Independence day

Well, I am back in Chicacao at the clinic, and boy did I get spoiled in Antigua. We had a fun day of shopping and site seeing in Antigua on Friday, and I rode back Saturday with Danny, one of the workers, after we dropped the surgical team off at the airport. I bought way too much souvenir stuff in Antigua, but I figured I might as well because I am not sure if I will be staying through the next surgical group. But it was a really fun time and the hotel was so nice. Each room had 2 plush queen size beds, a fireplace (even though it was way too hot to use), an amazingly hot and powerful shower, and a pool (I forgot my bathing suit :(.) I really enjoyed the time I had to spend with the group, just talking about things and hearing the wiser ladies' perspective on life and things. And they all emptied their chocolate and goodies stash for me! One of the guys, Walt, left me the best tasting twizzlers I have ever eaten! But I think it has to do with that whole thing like when you are outdoors or camping and the food just tastes so amazing because you are so hungry!

My ride back to Chicacao with Danny was great too. He is a 25yr old originally from Nicaragua, and I think he works at Health Talents mostly because he is fluent in English and his wife is a nurse here too (Darling is her name). Danny is always just a crack up and jokester, so I felt really blessed when we were able to have a heart to heart talk on the ride back, just both sharing about one another's lives. He said he grew up in a children's home from 5-12yrs after his father died and his mother couldn't afford to raise him. Then he told me about how he and Darling came to be married. For me, sometimes it's just so easy to see the end result, the smiles and babies that come from a marriage and life, and forget that every person and relationship has a story full of bumps and bruises, ups and downs, some more painful than others.

So, back in Chicacao, Independence day celebrations are in full swing. They are having 4 days worth of parades all the way from this past Saturday to this coming Tuesday (the actual Independence Day). The parades all end right in front of my house at the soccer stadium, so the family has set up a little drink stand to make some extra money while watching the parades. Today the parade is for the local school children, and each school has a different theme. I had to come into work, so I showed one of the daughters how to use my camera because 2 of the kids are still in school. The central park area has more sketch carnival games set up, and I think the family has intentions to ride the ferris wheel.......is there any bubble wrap I can wrap myself in?

Some of the people from the last surgical group said they were going to put pictures up on facebook, so you should be able to see some soon from my facebook page once I get tagged. Just a warning, don't be alarmed if I look smaller.....I will gain my weight back when I get home! I don't know if I'm skinnier because of losing real weight or water weight, but thank goodness for draw string pants.

Its been hard to get to the computer or phone this last week, so sorry mom and dad. This week should be easier to communicate. And just so you know, even if I don't call or write you does not mean I am not thinking of and missing you. I'm still not sure whether I'm going to come home early or not. My flight home is still set for Oct. 17th, and I'm just going to take it a week at a time. 4 weeks behind me with about 5 weeks to go....its a little daughnting, so I'm just taking it a week at a time.

Hopefully going to the bank then internet cafe after work today if the workers/family lets me venture out. Hope you all are doing well. Love, Katie

Winding down

The surgical week is winding down...I think last night was the last big night and today we are sending everyone home. I get to go with the group to Antigua (a little more tourist type city here) to do some sightseeing on Friday and Saturday, so I'm excited about that!

The week went really well without any major complications. We did have a little old 75 yr old lady have an asthma attack last night. The reporting of past medical history doesn't really exist here, so none of us knew she had a past medical hx of asthma. After the Guatemalan staff helped her take a shower, I looked over at her and she was sitting in tripod position and coughing a lot. After listening to her and putting a pulse ox probe on her, she was 83% (normal >93%) on room air and wheezing terribly. We had to put her on 4L nasal canula O2 to get her sats >90% before I went and got the doctors for an albuterol treatment. But, she is much better this morning....just a little snag last night....very late last night! The 3-11 shift has turned into the 1-12p shift these last few days! But in all I think we did at least 120 surgeries because there were 3 teams of surgeons and I know one alone said they did 69 surgeries.

I hung out in the men's ward last night taking care of them. They were all so funny. I think there were about 10 of them I was taking care of, and it took me 2 hours to make my rounds on vital signs and pain meds because they all wanted me to stop and talk for an hour! One little old man told me that I was sweet like sugar as he was getting discharged this morning.....I couldn't help but laugh because he also had on his glasses that magnified his eyes like 10x as he was telling me.

