What a week!
Kinda hard to believe it… The first week here in Mombasa I’ve observed 10 surgeries! I haven’t written anything from any of the days after I started at the hospital, so I’ll go back to the start and tell you all a little bit of what’s been going on.. I’ll try to keep it a bit more up to date from now on, but then again, that’s what you always say, non? ;)
First day at the hospital I met Dr. Wafula and he showed me around in the main operating theatre. Without any more fuzz, we just suited up (no, not Barney-style, we wore scrubs) and went to the first surgery I’ve ever been awake at! I’ve been quite lucky, because this week there are a couple of other guests at the hospital: a team from Spain and 2 surgeons from Nairobi. They are here to perform several neuro-surgeries, so the first one I got to see, they were to repair the optic nerve – patient was blind on the right eye – and went up through the upper lip and into the skull. Was pretty cool to see how little an area that was cut for the procedure!
After this I got to see the beginning of a surgery on a kid that had a bowel-obstruction, but I had to leave, ‘cause I was yet to have gotten a SIM-card (congrats) so that I could call a ride home, so we had just decided a time, and it had come. Oh well, was a lot of impressions first day already, so it was ok to get my head on straight again and go back to the house
Day two started off with the most brutal thing I’ve ever seen. Scarily enough, I thought it was pretty cool: orthopedics! A broken femur had to be repaired. No fancy, steady-handed, easy-going cutting here, noo! Opened the leg right by the break and using a hammer, the surgeon just rammed a steel rod into the bone all the way through, aligned the femur and then hit the rod through again and voila: fixed! Lovely sounds… I have a video, but I’ll have to upload that later as the internet here right now won’t allow me… That’s internet-cencorship for ya!
The neurosurgeons were also at it today: a huge brain tumor had to go and they made like a window in the forhead of the patient, and started taking out small pieces… I just thought that “well, guess it wasn’t THAT big…” Guess I jinxed it, because as I thought that, they changed equipment and took out something about the size of a tangerine!
Some domestic disturbances came in too… A man and his wife, both with stab-wounds. Apparently, he had stabbed her first and then himself. They both made it through the surgeries and the next day I saw them both in the ward. Separate wards ofcourse :p What I thought was quite funny is that all the time, it’s a pretty good atmosphere in the theatre. The business done is very serious and everybody are really good at what they are doing, so what was cool to see was that when the man and his wife came in, the discussion started going around:
“that’s where love gets you!”, “never get married, man! You see?”, “nooo, this is just what’s known as VERY passionate love!”, all said with some humour in it! Loved that one could find some humour in even cases like those =) Happy times in the theatre!
So after all this it was back to the house tired like nothing else, so when Paul called and asked if I wanted to go out and have a couple of beers to finish off the day, a yes wasn’t hard to say! :D Went to Mikaye and had a couple of whiskys and good laughs! Great man! :D
Day three started off with class actually! It was a CME about F-something gangrene in male genetalia. Was also presented with a patients history. Was nice to see how that’s done and whats expected to be included in the history. After that, I joined the other students on ward rounds with Maimuna who presented some of the patients. On the last patient, the students themselves did the exam, so all the teaching is very hands-on from the very beginning!
Up in the main theatre, the neur-team was at it again, this time a baby where the spine had some excition of some spine bifida I think they said. Couldn’t quite remember the name of it all, but… Long day I guess
Driving home I went to get a charger to my camera, a charger that the same day blew up! Rasta – the driver who takes me to and from the hospital – took the charger today to get a new one, hope he’s successful!
