Day 3: Second Clinic- Tuesday, March 8th

  Second day of Clinic- Today team Alpha we headed up the road from our compound to a small village on the side of the mountain.  We drove by the "market", where a few hundred people, of all ages come to bring their produce and goods to sell.  The colors of the rainbow in baskets, boxes, and sacs scattered on the ground with various fruits, beans, mangoes, plantains, snacks, dried milk, and more.  Mothers walk miles with jugs on their head, children are pumping water from the well, as others ride their donkeys, or pull the donkeys along carrying their goods.  We pull off the side of the market, and weave through a small dirt road lined with cacti, like a fence barrier between the road and the cinder block houses.  We soon arrived at a small church were we had clinic today.  The morning began as usually with our team setting up tables, alphabetizing medications, setting up chairs, and medical equipment for triage and to take vitals.  One man begins with a megaphone saying a prayer, then singing, and giving instructions on how to line up in the pews of  the church.  Then Dr. Francis introduces,  each of us from America, as we say our name and that we are glad to see them and hope to make them feel better today.  Then the lines go through getting a index card with their name and age, then they come to Bethany or I and we ask what their complaint is and get their vital signs, BP, Wt, pulse, respiration's, temp., HR, test glucose, and today we could check their O2, with a finger pulse ox.  Through the help of our wonderful translator, Williamson we worked through at least 100 patients each for Bethany and myself, probably more (we counted the # of thermometer covers we went through).  Today  we guided Williamson on how to do glucose testing, he was a great poker, (since I feel so bad poking them to get blood), he was great and did them for me :)  He is a student now but was able to learn English through friends, and other Americans, and today we taught Bethany and myself from phrases, and words in creole/french, that he says he will quiz us tomorrow.  Although we got down, Merci, (forgive my spelling), we learned Tre byen- very good, poids- weight, douleur- pain, tanperati-temperature, tansyon-blood pressure, kontrole- check-up, and a few others.  I was also touched today by another boy I met who this morning came to get orders of our names and favorite colors, to make us bracelets.  By the end of the clinic he proudly brought us our bracelets he had stitched.  Even though we had taken no $, we promised to have the doctor take him our $ later. 
    There were many more children today as it is the Carnival celebration so the children are out of school.  I loved each one of them, and they were so patient, did not cry, were not scared to have their temperature taken, or anything.  It was wonderful being able to help them, and I enjoyed being able to give them a dumdum to suck on (even the infants found a way to hold the dumdum and suck just like a bottle), or a silly band on their wrist.  So many of them malnourished, have worms, are dehydrated, had epigastric pain, urinary infections, rashes.  I had one baby today with a temp. of 104 F, I immediately went and got her Tylenol and she sucked it right down.  She later gathered the attention of the doctors, amazed at her status, but were glad I gave her the Tylenol right away.  The clinic ran very smoothly, only maybe two times where people got upset for someone cutting in line, but it was amazing to me, just looking around seeing the children playing tag in the corner, a mother breast feeding her infant, one women laying on the ground as her IV dripped from a nail hanging on the wall, Dr. Vlad giving a young boy a shot in the buttock,  all  getting such loving care, then taking their slip of paper to the table with pills lay to receive their small bag of medications, or milk, vitamins, & sometimes other needed items such as glasses, or clothes. 
   I enjoyed today meeting a small boy 5 yo named Vladimyr, after Dr. Vladimyr (Vlad), who had delivered him as an infant, and had returned to see him for a cold, cough, and stomach pain. 
  At the end of clinic today I enjoyed as the mothers waited in line to get meds, playing with the children, blowing them bubbles, taking their picture, and sharing smiles, and laughs.  These children spoke to us in creole, our translator said, asking us for food, and even a small boy probably 4 yo, and girl 3 yo, asking for clothing.  Many go without shoes, or pants.  I enjoyed today helping clean a wound of one boy who had busted his lip pretty badly, that had become infected. I was able to treat it with topical antibiotics, and make sure he got oral antibiotics. Bethany saw a small boy today, his sister probably age 8 brought him to clinic saying he had cut or injured his eye, and now can not see.  His left eye totally swollen like the size of a golf ball, it was shut, and draining yellow discharge. He was able to have the abscess drained by the doctor, and treated with medications, and Dr. Vlad, said we he sees him next time, he will be a new boy , back to normal.  Another thing that amazed me was the many people that have epigastric pain, and acid reflux.  I thought that acid reflux was only in America because of the high volume, and high fat diets we eat, as well as stress.  However here in Haiti, the people have this same problem due to the unpredictability of when they will get there next meal, as well as the poor sanitation of their food.  I had a wonderful day, and still did not tire :)  I think my clinics at work, having the busy orthopedic clinics all day on Wednesday really helped prepare me for treating masses of people.  I stood all day the first, but today I sat in a chair most of the time, which did help, and the church did have a roof, shielding us from the sun, so that was a blessing as well.  I found it funny today that towards the end of the day I had a couple young guys come talk to my translator, and then had them write a paper with their name and age to see me.  I wish I new what they were saying, but soon came to figure out that each of them were not really sick, and just wanted me to get their vital signs.  It was funny, I was flattered but had to laugh, at these young boys.  I guess the translator knew all along, so I will have to joke with him tomorrow :) .  
    Well today was a beautiful clear, sunny day, warmer than yesterday, but a nice breeze would always refresh us along the way.  We returned to the compound, as the house keepers and Missionary wife are cooking our dinner tonight, beans and rice, and chopped salad of cucumbers, and tomatoes.  Some of the team is resting, as others take showers, I hung some laundry on the clothes line outside and on the porch to catch the afternoon breeze.  We all have different tasks we have signed up for or just help out with whether it is the dishes, making meals, laundry, or devotionals at night. We all work together each day, growing closer as a team.