To be a nurse in Wamba

Hi everyone, this is Liam. Skye sent me this update to post on the blog, hope you enjoy catching up on the latest with her and her experiences in developing world health care.

I thought you all might be interested in hearing about some of the cases I'm seeing in the hospital. The problems are so different from the states where the number one killer is heart disease, a disease of genes and lifestyle. Here, it's mostly tropical disease and trauma. The most common things I'm seeing are tuberculosis - so many kinds I didn't even know existed! One patient has a mass the size of a soccer ball growing from spinal tuberculosis. Another has a grapefruit sized mass on his foot from tb. Also, HIV and syphilis. We have a lot of men with enlarged prostates and there's been an odd and recent development of esophageal cancer. There must be an environmental cause, but no one knows yet. I've seen intestinal obstruction, gangrene, cystic kidneys, rectal prolapse, a lion attack, an elephant attack (both shepherds tending their flock), a shooting, two beatings (yes, men beat by mobs of other men. Two separate cases.), malaria, many snake bites, and last night a man came in carried by the motorbike that hit him. Yes, that means I’ve seen more lion attacks than cases of diabetes! And just two people with congenital hypertension.

I'm glad to be getting used to the routine and the needs of the ward. I'm learning a lot of Swahili and about caring for people from the patients and so much about the diseases and such from the over nurses and doctors. I am a full time sponge, which is pretty tiring. But I've still had time to relax, read, get to know my neighbors and love and be loved by the sisters!

I am able to read emails easier than send them, so keep me updated on your lives too!