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Trip Three: Week Nine! August 17-23

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Nine weeks down, four to go!  This week felt like an emotional rollercoaster, honestly... and it was the quickest (and also longest) week yet.  On Monday, we had the first patient screening day for the start of the thyroid surgical block! The team saw around 30 patients, many of whom have had these large goiters for 10+ years. While we are technically still doing general surgery, it is quite different than the processes for hernia/hydrocele general surgery. It was interesting getting to learn about thyroidectomy surgeries and the steps these patients have taken before even getting to the ship. The thyroid patients need to have regular blood tests done and medication prescribed to ensure their levels are within a certain range before they can have surgery. Many of them have been receiving care from Mercy Ships for weeks/months before ever being seen by an actual surgeon. Starting this four week thyroid surgical block brought quite a bit of nerves for me. I haven't really done a...
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Trip Three: Week Eight! August 10-16

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Eight weeks down, five to go! Nothing too exciting to report this week. It was a full and busy week in the OR, and I did not do too much outside of work.  This was the last week of hernia/hydrocele/lipoma general surgery before the four week thyroid block starts next week. Because of that, we tried fitting in as many patients as we could! We operated on 4-5 patients a day, finishing after 5:30pm every day. That schedule this week didn’t give much time for social activities after work.  On Thursday morning, I did go for a sunrise run with a new friend Katie before work. It was a sweet time and a great way to start the day.  Friday brought another round of farewells in the OR, of course. The two general surgeons who have been here for the past four weeks are leaving over the weekend, which is bittersweet. It is rare that surgeons stay on the ship longer than two weeks, so we were really able to establish a routine and rhythm in the OR together.  The weekly team buildin...
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Trip Three: Week Seven! August 3-9

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Seven weeks down, six to go! We have officially crossed the halfway mark.   Praising God for many answered prayers this week! For those who read my last blog, I shared that it had been a challenging week filled with emotional and mental lows. I am so thankful that I can share that this week, God has given me so much of his peace and his joy. Even though there were still challenging times both at work and in my personal life, God was so gracious to me. I felt his presence and that he was answering many of my prayers. I formed some new connections with people here on the ship, and also had life-giving conversations with friends at home. This week, I felt God  giving me the strength and confidence to get out of my comfort zone more and see what He might have for me.  The Lord has answered so many other prayers this week, especially one that I’ve been praying about for over a year! I am feeling so blessed and thankful to serve a God who hears me, cares about me, and meets eve...
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