Some Differences Between Our Hospital and Yours…

You have electronic medical records, and documentation is done on the computers.

We have patient charts and they are paper, and handwritten!

Your patients have private rooms with a toilet or commode in each room.

Our patients have to use the outhouse…and it’s not much more than a hole in the ground.

The hospital you work at is probably one big building, or maybe a few large buildings attached to each other.

Our hospital is made up of many small buildings that you have to walk between.

You have a designated med room for all the medicine. 

Our patients medicine is in the room with the patients (in a locked drawer, however)

You have multiple choices of food at your cafeteria.

We get only item of food for lunch.

Your patients don't give each other advice on what they should be doing.

Our patients advise and correct each other on a daily basis.

If you need to get the OR team together for an emergency surgery, you call them on the phone.

We have to send someone to pick them up at their houses…because the phone isn’t working.

Your patients’ beds have sheets on them.

Ours don’t.

Your OB delivery area has several beds. 

Ours has two.

If it’s raining, you can get from the OR to post-op without going outside.

We get soaked just traveling between the bathroom and the Med-Surg wards.

SO BE THANKFUL, have fun, and COME HELP us if you get the chance. :) 

For more info visit www.congohospital.org

New Baby

So last night I went to Maternite for a mom who had come in after having a couple of hours of labor at home. Together with the nurse on duty that night, I got some supplies ready and talked with the mom a bit. This was her sixth pregnancy and she was fairly calm and composed, and didn't seem that far along in labor. The other nurse told me she had just checked her and she was only at 3 cm. I checked the fetal heart tones which were within normal range and got my stuff organized. It was about 9:00 and she had only just come in, so I went back to my house to get some OB pads and electrolyte powder for after the delivery.

When I came back, I went back into the labor and delivery room to check on the mom. She said, "the baby's coming!" and sure enough, she was right. So much for 3cm - she was probably actually at 9. The other nurse quickly got the clamps and bulb syringe ready while I got on sterile gloves and escorted a beautiful baby girl into the world. I was amazed at the mom's composure and cheerful attitude.

After getting the baby dried off, weighed and dressed, I examined the placenta and gave the mom her medications, then helped her sit up and feed the baby. She was already a pro at breastfeeding, so that part was easy.

When we'd cleaned up, I struggled a bit with the documentation, which I haven't had much experience with. I have to write everything in French, but thankfully I had help. :)

I don't have plastic cups for Maternity yet, so I mixed up the electrolyte powder with water in an old oatmeal can and gave it to the mom. She was so excited to receive it. This is a new thing I'm going to implement - rehydration for moms after delivery! What a concept. Most of them don't even get a sip of water for hours afterwards.

 I went home very happy about the normal, complication free delivery and the happy and healthy mom and baby. The mom stayed the night and I checked on her again in the morning.

I was also able to give tickets to all the moms in maternity who had recently delivered so they could get postnatal vitamins in the pharmacy. Thankfully we can give these for free, but we have to keep track of how many we give out, hence the ticket system. I am in charge of documenting and supervising the vitamin distribution. I need as much help as I can get!

First Call

Tonight I got called to the Salle de Urgence for a one month old baby who had been brought in having serious problems. She was already getting cold (at least her hands and feet were) and she was breathing about once every 10 seconds when I got there. I sent Papa Leonard to Maternity to get an infant BVM because we didn’t have any in the Emergency area. I got someone to go for Dr. Loes, surprised that they hadn’t called him first, and then I attended to the baby. Unfortunately the only airways available were the wrong size. Thankfully Paige was there with me to help, and Esther had come as well. They were both great. Even after bagging for a while and repositioning the baby, it was pretty obvious that nothing was going to make a difference.

We prayed for the baby and then I explained to the mom as gently as possible that the baby probably wasn’t going to survive, and if she’d like to hold her baby. Perfectly quiet but with tears streaming down her face she held her baby girl for the last few minutes, then Dr. Loes suggested we remove the oxygen and IV so we did. Around this time the wailing started. One girl threw herself on the floor screaming and crying. Everyone around us started to cry, and we quietly slipped out. After I gave Chaldie my phone number so she could call me during the night, the three of us walked back to the house in silence.

Maternity

Today was my first full day working in Maternite. It was a challenging and slightly frustrating day, but very good over all. We have quite a few premies right now. See twins pictured below:

The learning curve is very steep. I have to remember what I learned before, in additional to all the new responsibilities I have now as a nurse. It’s exciting but also daunting.

