June 24, 2011

It was so sweet this morning. After breakfast, some of the hospital staff came to tell us farewell. They sang a few hymns, read some scripture, and prayed for us. It was really neat. They are so appreciative of everyone that comes, because they know the mission can’t continue without short termers. Dad did yet another hysterectomy this morning. It was a big uterus at 2 ½ lbs, but definitely not the biggest we’ve seen here. Right after that there was an emergency C-Section. Dad got the baby out and it was not responding. It took a little while for it to breathe on its own, but now it is fine. The clinic was slow today, so we got to talk to our interpreter/nurse aide Sato. We found out her stethoscope wasn’t really working, and we just so happened to bring a few extras. We gave her one of them and she was so excited! It was great to see how something we see as just a tool of the trade made such a difference to her. After lunch was the exciting part. I got to help deliver a baby! The woman pushed and Dad got the head out. Then I helped pull the rest of the body out! It was a big, healthy girl! I was so excited! Delivering babies isn’t that hard. I don’t know why Dad complains! Haha! This one was very easy, and I’m glad the baby was ok. Dad had to go in and do a D&C on a woman who was 10 days postpartum. Luckily, the bleeding stopped and he didn’t have to do a hysterectomy. It was an exciting last day! It is hard to believe the 2 weeks is already over. We leave for the airport in Accra tomorrow at 8 am, and it should take about 8 hours to get there. We’re stopping by an orphanage on the way out to visit some kids. I hope the trip goes well. Please pray for safe travels and continue to pray for the patients and staff. We both feel like we got more out of this trip than we could give. It’s hard to believe we could make a difference in just two weeks, but I know that every bit of help that these missionaries receive helps. Hopefully, we will be able to make it back to Togo soon!

June 23, 2011

This morning I followed the other doctors around on rounds while Dad did a few hysterectomies. I finally got my sea legs enough to see the gross wounds in the men’s ward. One man had a few colostomies, and they didn’t want it to get infected, so they left him open. He has this plastic patch covering his abdomen, so his guts don’t hang out. In Dad’s first hysterectomy, the uterus weighed 6200 grams (7 lbs). A normal uterus weighs 70-100 grams. This one was like the size of a baby! While he was doing the second hysterectomy, a woman came in labor and was delivered by the midwives. She was 34 weeks, had severe preeclampsia, and the baby was breach. It weighed about 2 ½ lbs. It is so cute and tiny! The nurses were trying to put an IV in this afternoon and it was like threading a needle. They got it in though. Dad also admitted a 28 weeker who had severe preeclampsia. She is ok now, but if she develops what is called HELLP syndrome, the baby will have to come out. In the States, it would probably do ok in a NICU, but it may not here. Just pray that the mother does well and the baby continues to “cook.” It turns out the malnourished baby that I told you about isn’t actually malnourished. It has what is called Hirschsprung’s syndrome where a segment of the bowel doesn’t really work. The baby can’t go number 2 on its own, so it gets too full and won’t eat. She will have to have a colostomy in a few weeks when a surgeon comes. Ironically, another baby with the exact same thing was admitted today. Dad finished early, so we went and visited the cuisine. It’s like this small group of covered spaces and cooking fires where the families of the patients stay and prepare food. It was amazing to see. There was a little Bible study going on while we visited. It’s hard to believe that’s where people stay for weeks at a time, but I guess it’s just the African version of a Ronald McDonald House. Please continue to pray for the patients and the long term missionaries. They do such great work here, and they are spreading the love and joy of Jesus.

June 22, 2011

Today was actually a slow day! Dad just had to make rounds, do one D&C, and see about half a dozen patients in the clinic. The clinic was supposed to be closed, so that’s why it was so slow. Today Dr. Miller got to discharge a premature baby who had been here for about 2 months. She was slow to gain weight, so that’s why she had to stay so long. She was a stable 3 lbs. 11 oz., so it was time for her to go home. It was so sweet because Dr. Miller suggested that the staff and chaplains serenade her before she left. They actually did surround the bed and sing a few hymns and pray. The mother was in tears and so grateful for the hospital. It was so sweet and something that would never have happened in the States. The other major event of the day was the arrival of the container. Roughly every year, the long term missionaries have a church or group pack up a container with things they need from America. It took 3 months for it to get here, but when it did everyone was there to help out. Everything was on the container when it got here, so that was good. It was amazing how much stuff they could fit in there. Not only was there the lawn mower, tractor, and bike, but there was also a fridge, multiple washers and dryers, and tons of food and household items. It was so great to see the missionaries get some things that they missed from home. The rest of the afternoon was slow, and I mostly just read. After dinner a few of us played cards. It was so funny! We taught the British guy how to play spoons!

June 21, 2011

This morning Dad did a pretty amazing surgery. He removed a huge mass from a woman’s ovary. She is a 42 year old woman, and the mass made her look like she was 40+ weeks pregnant. It was incredible to watch them cut it off. It weighed 23 lbs! More than if she had been pregnant with twins! She looks like a different person now. Thankfully, it was not cancerous, it was just enormous. He also removed her uterus which was full of fibroids. We saw a few people in the clinic, but it wasn’t supposed to be open today. It is a Togolese memorial day, so the hospital wanted to give the staff a small break. This afternoon Dad saw a few follow up patients in the clinic. These people come the night before, spend the night in this little covered area, and wait all day to see a doctor. It’s hard to turn them away, because they come from hours away and wait patiently all day. It was a nice day, because it was a little slower. We went to the pool this afternoon, and then after dinner was prayer meeting. The container for the long term missionaries comes tomorrow. They are all so excited. It has a tractor, riding lawn mower, a bike for a missionary kid, and lots of other comforts from home. Please pray that they won’t have to pay too much to customs. Also pray for people that were witnessed to today. The nurse’s aide that helps translate for Dad shared the Gospel with a few people, and hopefully they got it. Thanks!

