Monday, day 1, Sara (age 34) and Clementine (age 32) were operated on and did well. They are recovering in the ICU and today they will go to the telemetry, a step down monitoring unit. Yesterday, Tuesday at lunch, Dr.Dan Coulston, and his wife Celeste, RN, drove around to 4 pharmacies searching for Clementine’s thyroid medication. In the end, it was a matter of a cultural misunderstanding. They were searching for the American named med but Rwanda only carries the med under the British name! It ended well when a mother of a Rwandan nurse's friend came to the rescue with the medication! It is a different country and this is just one small reminder of the surprises that pop up for us.
Day 2, Tuesday, surgeries were longer than expected. Chantal’s (age 30) went well but much longer and more difficult than expected. Having the first surgery go longer, pushed the second later in the afternoon. The second patient's, Rahab (age 20) surgery went until 10 pm! The surgeons tried twice to repair the valve but ended up putting a tissue valve in the heart. Rehab did remarkably well, despite a long surgery and pump time. It was a tired team of doctors and support staff who left the OR at 11 pm. Kudos to all involved in the surgeries and the ICU.
The details are so helpful, Jane, when trying to truly understand the complexities involved in your team's mission there. So glad the patients who have already had their surgery are doing well. May they heal well, without complications.
ReplyDeleteThree cheers for the operating team(s) and your extended support staff!!!!