January 11, 2006

  • Zambian Ambulance

    January 6, 2006

     

     

                                             Zambian Ambulance!!!!!

     

     

    On the walk over to the clinic at 8am Tuesday morning, we were greeted by a Zambian ambulance: a wooden cart pulled by two oxen!!  They started out from their village at 2 am and walked 6 hours to get to us. Can you imagine walking 6 hours to get medical care??  I have no idea how they heard about us, but here they were….they had hope that we could help and so they came.  In the back of the cart was Patricia, a woman who had delivered a set of twins at home the previous Thursday.  The twins died two days later and now the family was bringing Patricia to us because she couldn’t move.  She had severe pain in her right leg, a swollen right arm and hand with possible bite marks on the arm and a fever of 101.  Sal admitted her into our little overnight room.  After lifting and placing her in bed, Sal started an IV and did an HIV test.  Her test was positive and we have seen what can happen to women with HIV after delivery. (Remember Susan?) That’s probably the reason for the death of the twins also.  After taking a history, proper assessment and physical exam, Sal started IV medications for fever and infection.  The pain she was experiencing on any movement was much more pain than has been seen here even with childbirth!!   After 24 hours, the swelling in the right arm was gone and so was the fever.  Patricia had inadvertently pulled out the IV, so we decided to switch to oral medications.  The pain however remained.  After much thought and a tweak from the Holy Spirit J, the diagnosis was made of “sciatica.”    We found a moist heating pad and applied it to the affected area and added another medication to the concoction.  Within 24 hours she was up and walking slowly on her own…previously the two women that came to stay with her carried her piggyback to the outside toilet. (Someday soon we will have a clinic with indoor toilet facilities and more patient capacity...but for now the toilet is outside)  Today is Friday and Sal is planning on discharging her…but first he will do HIV counseling and offer to put her in our protocol.  Her husband by the way tested negative for HIV and there are two children at home, one 4 years old and one age 2 who have yet to be tested.  We are expecting them to also be negative.

     

                The same day that Patricia arrived, a very young woman came with a year old little girl named Catherine.  Catherine had a fever and was severely dehydrated.  She was lethargic, eyes rolling back and looked very much like 4 month old Andrew that died back in September.  Needless to say, we started to work immediately.  When we started taking off her clothes, we found multiple strings tied around her neck, her waist, both wrists, and both ankles.  Now for those of you who don’t know about these strings….these are “charms” placed on these infants by either older traditional villagers or witchdoctors also called traditional medicine healers.  These charms are believed to have the power to heal or protect the infant.  Sal always talks to the people about where they are putting their faith, that Jesus is the Healer and that they are in fact causing harm to their child.  He cuts them off before treating the patient and either burns the charms in front of them or takes care of it later.  The people are told that these strings are so powerful that they will not burn….so Sal proves they have no power by burning the charms in front of them. These were the most I had seen on any one baby. When questioning the young mother, it was discovered that Catherine’s father and grandmother and grandfather were in the waiting room.  Catherine’s (paternal )grandmother was the village “witchdoctor!!!” I wondered when we were going to run into a witchdoctor…now here she was at our doorstep!  Well, Sal proceeded to cut off the charms and I laid hands on little Catherine and prayed for healing in the name of  Jesus.  You have to understand the seriousness of the situation we were facing.  Sal and I thought she was at the point of death and if we didn’t act quickly, we would lose her.  So after prayer, we attempted to start an IV line but without success…we gave her medications in two shots and had mom give her ORS.  Thankfully mom was able to get her to drink the ORS in between falling limp and lethargic.  We wanted to check her for malaria, but all of a sudden, Catherine’s young mom started to tell us we were making Catherine’s heart race and we were “sticking her too much.”  I very seriously told the mom through Anna in Tonga that her baby was very serious and if we didn’t act quickly, she may die.  The mom said “you are making her heart race.”  At that point we offered to take her to the hospital of her choice…either Livingstone or Zimba.  She said Livingstone and took the baby outside to tell her family.  While Sal was getting the vehicle, Grandma (the witchdoctor) appeared in the doorway and in Tonga told us they wanted to go to Zimba.  Knowing that there was an American team of doctors there including a Family Practice physician, we were much happier to go there also.  On the 45 minute ride to the hospital, Sal kept checking the status of the little girl…were her lips still pink?....was she still breathing?  When they arrived at Zimba still in the car…the miracle happened!!  Between the prayer, the two injections and the ORS….Catherine woke up, sat up and looked normal!  The fever was gone and Sal felt silly taking her in to see the Family Practice physician after calling ahead with this life and death situation.  The Family Practice physician confirmed that she was fine and told the family “all the right things were done for her...She can go home.”  He suggested to Sal to cover her for malaria also…which is what Sal wanted to do back in the clinic when the young woman told us no more.  It was a witness for everyone including the witchdoctor!!!  They were very thankful and appreciative on the ride home and when they eventually left the clinic.  But the story doesn’t end there!  The next day Wednesday, the grandfather (the witchdoctor’s husband)  came to be seen as a patient along with a four year old boy.  The little boy had diarrhea and stomach pains. He had a large mark on the side of his face…it looked like a bruise from being punched,  When questioned, the grandfather said it was ringworm and the grandmother had put traditional medicine under the skin with herbs and who knows what to heal it.  We asked, “And did it work?” not really needing to hear the answer, but wanting him to say it out loud.  He answered “No.”  We were again able to witness to the futility of traditional medicine and the power of Jesus. That little boy, however, will bear the scar from that on his face for the rest of his life unless Jesus touches it.  The grandfather just had back pain from working in the field…a little kindness, the love of Jesus and Ibuprofen for him. 

