also got a visit from a nurse in a different area who is thinking of starting with the Medika Mamba program and wanted to come see how it works. In the middle of all this, one of my girls finally decided she was brave enough to start interviewing/questioning the moms herself, so I helped her with that. By the time evening rolled around I think I beat the most tired day in Haiti record.

Thurs. – Steve and Dr Ric’s plan for the day was to go visit medical facilities to the north of us, and I really wanted to go along. So I decided to start clinic a little earlier so we’d be done by 9 (hopefully) so I could go with them. Thurs. tends to be a more quiet day, and I was hoping it would prove true again. We didn’t make it by 9 but were done soon after 10, Steve graciously waiting for us and by 10:30 we were locked up and ready to go. Felt a bit strange; but we had a good day. First stop was Pierre Payen hospital (I felt almost at home there!) - Steve showed Ric the operating room. Possibly in the future we will have surgeons come, and use that facility.
Had lunch in St Marc – that was a rare experience for me here. I think the only time I’ve eaten out, other than the resorts, is once in a nice restaurant in Port, so this was a little different. About time, after 6 months, eh? I’d go again.
We went on to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital, maybe half hour beyond St Marc, which reputably is (or was) one of the best hospitals here in Haiti, and therefore, we wanted to see it. Honestly we were all disappointed. Apparently it has gone downhill a lot as far as quality in the last couple years. Ric and Steve are planning how to build our new clinic, and I think they felt it wouldn’t be hard to beat that. If that’s their measurement, I think they felt they could make ours one of the best clinics in the country. (there are other better ones) A European nurse showed us around. She’s here to train the other nurses, and some of her frustration showed through. Everything was “but it’s not working”.
On the way back we stopped at a little orphanage that Karen, a friend of Steve, has; 15 kids.
In the eve we sat working on coming up with clinic layouts. It got me excited about the clinic’s future. Things could change in the next year!! I’m going to try not to think about it too much though. That works better for me here in Haiti. Expectations are difficult to have here. (Sorry if that sounds pessimistic. It’s not. I’m very optimistic about this. I’m just also being practical). Life here is more difficult than in N.A. and though dreams are big, money and time aren’t. (by the way, anyone wanting to have a part in building a clinic in Haiti, let me know how you want to help and I’ll be happy to direct you.)

Friday – I’m ready! Almost weekend! The first months here I was surprised I didn’t see more people with malnutrition. Now in the last month, they seem to be coming out of everywhere. Out of the 12 patients I saw today, I must have put malnutrition as the diagnosis for at least 5. 2 were young and I’m entering them into our program. A few of them got the Busby special (some Mamba to strengthen them). The first patient of the day is worthy of a picture because I think he’s going to need ALOT of prayer, and Medika Mamba, and worm medicine and I’m not sure yet what else! I’m working on it. Please pray for him (Maykel Pierre), as I start treating him. He had gone to the hospital yesterday, and they had given him medicine for gas. There’s no way that’s only gas. Even a non-medical person knows that. He is extremely swollen everywhere, except his hands and arms – the width of his arms are below the danger zone for malnutrition (the upper arms are the most accurate place on the body to measure malnutrition. They don’t swell like other parts do). By the time you’ve read my blogs long enough, you’ll be close to an expert at malnutrition too, eh? I’ve learned so much, just in the last month.

Now for those who want to know a little bit more about our other malnourished darlings – I have a few good reports.

Edine! We will win over her stubborn little 16 month brain yet! Grandma reported on Wed. that she actually has finished the bag of Medika Mamba that was given to her in the hospital. Part of it went in forcibly by spoon, and part as a diluted-with-milk drink, but the important thing is it went in; which is good because I was out of infant formula and grandma was suppose to buy more, and she didn’t because it was too expensive. She figured she could get the 8 required tablespoons of M. Mamba into her every day this week and I told her if she does, then I don’t care what else she eats. She was eating salami (something like spam) when she walked in Wed. She likes adult food... (if she can eat it with her hands. She does NOT like spoons). She was quite cheerful, very observant, and smiled quite readily. Her chest infection has almost totally cleared up (Dr Ric checked her) so I’m happy. She’s still running fevers according to Grandma, so please continue to pray for her.

Gail – another strong little girl. At 15 months, 3 weeks ago she weighed 4.2 kg. After her 1.2 kg weight gain in the first week, I didn’t expect much this week, but she surprised me by gaining over half a kilo (0.55). She went from below our red zone to the yellow zone in 2 weeks! That’s totally amazing, unheard of!

Edgerson – He’s still gaining a little weight, but will need continued prayer to survive. His fevers continue, and some diarrhoea again (not a good sign). I had Dr Ric check him over as well. He has multiple problems, and even if he recovers from his malnutrition, it will be a challenge. Medically speaking, he will not be normal. Which means his nutrition will always be a challenge, and it will be a challenge for his mom also, since it will become very difficult for her to care for a needy child. It will depend largely on how better nutrition will change him. So continue praying for him.

And this little girl is a good example of how even your personality changes with health. For the first 6 weeks she came, she was so shy, every time she saw us looking at her, she would cover her eyes with her hands (if I can't see you, you can't see me). If curious, she'd peek from beneath her arm, but that's where it'd stay, and weighing was a fright every time. Last week she came in smiling, allowed us to weigh her, and even played and twirled in circles in front of us and at our request. This week I was able to graduate her from the program!!

We’re still looking for more help at the clinic here, so please, if you or someone you know is interested in spending part of yourself here, please let me know and I’ll tell you who you can contact. One thing I can tell you from personal experience and from others’, it will change your life. (John, send your contacts to my blog. Maybe it’ll help inspire them! :)

Thanks for reading through to the end (if you got to here). It’s too long but there’s always stuff happening here.

And thanks for keeping me in your prayers. May God’s will be done in all of our lives.
Elsie