This day I also moved from part of the house to another. Wasn’t the biggest move I’ve done, it was alright to move to a smaller place. After all: it’s just me here atm! The best part was that the bed was bigger and more comfortable! In the first one I had felt the supports that the madras was lying on. Not good! Even had a bath tub, never used it tho
After settling in to the new room, Betty and Dola started teaching me a couple of words in Swahili! Wrote two pages with translations, so now all that’s left is to memorize them :p When I learned that Simba = lion, I had to look up all the names from “The Lion King” to see if any other Swahili-words were names of the animals in the movie. Rafiki = friend I think it was! :D Scar was not a Swahili word, but he’s evil anyway, so doesn’t count :p
Day 4 I was in the theatre at 8 a.m. as always. However, for some reason there was no oxygen there, so no surgeries could be done before that was back! So I spent a couple of hours waiting for that.. luckily I had brought entertainment (well, my book from home on radiocommunications for my pilot-licence) so I had a bit of a read! At about 11 the first procedure started and in this one they stabilized a guys spine with 6 screws. I have some REALLY good photos from that, will post them when I get around to it (read: learn it! This blog-stuff is new to me!) Next surgery was a guy who had a hole in the head (literally) and the surgeon made a patch for the hole and fitted it perfectly. Was quite cool how he just med it fit like it was the “original”! I’m just amazed over all the stuff they can do… No wonder I’m considering surgery as one of my main fields when I’m finished with my studies…
So another day in the hospital over, Rasta picked me up and just by the house to leave my backpack before going to Mikaye to meet up with Paul again and also to meet Edwin for the first time! Was good to put a face behind all the e-mails! :D After a while, Betty came too. She left for Nairobi that night.
Before I left the hospital this day, Dr. Wafula told me what surgeries that were going to happen the next day, so I got a chance to read a bit about it beforehand! So I stayed up a little reading about Arnold-Chiri syndrome that was the procedure done
the next day
So coming in to day 5, I knew for the first time whatwas going to happen! Well, the theory behind it anyway =) After the surgery there was a gathering in the lunch-room for the surgeons who had just had their last day on the hospital in Mombasa. Some words from the director of the hospital, handing put some presents to the team who had come, food and drinks for everyone! Was a good time!
This night I went to the casino down the road, lost a lot, won it back, went a little over and then decided to quit while ahead (yeees, I was able to – that night anyway) but then on the way home I got the worst case of the munchies I have ever experienced! To I went by Nakumaat and stood by the pastry-section and just wanted everything. It ended up with 2 chocolate donughts, 6 cupcakes, 1 bag of chips, 2 beers and a snickers-bar. I walked home, not tha safest thing, but it went alright that time =) Watched a movie and just enjoyed my well-bought snacks! ^^ Happy time in Nyali.
Right! Quite a bit about the stuff done in the hospital and that’s mainly because that’s where my time has been spent so far! Today I moved to another house, quite close to Mikaye, very nice, with A/C (looovely) and I just chilled outside, trying to get some sun. I started worrying a bit that I was to come home to Norway and my skin tone was the same as the others… If I am, I’m doing some fake-tanning in Frankfurt or something. After all: I have a 6 hour wait there… AND in Doha, Quatar!
So after the sun had set, Dola made dinner and then Paul and Edwin came over, we chilled a little bit here before we finished of the night with some drinks in the bar. Tomorrow they are going to the south coast and I’m coming with! Might even be jet-skis there! *fingers crossed*
So that’s what been happening to me. I’m really enjoying the stay so far! It’s hot like nothing else (atleast to me) but I’m slowly getting used to it, and then it’s VERY enjoyable. I’ve gotten some SERIOUS bites on my left leg (apparently that’s the one that tastes the best.. Why? Ask the insects!) so it looks like a Dalmatian with some weird colors, but no malaria! I’m taking my malarone every day, so just bring it on! :D or… please don’t. I’m living well and gets driven to the hospital and back every day by Rasta – good man. Very glad he’s driving and not me, I’d crash in 2-3 seconds OR I would drive so defensively that I wouldn’t be able to get to where I was going.
At the same time I’m trying to keep up with school at home, so I always have something to do.. When I feel like a break, it’s an easy walk to the casino ^^ Guess it’s something about it when it’s illegal at home, you just HAVE to do it when it’s available.. :p I do anyway!
Oh and today I learned that when ordering a beer, I might aswell add right away: “cold, please”. It’s the weirdest every that you have to, but apparently someone prefer warm beer. The first time I ordered a beer here and he asked me “cold?”, I just looked funny at the waiter until I realized it was a serious question… Easier to just stick to whisky
Sleep well! Looking forward to telling about the trip tomorrow, hopefully some jet-skis involved too! I’m also hoping to take a divers-license here! Amazing what one can do in one month in Kenya!
Lala salama!
