circle of life in Haiti...

Last night we took care of lots of new pt's off the Truck from Cite Soleil. One woman was a 59 year old women who's son had seeked out the truck b/c he had gotten out of jail after being in for 6 months and then he came home and found his mom wasting away. She had a big belly (? Hepatitis), lower extremity edema, rhoncorus lungs, upper arm the size of my wrist and a productive cough. Her HIV test was positive and she looked like she was about to die. Her son was really sweet taking care of her. We had her on Tuberculosis precautions with her own tent and mask (we wore N95 mask too!). We I was over accessing her, giving Tylenol for a temp and pain her son asked me for some sandals for his mother because she had nothing for her feet.... I was all teary and said to myself what your mom needs is a Morphine drip and palliative care.... so sad but beautiful to see him care and love his mom even in her delicate state.

One of our other patients from the truck team was a 10 hours old baby and his mama. She was having sever abdominal pain and had not yet nursed him and her neighbor found our team to help her. She had a boggy uterus and needed some postpartum care. Me and the three nurses I was woking with put our brains together to check her fundus, flow and perineum. It was fun! At 3am mom was tired from having baby at her breast all night!!!!!! (boys!) I told her it was okay to let us hold him and she could sleep, she was reluctant but then agreed. I sat in a wheel chair and rocked him... letting him suck on my little finger for almost 20minutes. He then fell asleep and looked so cute sinking into his blanket (wish I could load my pics!) It can't help to think the Circle of Life in Haiti never ends.... and with Heartline having Beth running her prenatal clinic and also the hospital I am sure they will continue to see this forever.... such a gift from above!