Home Sweet Home!!

In Frankfurt, an uneventful 7 hr flight from Addis and a 7 hr layover. Went into the city to walk around. About to board for our flight home! Nap time!

At airport in Addis, waiting to board. We had a busy day: 50 hearing aids, 5 OR cases at Cure, 3 at Black Lion, 25 clinic patients. We are tired but happy!

Ethiopia March 22

March 22

Our team kept busy today at Cure and Makanissa School for the Deaf.

We had three ENT cases at Cure and helped with several orthopaedic cases as well.  We were also going to do a biopsy on a facial tumor on a baby but discovered that the biopsy had already been done.  It was a very bad tumor, which was quite sad.  We also had a clinic where 23 patients were seen, most of whom we had operated on previously.  In the afternoon three ENT doctors and the audiologists went to the school for the deaf to do medical evaluations on the students.

Tomorrow we have five OR cases at Cure and two at Black Lion and another full day of evaluations at the School for the Deaf.  We also have to pack up and say our goodbyes as we leave very late on Friday night.

Tonight we are going to a reception with our partner, Dr. Ebba from Gemini Health Care Group.  The reception is at a bowling alley which is quite modern and fun.  We have been there before.

It has been a busy but productive week.  It is hard to believe that tomorrow we will be finished.  We are getting to know some people here quite well, and that makes it even more meaningful.  It has been terrific working with the Black Lion ENT residents and the Master’s Nurse Anesthetist students.  They are willing and eager learners and are very appreciative of our efforts.  We also know that the patients have benefitted from our work.

March 21

March 21

Today was a full and varied day, primarily at Cure.  We had three different rooms in the clinic where we saw pediatric and adult patients.  Some will need surgery, others are follow-up patients.  Some will have surgery later this week, and for some we will keep their information on file to schedule for our next visit in approximately six months.  The audiology team was also busy seeing patients and fitting hearing aids.  One profoundly deaf patient was fitted with a hearing aid and was able to hear sounds for the first time.  She had quite a smile on her face afterwards!

The OR was busy at Cure also.  Our team had two cases, one patient for ear surgery for a perforated ear drum, and one patient who had a large growth above the eye.  Originally it was thought to be a cancerous tumor; a biopsy was obtained in the past, but they were not able to obtain a diagnosis for treatment.  Today our surgeons were able to determine that it was a large fluid filled mass in the sinuses and were able to remove it with some work and specialized sinus equipment that we brought.  There were also six orthopaedic cases for which we helped with the anesthesia care.  There were two children who needed cast changes, and four other major surgical procedures , all in children.  There is nowhere else in Ethiopia that children can get this specialized orthopaedic care.  One anesthesiologist also spent the morning at Black Lion and helped to prepare for a neurosurgical case for a brain tumor.  The equipment and monitoring capabilities are not the same as is the standard in the US, so it is a very different situation.

Tomorrow we have OR cases at Cure and will again see children at the School for the Deaf.  Tonight most of the team is going to an Ethiopian restaurant that has traditional food and dancing.  It is quite an entertaining evening!  The weather is gorgeous and we have had a little time in the late afternoons and early evenings to enjoy the sunshine and warm weather.

Ethiopia March 20

March 20
Our team was spread out today and we were busy with many different types of work.
The audiologists went to the Makanissa School for the Deaf where we have been working on all of our other trips. This is a large school for deaf children that has excellent services and also includes siblings of the deaf children to enhance their education. The audiology team fit 20 ear molds, made 10 new molds, did 15 audiograms and did trouble shooting on 20 existing hearing aids. They will be there several other times during the week to continue their work. All of the children wanted the toys and prizes! A nurse from Mekele, 500 miles to the north took a 2.5 day bus ride to come to be trained with our team. Another came from Awassa.
The Cure team did six OR cases today, three ear surgeries and three tumor resections. These children would not have had their operations if our team had not been here. There are several other children the team has seen and we are trying to determine if we can offer them surgical intervention at this time.
The anesthesiologists were at Black Lion with one of the ENT surgeons and had three OR cases. Two were children who have papillomas (wart like growths) in their throat and airway. Taking them out can be a dangerous and complicated procedure. We also had a child who had a large, obvious cancerous tumor who had a biopsy to determine if it is treatable by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. I have been taking pictures out of a window of the OR at Black Lion since October 2010 of a construction site. The progress is very slow.
We were all finished in enough time to relax a little. Some went swimming or read or sat by the pool, some went for coffee. There are some beautiful flowers on the grounds of the hotel. We are having a relaxing dinner at the hotel before another busy day tomorrow.

Ethiopia March 19

March 19

Our team was busy at Cure hospital today.  Our audiologists fitted four children for hearing aids, three of whom were sisters who had been evaluated by our team previously.  They also did 20 hearing evaluations/tests.  We saw about 30 pediatric and 20 adult patients in the clinic.  One of our surgeons did two ear surgeries, and we helped with the anesthesia for six orthopaedic cases.  It was a smooth day with no big hiccoughs.  We had dinner at a place that had pizzas and some local dishes.

Tomorrow we have three surgeries scheduled at Black Lion and six at Cure and the audiologists are going to the School for the Deaf.  It was another warm and sunny day, but the traffic and the smog are noticeably worse than yesterday.