Trip Two: Week Four! November 17-23

 Four weeks down... three to go! 

Ship Life

This week was pretty busy in the OR, but I still managed to squeeze in some fun activities and time with friends. I started the week off with a Monday morning Mada run, joined by two fellow OR team members Ali and Karin. Madagascar is entering into their summer, with early sunrises and hot and humid mornings. We left the ship at 0545 and still ended up running in the heat and sunshine. The discovery of this paved road a couple weeks ago remains one of the highlights of my time here. I like running in town as well, but this path definitely beats dodging holes and road traffic! 

For Tuesday's OR devotional, maxfax surgeon and magician Dr. Leo Cheng performed a few magic tricks accompanied by a Gospel message. It was an entertaining and engaging way to approach sharing the Gospel.

After work on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings, I spent time with my friend Chiara playing games and eating treats. She was unfortunately bed bound for a couple days with severe back pain and sciatica. Thankfully, her pain improved enough that she was able to depart the ship on Friday morning. She's been a great buddy the past month and I'll miss her lots! 

On Thursday evening, a group from the OR went out for dinner at the nearby Club Nautique. We had planned to venture out to Darafify near the beach, but the rain and poor road conditions changed that plan. It was my first time off the ship since Monday morning, so I really did not mind where we went... I was just happy for some fresh air and good company! 

Friday morning was another humid toasty one for a Mada run with our little run club. It was my last run with Karin before she leaves on Sunday... it has been so nice running together the past few weeks! 

When we got back to the dock after our run, it was time for Chiara to leave. We gave sweaty hugs and said "see you later." I'm allready starting to plan my visit to Australia! 

Last week, I bought fabric at the market to have some "funky scrubs" made. We finished in the OR a little early on Friday, so I went to the local tailor with a fellow OR nurse. I got my measurements and submitted an order for the scrubs (stay tuned!). After the tailor, we had a bit of time before our dinner plans, so we went to the nearby Bazaar Be market and did a little shopping. We then walked to L'Affiche and met our other Mercy Shippers for dinner. We ate a delicious dinner and dessert, and then enjoyed some live music before heading back to the ship. 

Saturday was such a fun day! We were able to reschedule our Plum Island excursion from last week, and this time my OR day crew friends Esperalda and Fabrice could join! There were 10 people in the group, 8 of us being from the OR... so it was great team bonding. We took an hour long boat ride to the island, learned a bit about the history of the island, saw the lighthouse, and snorkeled. The water where we snorkel is only about knee-waist deep with numerous fish and sea life. It was a wonderful day relaxing and  exploring more of beautiful Madagascar. 

After our Plum Island excursion, Heather and Karin made caramel brownies and ice cream for the OR crew to enjoy while playing some games. 

Heather and I competed in a pickleball tournament on Sunday morning and afternoon on the dock! We started playing around 10:00am and finished up by 2:00pm. One of the other OR nurses brought her nice camera on the trip and took some fun action shots of Heather and I during our games. Out of 14 teams, Heather and I got 4th place! 

 

Overall, it was a lovely weekend with a healthy balance of activity and rest... and now back to work in the morning! 

Surgery On Board

This week was a busy one with the arrival of two new general surgeons, patient screening all day Monday, and 5 cases each day in the adult general surgery room. 

Wednesday included an interesting experience of needing to use the eye wash bottle... I went to wash my hands and the soap dispenser malfunctioned... sending one stream of medical grade soap directly into my eye and another straight into my mouth. Thank you to Heather for grabbing the eye wash bottle (and documenting the memory after ensuring I was okay lol). 

In true Funky Friday fashion, we did have to say goodbye to more OR team members... until next time!

Patient Highlight

One patient who we operated on unfortunately had to receive a below knee amputation on Thursday due to an infected wound that would not heal. She originally was on the ship weeks ago for a maxfax surgery, but her advanced vascular disease led to other health complications. This sweet 62 year old woman ended up having a persistent wound on her foot that would not heal, regardless of what the medical team attempted. Because of this, it would eventually become a threat to her life. With the ship hospital closing in ~3 weeks in preparation for the annual maintenance period starting at the end of December, there was a bit of a time crunch for a decision about next steps in plan of care. Losing a limb is not something to be taken lightly, especially in a country like Madagascar where most people perform physical work to support themselves and/or their families. Additionally, having a physical difference or disability could cause that individual to be shunned or ostracized from their community. Taking all of this into consideration, the medical and hospital chaplaincy team sensitively approached this conversation, while also accurately communicating the severity of the condition. Ultimately, this patient did agree to have her leg amputated. 

When I went to the ward to pick her up before surgery on Thursday afternoon, she said she did not have any fear and that God was giving her strength. Before I bring each patient from the ward to the OR, I offer to pray with them. With this patient, there were five members of her team praying with her before going to the OR. It was amazing to witness her strength and that she credited the Lord as the source of that strength. Everything with surgery went well, and I hope and pray she makes a full recovery and is able to return to her community in the coming weeks/months. 

OR Recap

This week, the AFM OR saw 45 patients across the maxfax, pediatric general, and adult general specialties.