The Maternity and postpartum buildings are a complete mess. It will take weeks of work to get everything cleaned up and in good order. All the rest of my supplies are either still in Brazzaville or in the container which will come on the boat in a month or so. Hopefully.

I did some teaching about breastfeeding and diaper changing, since most of the babies in Maternity right now have diaper rashes from not being changed often enough. Most of the moms haven't been drinking enough water either, so I made sure they each got plenty of water. Even the little things can help.

Joyeux Anniversaire!

Today we had a joint birthday party for Cherissa and Karis Samoutou, and Benonie Kimwanga. 

Below is a picture of the Kimwanga family. 

They are so happy that Benonie has made it through her first year! Please pray for their family as they are hoping to visit their home town in the DRC in July.

Spending some time with the Birthday girls...

Esther and Karis

Kate and Benonie

The Samoutou Family and Kimwanga Family

Faith

Faith has been helping teaching violin to some very happy and thankful missionary kids!!! This is exciting since I am passing off my wonderful student Cherissa (who I started on the violin three years ago) to Faith (who was my very first violin student). Faith has far surpassed me in violin and she will be teaching all three of the Samoutou children. It’s fun to see how these things go around…

Faith has also been helping with a sweet little girl J—- who had severe burns over most of her body. She needs lots of physical therapy - which we are working on, but she also just needs extra love and attention. Since there are several of us girls here right now, we can definitely give her that! 

J—- is very scarred and damaged physically, and also suffering emotionally. She has experienced so much pain in the past few weeks and is very fearful of more pain. Her burn wounds have not completely healed yet, but she is so much better than she was.

Today Faith spent time in the post-surgery wards with J—- and the women making jewelry and doing crafts. They all had a great time and Faith came home tonight practically glowing. I am so proud of her and how well she’s doing here.

 When I first met J—- two days ago they said she had been refusing to eat and screaming and crying whenever someone tried to get her to move. Within an hour or so of meeting her, I was able to get her to eat and do some coloring with crayons I brought. She is quite the artist. She was still hysterical when made to walk, but she has gone from almost constant crying to smiling and walking a little bit today, thanks to Faith helping her out.

We are going to keep working with J—— several times a day. The difference is huge even after just two days and I’m so encouraged to see how she is responding. Please pray for her. 

I think Faith has found her place here….or one of them. 

Welcome Home to Congo

I am so happy to be here. In so many ways it is like coming home. I have waited to so long for this….and after getting here I realized how everyone else was waiting too. Everyone here at the hospital has made me feel very welcome. By “everyone” I mean all the hospital staff - most of whom are local Congolese people. Even the people who started working at the hospital after I left welcomed me with much excitement. Apparently I got even more popular while I was away. 

Chapel this morning was fun. I got to see so many old friends and they were so joyful and excited to see me. It was the loudest visitor welcome I’d ever heard in chapel. I spent most of the morning running errands around the hospital and greeting people. I am tired but very happy and thankful.

Some beautiful children I met on my way home today

Back in Impfondo

Well, we made it to Impfondo safe and sound! The trip went well. Although quite sleep deprived, everyone is feeling great, except for me. I was quite sick before leaving home and am just now feeling better, but I have a lingering cough. Please pray that it will go away soon!

We were able to bring about half of our luggage up from Brazzaville on the plane. The rest of it will come up by boat on the river in a few weeks. Hopefully it will be here soon, because most of the extra supplies are in those bags.

Some pictures for your enjoyment:

We took a walk down town and went to the large market. It was crowded but fun. Rebecca, who is a teacher from Hong Kong, joined us. In this picture they are discussing the Chinese sign one of the guys spotted.

Eating a meal together at the guesthouse in Brazzaville. Dr. Noe made it over from Kinshasa for a three day visit and he came to see Dr. Loes. Hopefully he will be joining us in Imfondo soon.

While in Brazzaville we got to visit friends and I introduced my sisters and Arwen to my “adopted” family who now live in the capital. We also met up with Dr. Loes, who is an internal medicine doctor from Arizona, and Rebecca, a teacher from Hong Kong. They traveled with us up to Impfondo.Helena, who is my adopted little sister

Esther and my friend Talia who helps run the guest house:

So here I go again...to Congo!!!

So lift your voice just one more time

If there's any hope may it be a sign

That everything was made to shine

Despite what you can see...

So take this bread and drink this wine

And hide your spirit in the Vine

Where all things will work by a good design

For those who will believe
















And let go of all we cannot hold onto

For the hope beyond the blue...

(Josh Garrels)