April 8

Monday April 8, 2013

Today was the first full clinical day for our team.  The ENT team saw patients in clinic and scheduled some for surgery for this week.  We had two ENT cases in the OR, one an ear surgery and one adenoidectomy.  There were also eight orthopedic cases, so Mona CRNA and I worked with Dr. Mary, Cure’s anesthesiologist and their staff CRNA and the CRNA students to care for all of the OR patients.  The urologists saw some patients at Black Lion hospital, toured another hospital in town and saw a few patients at Cure.  The audiologists evaluated patients and did hearing exams and evaluations. All together, our team evaluated at least 50 patients today in clinic plus 10 audiology evaluations.

There was some rain in the afternoon before we left Cure, but not nearly as heavy as last week.  Travel in the late afternoon was tough because traffic was particularly heavy.  I didn’t notice it last week because I wasn’t trying to get anywhere except by foot!  It was great to have been here for a week already.  I am already fairly well adjusted to the time change and the altitude and got to reconnect with the Cure staff last week which helped our team get right to work.

Most of us went to a Korean restaurant for dinner where we had been before.  Sleep will be welcome tonight for all!  Tuesday has more similar activities!

Photos April 8

Photos April 7

April 7

Sunday April 7, 2013

Everyone on our team arrived safely yesterday.  There were a few minor issues with equipment and customs, but everything is ok.  I was able to greet both teams when they arrived at the Sheraton, and that was fun.  Those of us that were here in time had dinner together, and the rest arrived around 9:30 pm.

We had a mix of activities today.  The ENT team went to Black Lion Hospital to do a lecture and practice session with the ENT residents.  The urologists met with one of the local surgeons and saw a few patients with him.  Three of us went to a local Anglican church where we met some other expat medical professionals and had a chance to network.  Some went to the Ethiopian National Museum and others rested.  Most of us went to a coffee place to drink and buy coffee.  Some went to Entoto Mountain which is just on the outskirts of the city and overlooks it.  There are some historic Orthodox churches there and a view of the city.  I had time to go for a swim this afternoon.  We are meeting for dinner in an Italian restaurant in the hotel tonight and we will rest tonight for our day tomorrow.

We have two ENT cases scheduled for the OR tomorrow, and there are orthopedic cases as well.  There are lots of patients scheduled in the clinic tomorrow and a few to be seen at Black Lion.  Our team has 15 people:  4 ENT surgeons, 2 urologists, and OR nurse, medical student, 3 audiology professionals, a nurse practitioner, a nurse anesthetist, our Executive director and me.  Many are from the Philadelphia area, but also Texas, Washington DC and Washington State.

Photos April 5-6

April 6

Saturday April 6, 2013

It rained again yesterday afternoon, so I never went for my walk.  The rain is quite noisy on the roofs of the hospital; there was some hail mixed in also.  I had a chance to talk for awhile to the nurse anesthetist who was on duty overnight.  He is someone who was in the first class of Master’s students when I first came to Ethiopia and is now in charge of the program.  It was great to talk about the students and the programs and to hear what is happening.

I went out twice before bed to look for hyenas.  The security guard said they had been out, but I guess they didn’t like the rain any more than people do.

This morning I went for a walk and went to the Lion Zoo, about a 20 minute walk.  It was a small zoo with lots of lions!  I was told that some of them are 20 years old.  The younger ones were pacing their cage, maybe waiting for breakfast, the older ones were sleeping.  There were some other monkeys, birds and tortoises and a few little rides for the kids.  It was fun, and I took the long way back to the hospital.  It was a bright sunny morning and great to be outside. 

The roads weren’t as crowded as evenings during the week, but there were still plenty of people around.  There were vendors selling lots of things:  garlic piled up in pyramid shaped cairns like you see on a hiking trail; wheelbarrows full of tomatoes; potatoes, lettuce, and other veggies.

The driver took me to the Sheraton where I checked in, unpacked and then went to the pool for awhile.  The sky was dark and there were a few raindrops and some thunder but it never really rained much.  I swam for a while and then eventually went to the lobby to meet the first half of our team who arrived this afternoon.  They are settling in and then we will meet for dinner.  The rest come later tonight. They looked great for having just arrived!

There are a few educational things planned tomorrow with the ENT residents, but nothing else.  It will give the team a chance to rest and prepare for Monday.

Hello from Ethiopia!

I was finally able to get on line and post directly tonight.
Before all of the pictures I have posted descriptions of my days.
Sorry they aren't in better order!
Enjoy