1st Call

I survived! It was nothing, if not varied. (at least it appears I may not be the black cloud here that I am at home).

- I assisted an appendectomy (although the Australian surgeon told me the Americans have it wrong pronunciation)
-I assisted reducing a tib-fib fracture twice (as the first time it didn't re-align correctly)
-I started someone on TB treatment
-I prayed with a patient with advanced cervical CA, whom is beyond treatment options, and only palliative care. (it was the worst cervix I have ever felt)
-Treated a likely transfusion reaction on an OB patient
-To most the next one may not seem like much, unless you remember I am not trained in peds, but I did admit a peds patient all by myself with diarrhea and likely pneumonia.
-The picture above is a deformity on one of my patients, which the family says has been there many Christmases (spelling? anyways there way of saying years)

It is humbling that despite very solid training in the US, it does little to prepare me for here. Clearly, I knew upfront I would struggle with OB and peds. But then I am also managing alot of orthopedics. Let's not forget in the US I have only treated one maybe two patients with TB. Here I have already seen 7-10 cases, and it's not just pulmonary TB. We have renal, abdominal, neuro, etc. Then I am working up a patient for a blood dyscrasais, with no fancy tests here and no hematologist. Also, typhoid and pigbel are common here, never seen that at home.

Where I am weak, He is strong.