     

                We have begun a protocol for HIV patients, drawing our own bloodwork on Tuesdays using our own forms, and then transporting them to Livingstone on Thursdays for acceptance into the free governmental program for ARV medications.  Fridays have turned out to be our Zimba Hospital day…to date we have admitted 6 patients there; 2 for TB, 1 for a high risk delivery, 1 for pneumonia, 1 for surgical removal of a breast mass and 1 infant with severe dehydration.  Joseph, the pneumonia patient, and Tito, the 16 year old boy with TB have been discharged.  Joseph is healed and back to work on the farm and Tito is on TB medications and high protein food supplement.  Belita, the other TB patient is doing well but is still in the hospital; Jacqueline the HIV positive pregnant patient is being kept at Zimba until she delivers because she is high risk.  Rona, one of our workers had a breast mass removed Wednesday by an American OB-Gyne physician and we are picking her up today.  David, the infant with severe dehydration died however in the hospital….we were with patients in Livingstone last Thursday when the mother brought him to the clinic…JoAnne took a look at him since we weren’t there and gave them transport money to go to Zimba.  When we went to Zimba that Friday, he looked good…but Saturday morning we received the call that he had died. How our hearts sunk!

     

    Frustration and lack are what we seem to fight most. Here, in the local government clinics and Livingstone General Hospital, there is never enough of anything.  The clinics run out of what little medications they have. The hospital lab can’t do simple tests such as electrolytes or liver function tests and sometimes even CBC’s because they don’t have reagents.  We discovered that they even clean and reuse their blood collection tubes! At Zimba Hospital, patients have to bring their own blankets, buy their own soap and even purchase their own notebook to be used as a chart.  An OB kit with latex gloves has to be purchased in order for the woman to deliver her baby.  The gloves are for the midwife or physician to use when delivering the baby…..and she was even told to purchase bleach to be used to clean the instruments afterwards.

     

    This is a whole different world….but please know…….  

     

     

    God is taking care of the Zambian people…His people…people He loves, through Sons of Thunder Medical Ministries.  Through hearts that have been touched to give, we have been able to provide:

     

     

    Practical things…. 

     

     

      • transport for patients to and from the bush, and the hospitals with a reliable vehicle

     

      • labs and registration fees for HIV patients at Livingstone General Hospital to get them on ARV medications

     

      • registration fees for children with Cerebral Palsy to receive physical therapy at Livingstone General

     

      • hospital admissions, x-rays, surgeries, medications and miscellaneous costs at Zimba Hospital

     

      • needed medications along with medical and office supplies  at the clinic

     

      • payroll for three part-time workers

     

    • lab equipment and quick testing capability to diagnose and treat patients at the clinic

     

     

    but,  probably most important….

     

     

      • love and kindness to a people who aren’t use to seeing it

     

      • hope to a people who have not known it

     

    • choice to a people  who have never been given it

     

     

    It’s all about showing that “Someone Cares.”  Through all our hearts and hands linked across the Atlantic, we are showing these people that Someone…Jesus Christ….He Cares!

     

     

     

     

                                                Baby Catherine