Clinic Day #5: Last But Not Least
- Emily Graves
- May 11, 2018
- 7 min read
Location: same as yesterday (Byerima Primary School)
Patients Served: 134 people!!
We only worked until 1:30pm today because we are moving hotels tonight.
Today we had a short day so we could do inventory at the end and get everything packed up and ready to travel. I did my workout with my workout buddies and then we had breakfast and headed back to the same location. I would have to say that today was the best day we had in the vans singing wise. Please keep your eyes peeled for Gabby, Taylor & I's next album: Can't Stop, Won't Stop; Apologies in Advance. Pre-sale coming soon.
We were able to see everybody today since there was a shorter line because we saw most of them yesterday, so that was nice! We also had people return to pick up some cool inventions that my team members were making for a little kiddo. Incredible, man. IN-CREDIBLE.
Gabby and I finally thought our day had come to be on the same team, but alas, Patty decided that that would be way too much greatness on one team so probably with her better judgment she decided "better not".
We actually started the day with some "skip-it" action. Patty was extremely good at it. Cindy.....well she's the cutest!!
Then we got down to business!
First hour and a half...lower back pain!!! Yay! I'm telling ya, can't get enough.
Then we had a pretty complex case. A little 7 year old boy that had been diagnosed with malaria when he was one came in and since the malaria he has not been able to talk, walk, feed himself, etc. The mom and dad both came in which I had not seen before. He couldn't hold himself up at all and the mom constantly has to care for him. Since he is 7 and still growing, you can only imagine how heavy he is and how taxing this is on the mom. This was one of their chief complaints, so we decided to get him a transfer wheelchair since he won't be able to push himself. We had to do a lot of work on the
wheelchair though because it wasn't meant for a child. So to work we went! We put a cushion that we had in the seat to give him a little boost up. We got foam noodles and put them on both sides of where his head would be to keep it steady. We held them in place with parachute ties that we put through the wheelchair. We also got him a comfy chin strap in order to keep his head up and hold his chin up and not on his chest. This helps him with breathing and postural control. We then put an arch shaped foam piece behind his lumbar portion of his back to support his trunk. We added a seatbelt to keep him safe (even burnt the end of the strap so it wouldn't fray), and then finally added a foam noodle under his knees to keep him propped up. I know when you're reading this it sounds SUPER extra, but you have to realize that when these children don't see early intervention like kids in the states, there's not much we can do for them in relation to regaining the ability to walk and be independent. Our goal for these families is to find out what THEIR goals are at this point and figure out how we can make their lives easier. If that means we spend an hour and a half fixing up a wheelchair with 10 different parts just so his mom doesn't have to carry him everywhere, then that's what we are going to do. That's our job. I hope we did that for this family. They were so proud to be his parents and it was so awesome to witness. They wanted to take so many pictures and they kept smiling and hugging us, so I can assume they were happy about the wheelchair. I also might have slipped him some peanut butter at the end....
Since the wheelchair took some time, I was only able to treat one more patient before we finished and treated the staff!
This little guy was a 6 year old boy who had wounds on his left foot and toes. They ended up being jiggers! Which were common to see. Different than chiggers which we had to learn and was pretty confusing at the time. We saw both of them quite often, though! Chiggers aren't visible to the naked eye and they bite you and cause pain and irritation and lots of itching. Jiggers are a form of fleas while chiggers are mites. So jiggers dig in your skin and then hang out forever if they can and lay eggs that can cause some intense pain later on if not taken out. Now like I told you earlier, I can do all types of wounds, but I can not do worms or larva. So naturally, here I was!! Thankfully, however, I was not able to find the host because it would have caused intense bleeding. All I could do was clean it the best I could, wrap it, and get some shoes for the little guy. He was crying the entire time because of the pain, so I found a cool minion fan like the ones you get at Disney World and of course I let him leave with it. What can I say? I'm a sucker. He got some medication for the pain and irritation and we were able to get him a referral to the hospital to actually get them removed. We had him smiling by the end of the trip, but it's crazy to think how many people are walking around with these kinds of parasites and fleas in their skin. Fun fact that isn't fun at all: I actually found a jigger in my toe when I got back home. Thank goodness I was well aware of how to treat it, so all is well now, but it was crazy to see how I was only there for a week and a half with shoes on the entire time and I still got one! I think it was karma for me making fun of Kathryn for finding a worm on her in the shower. I should probably learn my lesson from that one.
In case you were wondering if we got asked any weird questions during our time there from patients, I can assure you that we did indeed. I got asked about birth control, menstrual cycles, many things of relation to men reproductive organs, you name it! My professor even did a class for young women on back pain associated with menstrual cycles. I just had to keep reminding myself that they have never had access to health care! We grow up with books and classes to teach us every basic thing, but they get nothing. It did keep the days interesting, as if they weren't already enough.
Anyways, we had about an hour left, so we started treating the staff. I got to treat some of my favorites and I even got hook my main man Syrus up with some sick shoes!!! I had been saving them all day because they were the biggest I could find and they fit like a glove!! It was a true Cinderella story. He was so happy and he hugged me and I naturally gave him peanut butter and then we went our separate ways. I'm so incredibly thankful for the awesome staff and interpreters we had serving with us. They are some of the best people I have ever met and they made me a better therapist and person. I can only wish all the best for them!
I mean look at that smile, he had been waiting all day for those fresh kicks! (Probably less than he was looking forward to the peanut butter though...)
We then ended the day with lots of classic last day pictures and happy hearts. We got pizza on the go, loaded the vans, and went home from our last clinic day. We got back and had to find our suitcases which were already packed and loaded in a room. We changed our clothes and then it was time to get back in the vans and head to a safari lodge on the Nile River for our free day! I'll stop here for the day and include the free day in a later post.
This is the whole squad, & can I just say.....WHAT A GROUP OF INCREDIBLE PEOPLE.
As our clinic and serving has ended, I can't begin to explain the impact this experience has made on me as an occupational therapist and as a person and follower of God. Some people would go into this 3rd world country and automatically question "Where is God??" but the ironic thing is, I'm having to look harder to find Him here in the states than I did in Uganda. I looked around everywhere in Uganda and it was like I was constantly pointing out where I saw God. I saw Him in every smile I saw; I saw Him in the pain patient's didn't feel somehow when we were cleaning wounds; I felt Him in every handshake I received and every hug I embraced; I heard Him in every giggle of the kids whose worlds were lit up by bubbles or a piece of chalk; I saw His scarred hands help push the most wounded patients to the front of the lines; I could imagine Him smiling as patients saw clearly for the first time in their lives; I heard Him sing praises with the people in the spiritual healing and prayer tents, as they remained steadfast in their faith and patience in the Lord. So yes, we should be aware that some countries have it far worse than us and we should appreciate and never take for granted what we have and do what we can to help, but we should NEVER be concerned that God isn't with these people, because to me, they exude God and all He is. It was incredibly life-changing to witness, and I'm excited to take what I have learned from these people and apply it in my every day life. God is so good, His heart is so pure, and I am so thankful.
For everyone who has supported and prayed for my team and I, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
For my team who taught me so much about loving people and what it means to be a real, true, health care provider, y'all are my idols. From classmates, to professors, to people I just met, y'all have truly touched me in ways unimaginable and I can't wait to constantly bombard y'all with deeper questions, thoughts, and concerns and always starting sentences with "remember when we were in Uganda??" I love each of you and can't wait to see what more amazing things y'all go on to do!
Clinic days, out.
Next up: Free Day: Safari & Glamping Style
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