February 23, 2006

  • Jennifer

    February 15, 2006

     

     

     

    Right on the heels of the Medical Outreach Saturday, we were again challenged.  A father carried his four year old daughter, Jennifer to our front door around 7am Sunday morning and told us, “I think she has malaria.”  Sal took them over to the clinic, confirmed that she did indeed have malaria and began treatment.  The father took her home only to return later in the afternoon still concerned about her.  We took her over to the clinic to assess and monitor her and since darkness was soon approaching, we told him they could spend the night. After more medication, she slept off and on.  However, when she would wake up, she would cry out with a very crazed stare and claw at the air as though fighting with something….almost like possessed. The staff was not working since it was Sunday and so there was no one to stay with them through the night.  Now Sal has been known to stay up through the night and monitor patients he’s concerned about, but Jennifer was on her medications with vital signs stable and seemed to have fallen asleep. Sal told Jennifer’s father Samson to come to the house anytime if he needed to get him for any reason.  With those instructions given at “tuck-in” time, Sal and I went to the apartment to get some sleep.  Early the next morning, Sal went to check on Jennifer only to return to get me saying “Come quick…she’s dying!” Sal raced back over to the clinic and attempted to start an IV while I quickly changed clothes.  When I got to the clinic, Sal was not having success with the IV.  She needed fluids desperately…how could this have happened in 6 hours with her dad present? Praying “Lord, help us”…. and speaking “you will live and not die,” I inserted an NG tube and we started ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution). Assessing her status further, she was limp with a high fever…..oh, did this bring back memories. IM medications (shots) were given one for the fever and one to protect the brain.  Sal did an HIV test and thankfully it was negative. Her vital signs were not normal….temperature 101 axillary, pulse 160 and respirations at 60.  Lungs were congested and sounded like a death rattle.  We got out the suction machine and I stayed at her bedside.  Reverand Mechesa who teaches at the Bible College and lives on the farm came and laid hands on her and prayed, anointing her with oil.  He told me…”there is a time to live and a time to die and God knows the appointed time.”  Sal had gone into the other exam room and put his head in his hands and sobbed.  As Reverand Mechesa walked by, he saw Sal and went in to pray with him telling him the same words that he had spoken to me. The word of the seriousness of her condition got out somehow and extended family members started showing up…her mother and four siblings came, her grandmother, a couple aunts and friends of the parents came….all lifting up prayers. As I was suctioning I noticed that the NG tube had become displaced and had worked its way out her nose.  Not having much choice I removed it completely.  The short time it was in and we were able to get ORS into her was enough to hydrate her so that her veins were visible.  Sal was able to start an IV which we would now be able to use for fluid and medications. Not having much success getting her breathing under control however, Sal told me to give a Nebulizer treatment holding the medication under her nose (despite her heart rate).  I have to admit that as I was putting the equipment together; I lost it also, crying in between getting supplies and setting up the treatment.  You know, the outreach on Saturday was awesome, but I have to admit that I desired to see God move in signs and wonders…I wanted to see miraculous healings before my eyes.  I wanted with all my heart to see God be glorified as He says over all the world.  Yet it did not happen the way

     

    I hoped.  So now I prayed again for another chance at a miracle.  This whole time we were working on her, she never woke up….occasionally she would open her eyes and moan not really focusing, not recognizing….almost like “nobody’s home.”  After the treatment, there seemed to be a change.  There was a peace that came over me as she fell back to sleep.  Her breathing was easier…respirations at 40, pulse at 130.  It was almost a feeling that the worst was over.  We continued to monitor her through the afternoon and evening…body temperature lowered to 99….she no longer needed suctioning; her lungs were clear, pulse and respirations were stable.  She was incontinent of urine, (we had put a disposable diaper on her) so her kidneys were functioning. Everything looked like it was improving, but she wasn’t waking up.  How much damage to her brain did she have from the high fever and cerebral malaria?  Why wasn’t she waking up?  Would she ever wake up?  Janet offered to work until midnight when Sal would take over, so we went to the apartment.  While we were there, we thought of giving some glucose IV to maybe stimulate her and hopefully wake her up.  Unfortunately, nothing happened.  We told the family at that point that we had done everything we knew to do….it was now in God’s hands.  We told them to keep praying.   When Sal went back at midnight, there was still no change.  Discouraged and feeling at a loss, he went to the other adjoining exam room to spend the night working on charts etc.  His intention was to check on her every hour.  At 1am…no change.  At 2am…still no change.   Around 3 o’clock in the morning, he heard her crying in the next room and when he went to check on her, she was sitting up in the bed with her eyes open and focused.  She was back!!!  As the night progressed into morning, she continued to improve.  When Sal woke me at 5am, he said, “Come and see the little miracle!”   She was moving all extremities on her own with purposeful movement….she recognized her parents….she told her dad she was hungry….she ate porridge and drank water.  Throughout this whole time, her dad never left her side…he slept on a chair next to her bed…he sponged her down…he helped whenever I wanted to turn her or suction her…he fed her…etc.  It was a very special thing for us to see a Zambian man so attentive to his child.  Usually all the nurturing is done by the mother and other women. You could definitely see how much love he has for his family. Everyone came the next day to see how she was….there were tears of joy…and dancing and leaping and praising God!!!  I really think God gave us a miracle….and it’s not the first one.  Reverend Mechesa the next morning said, “You get sick quickly but healing is slow like a snail.”  Maybe God is giving us only what we are ready to handle.  I’ll take it however the miracle comes….immediately, over a couple days or however God chooses to move. All I know is that Jennifer went home today on her dad’s back (first time I’ve seen that here) J   Smiles galore and thanksgiving to God from everyone!!!