Dr. Pitts

08/22/2009

It has been several days since I was last able to have an internet connection and much has transpired. On our last day in Accra the van pulled up to the house to get us….ladies from the hotel in tow. I threw open the side door to find one of my comrades with her head buried in a plastic bag with her face flush, and tears rolling down her face. I took one look at her and said, “Stay cool….I’ll be right back!” One of my Dr. friends back in the States advised me on the taking of antibiotics in the bush…take one at the first sign of “Danger Will Robinson!!!” and another in the evening… most nasty little bugs will resolve themselves shortly and then save the rest of the doses for the remainder of the trip. On that advice I gave her a powerful antibiotic and then our fearless leader Kofi whisked us off the hospital. Please note: I had my suspicions about malaria and wondered how much drinking had happened the night before. Hmmmmm…

Upon arrival, it was clear that we would have to wait in line behind the some 150 to 200 people waiting for the Doc, who hadn’t arrived as of 9 AM and was not expected for another 90 minutes. Visions of waiting to see my Doc at OHSU are dancing through my head and I have to say that I never thought that I’d have gratitude for my usual 20 minute delay. I guess it’s all really relative isn’t it?

From here it was to a private clinic for initial consult and 20 minutes later we are on our way to a medical testing lab with hand written orders form the Doc. The testing lab was above a market and next to a paint store. The waiting room had prices painted on the wall and the patient room was a closet of a space with a chair, some blood collection equipment, and a desk. The technician wore no gloves, did not wash his hands, and did not clean or dress the area that he poked for blood. Rapid malaria tests take 20 minutes, and fresh fried doughnuts ensued in the meantime. Mmmmmm

Back to the clinic and, “What do we have for our lovely contestant behind door number 3, Bob?” That’s right: malaria parasites present! As well as food poisoning, stomach cramps, possible bacterial infection, and a nasty hangover to boot. Shame, shame…and she thought we wouldn’t find out. What an adventure….I was able to participate in the consult and the Doc appreciated my help and asked her to continue the course of antibiotics that I had started her on. Not bad for my first dose of practicing medicine in the rough….lol.

Fast forward a few days and I am in the village of Kormantse (see next blog for many of the detail of how we got here, and what we have been doing). It has come to my attention that a few of the young girls in the village have wounds on their feet that are not doing well. With the help of their Assemblyman, or Mayor for all intents and purposes, and a whole lot of on-lookers I was able to administer basic first aid, clean the wounds, dress them ,and teach a woman in the village how to use some of the medical supplies that I brought along so that she might continue to clean and dress the wounds. There was a serious language barrier, but we had a translator and everything went jsut fine. Never in my entire life in and around healthcare have I seen such unfailing bravery as in the case of these 2 young girls. Not a peep out of them, and a genuine curiosity about the process and what I was doing. They were perfect patients. Interestingly, a man in his forties had a similar wound and would not let me help him. It took ten minutes of convincing to even get a look a the wound on his foot, which was wrapped in a filthy rag. The rag help a green paste of traditional medicine on the wound and he had an interior liner made out of a recycled water bag. Oh...yeah, for those who haven't been here, the water is sold in 500 ml baggies. I know, it took some getting used to...as suckling a 500 ml baggie is...well....awkward.