Oh, but the main reason I am writing on here is to let you guys know that I can't access my email. One web page after another keeps getting inaccessible to me! First facebook now yahoo. Its taking like 30min to load my email, so sorry to mom, dad, whoever else may have written me this week. I can't get it. Maybe next week I will ask one of the sisters to walk me to the internet cafe. There may be a way to call/email in Antigua so I will take the time if I see it. But everything is fine here, nice and safe with the group. Love you all and talk to you soon.

Day 4/5

Well I have kind of lost count of how many surgeries that have been done...we are probably somewhere between 50-60 at this point. And let me tell you, I never want to have a hysterectomy after what I've seen these ladies go through. Yikes. The crazy thing is that we have been sending them home sometimes less than 24hr after surgery on TYLENOL. Well, I guess the post-op pain is better when compared to the prolapsed uterus they had before. Ok, enough with the gross stuff!

The little old men we have been taking care of are so funny. Most of them have had inguinal hernia repairs, and they have turned our men's ward into a fraternity hall as they compare dressings, IV's, who has been whimpiest with pain meds, and just hang out around each other's beds. We have had 3 more little boys with hernia repairs too. We had a 20 month old that got a hernia repair and circumcision all at once...talk about a bad day. For the kids, all we have for pain control is tylenol or ibuprofen, but we had to crush up part of a lortab and try to flavor it because he was beside himself. I think we had him a little loopy for a bit. But, he is doing much better today. 

It's been fun to start to know enough spanish to be able to joke around with the patients and with the other workers here at the clinic. Yesterday, my roommate wanted to take a walk around the clinic so we walked and then found this huge tree stump to sit on. While we were relaxing there, another Guatemalan nurse came over to sit with us. When she was leaving, my roommate, Ruth, said in spanish to watch out for her sunglasses on the floor. However, the other nurse, Martha, only heard "watch out" and saw something black.....and I have never seen someone so little jump so high. She is the quietest girl but she screamed at the top of her lungs because she thought she was about to step on a snake. Oh man did we laugh.....my side was hurting! 

Ok, story isn't so funny in writing, but its really neat to see the real friendships that are developing despite the language and cultural differences.

Yesterday I got to go a local little Cocoa farm to see how cocoa beans are harvested, roasted, and ground. It was really cool. I brought them some of my stash of Dove Dark Chocolate as kind of an exchange, and they gave me some of their fresh "chocolate." The ingredients were 1lb of cocoa to 2lb of sugar with a dash of cinnamon and cannola to bind it. It was a different flavor than regular chocolate, but really good, almost fudge taste. We got to take a little hike to see the cocoa trees, and we also saw a pineapple farm, a big canyon type thing with a river, and a 200yr old tree that is their national tree. It was huge! We took a pic at the base of the tree's roots....and we looked tiny! I felt like I was in Fern Gully or something. Then, back at the farm owner's house, the patriarch of the family, an 80yr old nearly deaf man was so excited to try out his english with me. He had taken a 20yr correspondence course and was really good. Francisco, a 20yr old worker at the clinic who speaks english, was dying laughing watching the man ask me what about 20 words were in english as I practically yelled the spellings into his ear. So that was really nice to get to go out to do something "fun" especially since I'm really restricted on how much I am allowed to leave the clinic and family's house now. (Rob...the hike did me some good!)

Still working the 5p-1a shift....and I think we have gotten things in better order now. I think it helps that I'm kind of bridging between the two shifts because it helps communicate different needs from one shift to the other. I've given up using my OCD charts. But, the 2 GYN surgeons from NY are funny and appreciate my tendencies and tried to talk me into coming to work with them in the OR in NY because she is just as OCD as I am. Mom, got to use my new steristrip and dermabond skills that I learned from your PT's for a woman's fresh TAH incision that opened up about 3/4", fairly superficially. It was probably 23:00 when it happened, and before I went to wake the doctors to tell them I put the steristrips on so she wouldn't be hanging open. I told them what happened and what I did, and they were like "Ok cool, thats all we would have done. As long as she isn't bleeding, we're good." She went home the next morning! Totally different atmosphere here at times.

Ok, well gonna rest some and head down to the clinic to help through lunch in a bit. Hope you are all doing well. Jessie, censor mom's comments from now on :). j/k mom, I laughed.

I'm coming home soon.

Labor Day

Happy Labor Day everybody. How was Boom's Day?

