Apuli

So, today was the second day through the clinic. I followed Dr. Elias first through OPD (outpatient department) and then to the surgery theater. Every case was so very interesting from constipation to high blood pressure to HIV and TB. One young man came, he was sixteen years old with a history of HIV and onset of TB starting 6 weeks ago. He is being treated but still has swollen lymph nodes in the neck. The doctor wanted to excise and drain the nodes, but the patient seemed hesitant and reluctant. After seeing several more patients and a good hour later, a woman came to the room door and asked to enter. She was the boy's aunt. He has no parents for they died from AIDS. The young man was born with HIV. The aunt came to express her worry that if he has the small procedure done then he will not heal and will die. It was hard to convince her that the boy needed this done to prevent further suffering, yet she eventually realized it would be best. She stated that her nephew would need convincing, so we sent her to talk to him. We continued to the theater where the doctor performed a pleural effusion chest drain. I was quite affected by it and had to take a seat. I am used to skin surgery but going past the dermis was difficult for me to handle. When we were through, the doctor thought he might take a lunch, but the nurse said the young man was ready to have the I&D for the lymph nodes. He was pleased the boy consented, so we went ahead and prepared him for surgery. The young man was shaking on the table, partly because it was cold but perhaps more from fear and nerves. I administered the anesthesia and told him not to worry. Poor thing, he seemed so frightened. I wanted to let him know it would be alright. As the doctor continued to prep, I asked the boy for his 'ampaco' which means pet name. His is Apuli. I told him I was Amoti. The doctor began the local anesthesia with a needle and Apuli flinched as his hand went up to his neck. I grabbed his hand and told him to squeeze my hand. He squeezed very hard. For the remainder of the surgery, I held his tightly gripped hands....and I prayed for Apuli. I told him he was strong and how good he was doing. I'm not sure why he didn't pass out from the IV meds but he was still conscious throughout the procedure. I pray he did not feel pain but only the pressure. He whinced and cried out in pain but the doctor didn't stop. He had to remove all the lymph tissue that was accumulated and caseated. I held his hands tightly and every once in a while would squeeze them to remind him I was there. When we were through, we sat him up, wiped the blood off and I told him I was praying for him. Then I shared with him a song that I was singing in my head during his procedure, 'The Joy of the Lord.' He said he had heard that song, and he asked me if we could remain friends. I told him of course. I had to leave then. So I am hoping that I have the chance to see him again in the wards, if he is there. I didn't find out whether or not he would be admitted there. I hope so. The doctor kept saying there were many issues that needed to be addressed. I think I heard mention of ridicule from kids at school. That sweet boy....poor thing. All I can do right now is pray for him as the Lord consistently reminds me of him. I know I will see him soon... Apuli...

2 Weeks in...

My oh my, how time flies! I can't believe its been two weeks already spent in Fort Portal! Our very own Dr. Goodgame came to see us the previous week on Thursday. It was good to see him and discuss what our plans were for our projects. I suppose the main direction that I hope to focus my efforts is towards the reason for admissions and discharges and seeing how many days patients stay in the wards. So far, I have really been enjoying rounding with the doctor in the medical ward and through OPD (outpatient dept). Something that I have been thinking about though is the way the communication is organized. There have been so many instances where doctor's orders have been given out but there has not been any action taken. I believe many factors contribute to this but perhaps the main reason is because the communication between nurse from shift to shift is not thorough. I have been trying think of a way to offer a solution so that the doctor's don't get upset at the nurses, the nurses don't get blamed, but mostly so that the patient gets the care that is prescribed. So, Callie and I talked about Color Coding patients needs, which is a good thought but would require extra training to understand. As I was lying here in bed, I thought perhaps a table or a chart with each cell describing the patient's important needs other than normal drugs, fluids, etc. So, I think I may work on this for a little bit and see what I can do. I want to be a blessing here and I pray the Lord helps me to see with His heart how to love these patients and how to help this clinic. Thank you, Jesus, so much for helping me here in Uganda. Lord, you know how much I have longed to be on the foreign mission field doing your work. This chance in Uganda has been so helpful for me to see how you may plan things in the future for our ministry somewhere in Cambodia. Lord, please help my heart as I miss my husband and best friend, Nathan. How incredibly blessed we are to be made one in You, for I feel that though we are apart we are still together... wow, I just thought about how deep Your love for us is. Jesus you came and dwelt among Your people, destined to be Your Bride, the Church. But then You had to return home for a time before being reunited with us. How we long for You! How we miss You, oh Lord! But though we are apart, we are still together because we have been joined by The power if Your Holy Spirit! How awesome! Thank you, Lord for showing me this this evening and reminding me how tenderly You care for us. May we sleep well this morning and night. Love You, with all of my heart!

Church and crunches

Today was a very nice Sunday. I still cant believe that we are in Uganda! We went to a small Bible church called Calvary Chapel. The pastor is American and he and his wife have been in Uganda for nine years. It was nice to meet them and they invited us over for dinner on Thursday night. We are excited to spend time with some fellow Americans and believers. We spent the day doing random things in town. I found out where I can buy a Bible! So hopefully I can get one tomorrow! We ate dinner with Sister Pricilla and Teopista and then returned to their time o show them some stretching and ab exercises. They are such precious people! Its sleepybtime now. I really miss Nathan and wish we were close to each other right this moment. But God is gracious and we know that we are still together in the Spirit. Praise the Lord!