a day at a Haitian hospital

Last night before going out to dinner with Dr. Nau one of the Healing Hands for Haiti volunteers started feeling a little sick. When we returned from dinner it was worse. The team had given her pain meds (with the blessing of the Doctor on the team) but she was extremely uncomfortable. I called and notified our Operations Manager to inform him that she was not doing well and told him that there was a possibility we would have to take her to the hospital

The next morning I was awaken by another volunteer saying Lisa, I think we need to take her to the hospital. I got out of bed, Gail called our van driver, one of our Haitian doctors and our Operations Manager. We took her in the van over very shaky roads to the hospital CDTI which is partly owned by Dr. Nau.

CDTI is one of the best hospitals in Haiti. It has modern technology and some of the best doctors and surgeons in the country. Right now there are American doctors and nurses working round the clock caring for the many earthquake patients.

The hooked the volunteer up to an IV and started giving her fluids. To keep a long story short, following an ultrasound, she was diagnosed with gall stones. They said that she would need surgery. The Haitian general surgeon and some of the American doctors suggested that we could "delay the emergency" by treating her pain and getting her back to the United States where she could be home with her family during surgery. Although I would say that on a typical day I would not be nervous to have a surgery at CDTI. Unfortunately, there are not normal conditions and the surgical need in the country, although decreasing, is still huge and hospital beds are greatly needed. This means that there is little time for healing before the patients are sent "home".

The volunteer was sent back to the Guest House with ample doses of morphine to be administered by the doctor here and the nurses. She will fly back to the US tomorrow and she will be fine!

Later in the afternoon, I returned to CDTI with Antonio (HHH Operations Manager) to witness a patient receiving the first Prosthesis from the collaboration between Healing Hands for Haiti and Handicap International. HHH supplied the equipment and Haitian staff to get a Prosthetic and Orthotic workshop set up and working. Handicap International is employing our staff and covering many of the costs. They found a large space close to downtown Port-au-Prince.

There were three amputees who were interviewed by international media. One received his prosthesis and the other two were measured for their future limbs. It was exciting to see their excitement of the possibility of walking again after their lives have changed so dramatically.

One of the patients had an injury that was not attended to that resulted in a serious infection and treated with amputation. The doctor who amputated attempted to save her knee but saved too little of her lower limb, so the knee is useless and non-functional. This means that the prosthesis will have to be an above the knee (ak) prosthesis. The creation of this limb will be very complicated.

Only 3 days left and still a lot to do....