Well, it is day 2 of 5 at the clinic for surgeries....and man do we keep things moving. I am on the 3-11ish shift, but really im going to be working during lunchish time to give those nurses a slight meal break then from 5p-1am to help through the overnight change of shift. I'm exhausted already! Yesterday, we had maybe only 10 surgeries, but today we have those patients plus 21 new surgeries. I am enjoying being with the American team, but this reaffirms my feelings of being done with hospital floor nursing in my career as an RN. Even without the computer documentation there is a haunting similarity here to my bad memories back at Vandy!.....hospital nursing is just not for me. I will leave it to those nutty nurses who thrive off stress, blood, and guts. Me, I like quiet educational sessions, organizing, managing, being one-on-one. I'm excited to get back and try out substitute school nursing and teaching, a lot!

But there are 8 other people from Knoxville here- 2 great nurses that I will be working with on nights (who work at UT), a GYN surgeon, a 3rd year GYN resident, a cute little old couple who are our "compassionate caregivers," a guy that I think is an EMT but is working as a surgical tech, and I can't think who the 8th person is right now. It's a pretty big team in all....about 40 people from all over- New York, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee.

I'm kind of a weird liason between the American and Guatemalan nurses, as I am kind of in the middle.......didn't come with the Americans but also not Guatemalan. But, that makes it fun to get to float between everybody. I got pulled into the OR to translate before surgery yesterday. For people that don't speak spanish, they think I'm really fluent, but if you know any spanish, you know how intermediate I really am. But learning a lot and helping where I can!

The first day we had a few general surgery patients: hernia repairs and hemmroid repairs, but the majority were GYN patients. One lady had a 20cm mass removed from her.......but now she is also 20lbs lighter! My favorite patient was a little 6 year old girl named Katerine (got excited because we have the same name). Poor thing had a hernia repair and was such a trooper, but she threw up her first clear liquids after surgery and was just beside herself crying for her mom. But one of our compassionate caregivers was able to sit with her and sing to her, and after a little time and some zofran, she was up coloring and reading to us. Precious little girl...her mom came later on in the evening, and she went home this morning.

I got up early this morning and put my OCD tendencies to use making flowcharts for the recovery and floor nurses. If you aren't in the OR, the nurses kind of function as do-all people...we have a little corner of the room set up as our recovery area and then transfer the patients to the other side of the curtain for the "floor" where they stay until discharge. It was absolute chaos yesterday as everyone was trying to help at the same time and no one knew who had what patient, what had been done for what patient, etc etc. Its a whole different type of learning curve to have a bunch of random people thrown together and have to figure out how everyone else works. But, I think we got a little more organization together today. The nurses were really excited to have the flowsheets to keep their patients organized with, so hopefully today will be a lot better.

But all in all, things are going well. I think I am ready to come home, but just need to wait a couple more weeks out to finish the things that are already planned for me to help with. On Sept 23-25 we have the school education days, and I could not disappoint 500 kids by their "gringa" not showing up.

I'm bunking at the clinic with one of the Guatemalan nurses, Ruth. She's really sweet. She came from the capital to help us this week. And oh my gosh guys....here at the "hotel" at the clinic there are showers with warm water and no bugs, and fans, and cold drinking water, and no ants are getting in my snacks. It's amazing.

Will close for now. I can't get on facebook from the clinic, so if anybody needs me, just email or write on here. Hope everyone had a good Labor Day weekend. Ready to come home.

Blah

Feeling slightly defeated today and yesterday.....don´t know if its homesickness, feeling lonely, missing people at home, or just because I´m physically sick. Not very fun to feel this way when I feel a bit like an island anyways. That has always been a struggle of mine- accepting help and closeness with people...when the truth is we were made for relationship and community. May God open my heart to the people around me at this moment so that not only am I able to help them with their physical needs but so that we both can be reached in our emotional-spiritual needs.

This was one of my devotional readings this morning from Grace for the Moment:

¨Don´t panic¨

-Let us hold firmly to the hope that we have confessed, because we can trust God to do what he promised.- Heb 10:23

Your disappoinments too heavy? Read the story of the Emmaus-bound disciples. The Savior they thought was dead now walked beside them. He entered their house and sat at their table. And something happened in their hearts. Ít felt like a fire burning in us when Jesus talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us.´Luke 24:32.

Next time you are disappointed, don´t panic. Don´t give up. Just be patient and let God remind you He´s still in control. It ain´t over till it´s over.

