I know this post is incredibly delayed, but I've finally found some time to update the blog. I know you are all on the edge of your seats, waiting with anticipation. 

Lindsey and I arrived to the city of Tamatave on August 30th after a very long delay that included the ships turn around to South Africa after they found two stowaways on the ship! That's right, stowaways. 

The first week here was mostly just orientation to the wards and learning how to acclimate back to paper charting, calculating medication doses with calculators, calculating drip rates (which for none medical people, we never have to do anymore). I'm pretty much a nurse that has jumped back to the early 90s as far as nursing is concerned. But it's been great thus far!

I had an orientation on the ward I'll be on as well. There are currently 4 wards on the ship: A-ward- this is the ward I'll be on. It is specifically for the plastics patients which I'll go into later. B-ward- this is the women's health ward who will be getting vaginal fistula repairs; D-ward- this is the ICU ward along with Maxillofacial surgery patients, and lastly E-ward- which will be general surgery that includes hernia repairs, goiter removals, etc. the ship is equipped with pretty much everything you'd see in a hospital; Things like lab, CT scanner, X-ray machine, 5 operating rooms, etc. 

 This is A-ward!

This is what a typical ICU bed looks like.

Now about what I'll be doing. I will be caring for plastics patients mostly. What this means is that I will be caring for patients who are getting skin grafts for burns they have sustained. Burns here are very common in younger patients in Madagascar. They happen mostly when they trip and fall into open fires (they don't have electricity or stoves), or when they have seizures and accidentally fall into fires, electrical fires, etc. With these surgeries, the goal is to give patients more range of motion with their affected limb more than anything. Often times the burns have molded their arms to their sides so the surgeon will release the contracture and place a skin graft over it. We try to teach the patients and caregivers that we can't take their scar away but if we can give them a new range of motion then we've done what we can. This is common misconception with the patients. He other types of patients we get are patients that are getting surgery to remove extra finger and toes. This is called Polydactyly fingers or Sindactyly fingers, meaning an extra toe or extra fingers. I'm so excited to be taking care of patients like this. This is a completely new field for me, and I'm excited to learn something new!

This is a patient mercy ships treated last year. These will be the types of patients I take care of during my time here.

I've been seeing patients patients since last week and it's been great! Plastics starts this week so I've been seeing mostly general surgery patients. These people are truly amazing people I must say. I mean every patient there is so incredibly thankful for our help. We had a patient who has had a tumor on her back that was the size of a soccer ball for the last 30 years and just now got it removed. She was ecstatic at her ability to lay flat on her back for the first time in 30 years. When the daughter saw her mom, she burst into tears. Every patient has a story like that, and this is something where we are truly making a difference in people's life. They cannot believe that the care they are getting is completely free. Oftentimes in the local hospital, patients must bring everything they would need for care, including their own gloves. Can you imagine? I don't think we take enough time to appreciate the access to healthcare that we have in the states and it's something to be truly appreciated. 

Everyone here on the ship is doing their part to leave this country with accessible care. We are currently training hundreds of local midwives, surgeons, dentists, biotech people, in new techniques to safely deliver care to their people after we leave. The dentists are seeing an average of about 150 patients a day doing extractions, fillings, or crown placements. It's truly amazing work that's being dome here.

And lastly I'll speak to the Malagasy workers we have here. There is 1 translator to every 2 nurses on the ward that do all of the translation for us. I can honestly say that we would not be able to do what we do if it weren't for them. They are so good with the patients, and are the best at communicating to us to what the patient needs from us for a quick recovery. The general consensus that they all say as to why they are here is that they just want to help their people. If they can help their people overcome their fears about their surgeries by simply speaking for them and to them, then they know they've made a difference. 

I am so lucky to be here. I'm sorry this went on forever, but I hope it gave a little glimpse into what I'm experiencing here on a daily basis.