Dr. Ann is home!

11 August, Wednesday

Dr. Ann is back! She arrived yesterday with Claire, a nurse from the UK who is visiting Chad for 6 months. She wanted to get out of the capital and visit a rural hospital. Well, this is it!

Cari made dinner for them last night so they wouldn't have to worry themselves. Nice touch since it takes the propane fridges about 8 hours to cool down (and we had forgotten to light Ann's up earlier in the day). Cari made a cake that was absolutely delicious. Dr. Elizabeth stopped by to chat and pick up her mail -- so we had the entire missionary team here! It was a good time of fellowship at the Robertson half of the duplex.

We've actually been without Ann (16 days) more than with her (13 including today). It certainly is nice to have her back. I mentioned to Dr. Elizabeth that we'll be leaving in a week and she mentioned she was surprised - she was thinking I would be staying through Ann's 5 month furlough (starts in Oct). She even offered to write the letter of release to my administrator back in NC! When Ann leaves she will be the only doc until a new missionary arrives in February. There are 55 beds in peds and the ICU, plus equal sized maternity, medicine, and surgical wards and 7 private rooms. That's going to be hard work.

(Warning! Non-medical types should probably skip this paragraph! : ) ) Claire followed us around the ward today and I think it was a bit of a shock for her. (She works in a cardiopulmonary ICU ward back in the UK!) We entered the ICU to find only one second year student and a nurse's aide on duty (the head nurse, Fluoron, who's been such a great help the last four days didn't come in for work today and no one could reach him by phone). They were doing a pretty amazing job considering but with 16 patients in 13 beds (three beds with two kids), a post-op and a crash admission before we even got started it quickly became controlled chaos. The hypoglycemic seizing child still had sugars of 36 (normal 70-110). Claire did an amazing job helping get it back up to normal but we had to use needles and syringes out of my backpack (THANKS Northern Peds) so the family didn't have to walk to the outpatient pharmacy every 30 minutes. And we learned the hard way that the pharmacy had run out of Phenobarbital overnight so we had no IV long-acting seizure meds (they gave dad the tablets instead, but of course she's unconscious..arghhhhhh). It was nice having extra hands -- Dr. Ann and Claire -- there today because they called us to peds ward for a "sick baby" - a one month old with a HUGE abscess on her back, a heartrate of 210 (just a wee bit fast), fever, and grunting. We carried her into the ICU "tout de suite", then had to pause and quickly find someone to transfer so we would have a bed to place her on. The surgeon managed to drain the pus, and we cleared the bed next to our other septic one month old with necrotizing fasciitis of the entire left leg (who is still alive and has been with us a whole week, thanks only to God). I explained to Claire that we didn't have oxygen or suction, very few antibiotics, no maintenance IV solutions, and power for 4-5 hours on a good day (today happened to NOT be a good day - a holiday (except it wasn't, see below) - so we never got power). By the time we were done rounding on the 29 peds patients (including 7 severely malnourished kids, one of which wouldn't stop crying because he was still hungry after the enriched pooridge we provide (of all things to cry about) but whose parents couldn't afford to buy food for him..argghhhh) I think her eyes were glazed over and she was close to going into shock.

We spent some time trying to process the day - I'm still struggling with the poverty here myself. It is so much poorer than Togo, even, and I thought things were a struggle in Togo. We knew in our heads that Chad was the fourth poorest country in the world, but it is still a shock to see the reality of it here. I kept remembering Mother Theresa and her ministry with the lepers and the poor. She didn't provide any miraculous cures either. She just loved and had compassion. (No great things, just small things done with great love). So maybe we just need to BE here ("to suffer with our brothers and sisters in Christ" like the AIM video mentioned). I don't know. It's a little much to process.

And about the holiday, funny story. Today was supposed to be a National Holiday - Independence Day. No regular work, even hospital workers, the night shift stays on for the day, morning devotions cancelled, etc.. But apparently the President announced yesterday that the holiday was POSTPONED until January 11, 2011 - and that everyone should work as regularly scheduled. Well, since it was announced yesterday and no one around here has power let alone newspapers, radios or TVs, that caused a bit of confusion. Probably less than half of the staff showed up (maybe why Flouron didn't come in?). Rachel, our house help, didn't come in. And we never got morning generator power (similar to Sundays). So who knows? Interesting day.

As I've typed I've been listening to "Only Temporary" by Mercy Me, and it was a nice reminder. Let's fix our eyes on Jesus (not ourselves or our troubles), the author and perfecter of our faith, and the joy set before Him and us (up there, not down here) - Heb 12:2. "Let's hold unswervingly to the hope that we profess for he who promised is faithful - Heb 10:23." (Because hope will not disappoint - Rom5:5)

Some other highlights from the past week:

Aug 5 - David (da-VEED) has visited at 6am the last two days. We've (Cari?) decided not to accept visitors before 7am : ) and have started keeping the windows and doors closed at night. I still think of him as my Lazarus at the gate of the rich man, but I'm wondering if Lazarus also knocked on the door every morning? The traditionally VERY pediatric ICU currently has three adults, all pregnant ladies - when does Dr. Ann return?!?!

Aug 6 - Cari and the boys came to the ward to sing, blow bubbles, and hand out stickers again. Another very good time. Tons of laughter. A whole new set of patients and families who have never ever seen bubbles before...Wow. Very impressed with how Drew is handling this.

Aug 7 - Tony loves the bubble thing and decides to take it upon himself to go outside and blow bubbles for the goats. Very cute. Andy is invited to a celebration for the outgoing and incoming hospital chaplains - 2.5 hours and a feast after of rice, chicken, and tea. He also meets all the important local people including the chief of Bebalem, and is very embarrassed to be wearing sandals while everyone else is dressed to the 9s. Both chaplains have their families sing for everyone as part of the celebration. He prays God will protect his intestine and God answers. He is reminded of (and humbled by) the fact that the chaplain ALSO has to care for every patient in the hospital (and their families) and there is only one of them. Wow again.

Aug 8 - Boys sit through church. Good job Drew and Tony. Pouring rain with rivers off the tin roof so boys put on suits and go outside to play. Tons of puddles so we joke a little about "chocolate milk" (just one of the food items we've discussed missing).

Aug 9 - Cari finds Tony drinking muddy water outside. (Cari: "Tony, what are you doing?")(Tony: "Drinking chocolate milk." (duh, mom!)) Took some video of Cari singing with and teaching English to the kids at her afternoon class. Drew usually helps her. Today, afterwards, he sprints all the way home (followed by many of his soccer buddies laughing and playing), grabs the soccer ball, yells over his shoulder that he's off to the basketball/soccer/tennis court, and leaves, followed by the same crowd of soccer buddies. I think he's starting to feel more comfortable here.

Aug 10 - Dr. Ann and Claire arrive. Finally able to catch up on emails
thank you to everyone who wrote). One of them is a group email from Drew's Sunday school class. Very sweet. Very, very sweet.

Thank you to everyone who is for praying for us. We certainly have a lot to think and pray about. We are also praying for you (Ps 34) - that you are well and chasing hard after HIM (Ps 63:8). Don't let the thorns grow up and choke your faith! (Luk 8:14).

The Robertsons