Last night was Betty´s birthday party, and it was really fun. We had it at the church, and they had a visiting preacher come in for a revival type service. After church, we served dinner and cake to more than 100 people I´m guessing. It was a really big deal for them....apparently turning 15 is like the ´coming of age´ year. I was the photographer and took pictures of everything they kept pointing to. We are gonna go to the mall, about an hour away, one weekend soon to print them out. After the party, we went to the village square where they had some really weird carnival games set up for the weekend supermarket. It was quite odd playing foose ball in the middle of a little village in Guatemala while a Brittany Spears remix blarred over the radio. Just weird. It was kind of painful to watch them spend money on those carnival games that are rigged so you have about a 1/100 chance of actually winning, but I think they really had fun. With how hard they all work, I know they were so excited for a reason to celebrate.

They had family come in from Panajachel (about 3 hours away) for the party, so instead of their being 10 of us in a 3 bedroom house, there were about 25 last night. I didn´t have to share my bed with anyone...thankfully, but there were almost a few less Guatemalans in the village this morning. I don´t know how these people do it! We went to bed at like 11 then they were up again at full swing by 5am. One of the little kids won a trumpet toy at the carnival and decided to play parade up and down the hall this morning.......like I said, there were almost a few less Guatemalans in the village this morning! :)

But I just got a call from Karla (my old family´s pregnant sister) for a party at their house this morning. So, when I leave there, I´m going to take a Tuc-tuc (their version of a little taxi thing on steroids) to her house for a couple hours. Then around 5p, Dr. Lux from the clinic is picking me up for the surgery brigade. I´m not sure who I will be dorming with at the clinic or what shift I will be working yet. The Guatemalan nurses want me on their team in which case I´d work either a 12 day or 12 night shift each day, but I think I´m on team U.S.A. in which case I´ll work either 7-3, 3-11, or 11-7 (cue Kenney Chesney song, Shift work.....)

I know I joke around a lot, but I am feeling pretty disappointed-defeated today. Asking for your prayers! You are in my prayers constantly. Miss you.

Harmonization

Count down only 2 days until the U.S. surgery team gets here! I don´t know any of them (but found out 2 of the GYN surgeons are from Knoxville). Feels like Christmas to have them coming....a little taste of home! Miss you all very much!!!!!!!

So, since we are so close to the surgical week, we are in 6th gear (not really sure if there is actually a 6th gear) with preparations. Today, me and one of the other girls sanitized the recovery-overnight area. We scrubbed 50 beds, swept, and mopped. Tomorrow we will put all the sheets and stuff on the beds. I had to keep my attitude in check to keep from grumbling through work I didn´t particularly enjoy....I have a problem about that even for work I am getting paid for. Well, actually I grumble more about work I am getting paid for than about work when I´m volunteering. One of the 1,000,001 things I´m learning to work on! But, to keep from getting a bad attitude, God reminded me about the house keepers at the hospitals who clean rooms and beds for patients day in and day out. And I became very grateful for their hardwork and service. No one is an island....it takes a team to do anything!

Oh, and Wednesday ended up being another papsmear day. The morning of, I prayed earnestly for strength not to get sick to my stomach again, and guess what, God was faithful! I think there were only 4 ladies who needed papsmears, but that´s four more than I tolerated last time!

I´m probably going to be out of commission a little bit next week starting this Saturday. The surgical weeks are apparently a lot of fun in the end but a bit like boot camp. I´m a little scared....but nursing has always intimidated me a lot. My fears of doing something wrong, making the wrong decision....but I am learning that just as Paul had his ¨thorn in his flesh¨ that served as a constant reminder of his need for God, maybe my occassional fears and insecurities are my thorn in my flesh. I can pray for God to take them away, but maybe He doesn´t want to because they help me remember that ¨My grace is sufficent.¨In my weakness, His strength is glorified.

Feeling a bit under the weather. (Mom don´t worry, I´m alright). Woke up with a faucet for a nose and my muscles ache all over. Hopefully just a little cold. My stomach has been very well behaved.....had a little problem this morning, but I think its tolerating the culture well! Hopefully I will be back to 100% before the surgeries.

Tomorrow night is a birthday party for the youngest daughter, Betty. She turns 15, and we are having a huge party at the church. It should be fun! I think I am the one in charge of photography since I am the only one with a camera. Church is much better now that I don´t go everynight....that was wearing me out! I am understanding more and more of the lessons so its much more purposeful for me. I already told Ali about this, but singing at church is very interesting...its Church of Christ, so all accapela. But, rather than trying to harmonize, everyone just sings as loud and forceful as possible! Last night, as small group of them were at the house ¨working on hymnals¨and harmonization, and oh my gosh guys.....I couldn´t go in the room. I know they were singing from their heart, but one of them was having some major trouble! I acknowledge that I can´t sing well...thats why I only impart it on those who already love me!