June 20, 2011

Dad was up all night delivering babies. The first he had to do a C-Section and the baby came out in bad condition. Its heart was beating, but it wasn’t breathing. It lived for about half of an hour and then passed away. They left it in the incubator until the next morning until the nurses finally put it in a box for the family to bury. The second was a woman who had had a previous C-Section, but came in too far long to do another one. She went to 2 other clinics starting at 9:30 pm before coming here. She delivered at 1:30 am. Thankfully, the baby was ok, but it was a tense situation my Dad said. This morning after rounds I went with Dr. Miller the pediatrician to the clinic. Dad had to do 2 hysterectomies, and I did not want to watch! Dr. Miller admitted a few kids with malaria. He also admitted a little boy with Burkett’s lymphoma. He had a large tumor on one cheek and a belly full of tumors. Luckily, it is one of the only types of cancer they can treat here. However, his dad was unhappy when he heard he would have to pay. There was no way Dr. Miller would have turned him away though. Dr. Williams left today. It was sad to see him go. The whole hospital staff serenaded him and prayed for him before he left. After lunch, I went with Dad to the Gyn clinic. It was pretty routine. It seemed like 90% of the people he saw were there because of infertility. Most of the women were their husband’s 2^nd or 3^rd wife, and they had to have more kids so they could be the favorite wife. One woman wanted another baby, but she hadn’t had a child for 21 years! You wonder why these women are just now coming to the doctor. After dinner, Dad had to go in and do a C-Section. I watched, along with 3 other girls about my age. There are a lot of mission kids observing this week. Dad was up until about midnight with a woman who was bleeding with a big fibroid. He hasn’t gotten much sleep at all these last few days.

June 19, 2011

Happy Father’s Day! Well, right after I posted last night it seemed like the floodgates opened. A van fell off the road on one of the mountains last night. It was about 20 feet down from the road. It was full of about 15 people who were coming home from a funeral. Unfortunately, the driver passed away, and my Dad had to pronounce him dead (something he hasn’t done in 23 years). People came in with lacerations, broken bones, dislocated joints, and the works. In the middle of all of this, a man came in with his hand almost completely chopped off. He went to confront his neighbor about roaming farm animals, and his neighbor attacked him. Apparently, he was angry enough to attack him with a machete. Dr. Briggs, the long term missionary, had to put his tendons back together. Hopefully, he’ll regain use of his hand, but it’s unlikely. Also during all of this, in the wee hours of the morning, 5 women came in about to give birth. Dad had to do 3 C-Sections today. 2 of them were after 7 am, so I got to watch. The first one I watched was of a lady whose baby was coming out hand first and the cord had dropped. The baby was stuck in the birth canal, so Dad had to push it back up and pull it out. Dad had to resuscitate it while the mom lay bleeding on the table. Everyone ended up ok and healthy in the end. The second C-Section there was only a surgery tech and an anesthetist helping out. The anesthetist caught the baby after it came out, and cleaned it up. He couldn’t leave the OR, so I got to carry the baby back to nurses in the maternity ward. This baby came out with a cone head from being in the birth canal. It was pretty funny. After all that quieted down, we had a nice relaxing day. It is nice that the midwives can do the normal deliveries. Dad was up all night with a C-Section, D&C, and a vaginal tear repair from the car accident. He was very appreciative of the break in the afternoon. We had baked chicken and mashed potatoes for lunch. Good church food. Dad and I went out for a walk, and as soon as we got as far as we could’ve from our room it started pouring. Luckily, we got an umbrella from our friend Tara, so we didn’t get too wet. We had a nice service led by Dr. Briggs for church tonight. It is nice seeing all of the missionaries together. I’m having such a great time and getting great experience. I know I wouldn’t be able to just wander in and out of the OR in the States. Please continue to pray! God hears all of our prayers!

June 18, 2011

I had a wonderful birthday in Togo!  We went to Kpalime today to shop.  It is the nearest "big city" to the hospital in Tsiko (pronounced "chico" I don't know if I told you that already).  We shopped at the mission blind center.  All of the proceeds go to help fund the blind center where blind kids can go to learn a trade and get an education.  We then went to the market which was huge!  There was stall after stall of food, toiletries, fabric and knockoff shoes.  I got some rally pretty fabric at some booths.  The women here wear dresses made of one of these patterned fabrics and have a shawl and head wrap to match.  We then went to the artisanal center where craftsmen sell their wares.  There were woodcarvings, tie-dyed fabrics, pottery and jewelry.  Some of the carvings are so intricate and beautiful.  We had lunch at Hotel Royal.  It is a small hotel owned by a European woman and is a favorite of the long term missionaries.  After running some errands we came back to the hospital and relaxed.  Apparently, a van crashed on the mountain, so 10-12 people were admitted to the hospital.  Dad went up to help out with the overflow.  It's been a nice, relaxing day.  A great way to turn 18!