Puppy Poop

I finally had my chance to be in the or last week after everyone else in the group had been in to view the numerous c-sections that are done on a daily basis. Knowing that there was a woman in labor with twins that was going to need a c-section as well, I felt extra special to be able to be a part of it. Low and behold, as I get ready to head to the theater I'm told that another procedure will take place first before the c-section. Turns out my first operation in Tanzania was a hemorrhoidectomy. Yeah, I tried to be excited, BUTT (yes, BUTT), hemmorhoids are hemmorhoids. Don't think I've ever stared so long at someone's backside and don't think I ever will again. The whole thing lasted about an hour. I'm told that in more developed countries the procedure is shorter since certain tools allow for shortcuts in the or. The tanzanian doctors did everything "old school" and in the end I did learn a lot. You definitely need some skills to navigate around those things. It honestly all just looked like a big mess to me. I at least came out with a new found respect for proctology.

So far my favorite ward in the hospital is the pediatric ward. The really small kids are adorable and the older ones, 5-10 years old, are all really brave. They never seem to complain and only ever let on that there in pain when the pain is extremely severe. The most memorable patient thus far has been an 8 year old maasai boy who came in with what was initially thought to be a liver abscess. Once that was ruled out by ultrasound, meningitis was suspected and multiple attempts for a successful lumbar puncture were performed. This wasn't easy, seeing as the boy's body was extremely rigid. He was unable to bend his back at all, making the procedure extremely painful. The first few attempts were even done without any sort of local anesthetic. In the end, the boy was treated for tetanus. I've been out of the hospital because of illness and haven't seen him for the past two days so hopefully he'll be better when I see him tomorrow.

On the upside from the lack of electricity and cold weather here in Karatu, our hosts, MIHV, have a new puppy! It's name is Mtope, which means mud. She's already gone missing once, cried and yelped for the past two nights, and pooped twice in my room... but man the thing is so cute! It's a little bow-legged, smells, and isn't too bright, but it's hard to not like a puppy.

-Jen Jou