Gangrene...

Today I worked in the hospital but became more of the clinic nurse. Putting in IVs, taking vitals, doing drsg changes, removing sutures and staples, and helping place cast. It was a very busy but very fulfilling day!

I have that stink stuck in my nose from a pt that was found on our truck run today.... one of my new friend's Barbie PA went out on the truck with Mike, a paramedic today. They brought back to the clinic a woman who had a cast placed maybe a month ago(?) but she didn't get it followed up two weeks ago like she was told. She must be left by herself to care for her children b/c she didn't want to stay the night and this must be why she didn't get follow up care. Maybe she is widowed... it breaks my heart to even go there! She said there was a wound under the cast and she needed it looked at. I helped Barbie and Mike cut the cast and get the drsg off. As soon as we cut into the cast we could smell the gangrene. YUCK!!! It was so gross! We ended up giving her Morphine and Ketamine to sedate her. She then allowed us to change the drsg. She has a very unstable tib/fib FX (lower arm fracture) that is so loose you could make her wave with out using her elbow. Kind of freaky. We gave her IV antibiotics, redressed the wound, put her in a half cast and will try to get her to Merlin tomorrow for evaluation for surgery. Her wound actually didn't look that bad but the smell was horrible. The reason I tell this story is to show you the people in Haiti need follow up care. You can't just cast someone in the field with a huge wound and leave them.... this woman almost (and may even still) loose her arm.

Heartline is one of the few clinics/hospitals that has a follow up program and in patient ward. We even give our patients cards with follow-up instructions and if they are from the slums we give them a date to return when the truck/ambulance is going to be in that area.

Another beautiful thing we have here at Heartline is excellent networking where we can take someone like "gangrene arm" women and send her to Merlin (a British hospital that does Ortho and Plastics cases. We send them pt's for surgery and then take a couple patients from them that just need inpatient things like meds, vitals and dressing changes and discharge plans. The USS Comfort will take our more general surgery patients and ICU pt's. We also have Miami of University that will take our emergent pt's like the boy yesterday.

We also have nannies from the orphanges that had most of their kids fly State Side. They cook, clean, bath, do laundry and care for the pt's. It is so cool to see the nannies still having jobs after the quake! And some interpret for us too!

But the most exciting thing is just to see that God has a provision for Heartline. We are all volunteers over-lapping and it is excited to see who God brings her next. We have a new team flying in and it should be neat to see how they fit in. I am off to bed soon after I shower!

Just one fun story... Alex was a little guy (6 but looks like Daisy size) who came to Heartline awhile ago. He had to have his middle and ring finger amputated from and injury in the quake. So now he looks like a "rockstar" when he holds up his hand..... so cool! Well once it is healed and he learns how to adapt like with it like that it is cool! The sad part of Alex's story is he lost his Mom and sister in the quake but he has his dad and his dad has him. In the past Dad has tried to braid his hair and he looked like Buckwheat. But today Dad took it out and a mom who was recently reunited with her daughter braided "Rockstar's" hair b/c he was going home today. It looked awesome! I had a little photo shoot with Alex today and can't wait to share those pics. Dad seemed happy to leave but it is bitterweest b/c they have a community here at the hospital. I am sure life will look different for them but they do have each other!

I love you and hope to update on the prenatal clinic I am doing with Beth before I work tomorrow! Love you all!