Thanks to everybody for their comments, makes me feel really good. Love you and miss you.

Top Ten

Let's start off with a list of my top ten "Did that really happen?" moments thus far:

10. The Clinic computer's music collection consisting of a large collection of Otown, BSB, and Nsync songs as the only English music available.
9. The complete lack of trashcans anywhere...everything just goes on the ground and piles up on the sides of the street.
8. Seeing the gecko that climbs up my wall everyday around 5pm (he asked me if I needed insurance the other day....wow, i know that was really corny. i know.)
7. Eating tortillas 3 meals a day as the main staple of food/trying to fill my stomach so I'm not hungry in an hour. I never plan to eat another tortilla outside Guatemala again.
6. Not being able to walk 1 block without seeing dogs making more dogs (apparently Guatemala has never seen The Price is Right or Bob Barker...ok, ya, another corny one)
5. Ants getting everywhere, even into a double sealed bag of Smilies. RIP :(
4. Waking up to a cockroach crawling on me..and sadly, not the first, only, or last time it will happen.
3. Eating refried beans 5 times over....they start out as a soupy substance, move to a more pasty consistency with another refrying, by the 5th time they are served, they're more of a beany loaf, and my guess is that they can be eaten all the way up until petrification. (ok, bad joke number 3....come on guys, there is no one to speak english with here, so this is what happens.)
2. Having to perform paps in 90* heat...I won't go into anymore detail. But there is another pap day this week....I'm going to die.
1. Jose taking my old tooth brush out of the trash because he wanted you use it, and his mom said it was fine....(when they weren't looking, I washed my old one with bleach so he wouldn't catch my cold.)

That's the list so far. How about some comments.....top songs on the radio right now? top movies, top anything? I know I have been gone for only 2ish weeks, but it feels like an eternity. What all is going on at home? I don't think I'm going to stay until the Oct 17th date....if I stay through September, I won't miss anything planned so far (parade, school education day, Karla's baby's arrival), but I don't see myself making it much more than a month more. We will see. I talked to the supervisor here and he was really understanding, and he just told me to let him know what I decide for sure so he can change the plane ticket.

Despite wanting to come home earlier than planned, things are going really well, and I'm feeling more adjusted everyday. The work at the clinic is great, and I'm getting very excited for the Surgery team coming this Saturday. One of the doctors is from Laurel Church of Christ in Knoxville, I think. Even though I don't know any of them, I am excited to get to work with them and stay up at the clinic for a week! So, this week is just finishing up final preparations for surgery. Yesterday I did inventory and restocked the small pharmacy at the nurses' station in the hospital wing.....have to admit I got a little OCD with my organization. Then, this morning, I checked some of the vital sign equipment, and now I'm making posters for the education days at the school near the clinic (the hygiene stuff). One the the employees wants to teach me to run the Autoclave machine to sterilize the equipment for surgery, but I'm a little scared of it. Its a huge machine with like 50 steps and valves. I am even too scared to turn on the gas grill by myself!

I feel like I've kind of hit a little dry spot in my spiritual growth.....I've made it through almost all my books I brought, not to say there isn't a gazillion and one more things I need to and can learn. I think that what I am learning most is that it all boils down to having faith in this Grace. We can do nothing to gain, repay, or deserve this great Love and Grace given to us. Before I can even give my explanation or apology for why I left Him or went away, the Father is waiting with open arms and a kiss to embrace me, to welcome me Home, without a second thought.. (Matt. 15). So, it comes down to a choice, will I have faith above all else in this Great LOVE and GRACE to take me through every fear, every day, every moment, every choice?

Another story from the Ragamuffin Gospel:

Perhaps we are all in the position of the man who came to the edge of an abyss. As he stood there wondering what to do next, he was amazed to discover a tightrope stretched across the abyss. And slowly, surely, across the rope came an acrobat pushing before him a wheelbarrow with another performer in it. When they fnally reached the safety o solid ground, the acrobat smiled at the man's amazement. "Don't you think I can do it again?" he asked. And the man replied, "Why yes, I certainly believe you can." The acrobat put his quetion again, and when the answer was the same, he pointed to the wheelbarrow and said, "Good! Then get in and I will take you across!"


Me: Daily as I wake up, I ask God to give me the courage to climb in the wheelbarrow and walk with Him across the abyss. If there were 100 steps between me and God, He would take 99 and just ask me to take 1.