Current patients

Meet some of the children I've been working with this week on the pediatric service:

This little Masai boy is improving from tuberculosis

I'm so glad to see this 6 year old boy with a smile on his face. He spent many days in the ICU being treated for an enterocutaneous fistula - a complication from a surgery he had for bowel obstruction from worms. He cried whenever I came near the first few days but two of the little missionary kids brought him some crayons and coloring pages and he began to feel better. Now he's fully recovered and ready to go home.

This boy also spent several days in the ICU suffering from very low blood sugar because of malaria. He also received treatment for pneumonia. He's still weak but is much improved.

I was pretty worried about this 8 year old girl yesterday. She was admitted earlier in the week with measles but worsened significantly Friday and was transferred to the ICU yesterday because of septic shock. After antibiotics and lots of fluids (you can see how puffy her face is from the fluids), her blood pressure is back to normal, her kidneys are working better, and she no longer has a fever or joint pains. We praise the Lord for bringing healing to her as most children with septic shock here do not survive.

This adorable little girl was admitted with a severe asthma exacerbation but now no longer needs oxygen and is ready to go home.

The fact that this child is crying in this picture is actually a miracle. He's 14 months old but only weighs 5 kg (11 lbs). He was admitted with severe pneumonia, but because of his severe malnutrition he was too weak to even open his eyes or lift up his hand. He certainly didn't cry when stuck for an IV or placed on an oxygen mask in the ICU. I really didn't think this child would survive and was surprised to find him alert and recovering when I came back to work after being off a few days. Now he's slowly beginning to gain weight and hopefully will continue to do so.

This 2year old is going home today after being treated for pneumonia - she's still quite wary of doctors as you can see!

A visiting neonatologist brought us an infant ventilator a couple months ago but we hadn't put it to use until this week. This baby was born prematurely due to maternal HELLP syndrome and didn't breathe for several hours after birth due to the medications the mother had received. She stayed on the infant ventilator for about 30 hours and then recovered enough to breathe on her own. She still has significant growing to do but she's alive and her lungs are improving from her prematurity. The mother is also out of the ICU and doing well - 2 lives saved! We treat; Jesus heals!

This precious baby girl was born to a mother with BOH, as we say here (bad obstetric history). She had lost 3 previous infants and had no living child. I loved listening to her sing to her daughter as she fed her this morning. The baby is doing well and will be going home soon.This is my favorite view from the hospital - especially beautiful this morning on call.
"The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." Lamentations 3:22-23

Mashujaa Day

We had fun celebrating a Kenyan holiday yesterday - especially since I got a day off work in the middle of the week! Read more on the McCropder's blog.

Canadian Thanksgiving

One of the fun things about being here is not only getting to know Kenyans, but getting to know people from all over the world and learning about their cultures and customs. We have physicians working here from Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Cameroon. Visiting doctors and medical students have been from Great Britain, Germany, Poland, and many of the 50 states. One of the long term missionaries here is Japanese. I have also enjoyed meeting other missionaries from several different African countries in the last year. And my new roommate, a respiratory therapist here for 6 months, is Canadian. So this week, I learned about Canadian Thanksgiving as Annette planned a celebration and kindly included me in the festivities. We were joined by Nathan, a Canadian physician assistant student, and the Fader family as Heather was born in Canada. It was a good time to remember what we're thankful for and to fellowship over a delicious meal together. We'll teach Annette about American Thanksgiving next month!

Mombasa PRP retreat

Prior to leaving for the beach, all the Kenyan post residents enjoyed a pizza party in Nairobi - the first time we've all gathered together from 3 different mission hospitals in Kenya. We certainly all share a special bond through common experiences as young physicians in a new land and culture seeking to share the gospel through medicine but facing similar frustrations and obstacles along the way. Pictured here are the Friess family (OB/Dental at Kijabe), me (IM/PD), the Fader family (surgery at Tenwek), the Cropsey family (ophthalmology at Tenwek), Christina Francis (OB at Kapsowar), the McLaughlin family (family practice/OB at Tenwek), the Shirley family (infectious diseases at Kijabe), and the Jones family (family practice at Kapsowar). Total: 14 adults and 13.5 kids! What fun!

Four families and two singles were able to get time away to join together for retreat on Kenya's coast. What an amazing time of renewal, refreshment, and re-focusing for us all! The week certainly exceeded all my expectations and provided great fun, fellowship, and spiritual growth.

The morning and evening retreat sessions focused on leaving behind, living in waiting, and ordering to hope by studying the life of Abraham. Abraham certainly has a lot in common with us: "Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.'" (Genesis 12:1) We each have left our country and familiar culture and families and friends; we each are waiting and hoping for our eternal home (Heb 11:10-16); and we each are praying for God's direction regarding where He is leading us after these two years. It was such a blessing to share struggles and triumphs with others who understand and to pray and worship together.

The children also enjoyed fun time together with babysitters during the retreat sessions. We even sang "Father Abraham" - one of my favorite songs from children's church as a kid - in honor of what the adults were learning.

Fun together included games, swimming in the pool, jumping waves in the ocean, eating ice cream, running on the beach, and looking at the coral reef sealife through a glass bottom boat. Abi and I are drinking fresh coconut water in this picture (she liked it more than I did)!

Swimming lessons - Anna & Hudson - both kids made significant improvements through the week and I enjoyed remembering my swimming instructor days from summers in college.

Mombasa PRP retreat group: Jones family, Fader family, Cropsey family, Christina Francis, McLaughlin family, me, James Paternoster (speaker/pastor), Edna

Abi & Maggie

Jessica & I snorkeling - so much fun! Amazingly beautiful coral reefs and colorful fish.

Pizza and ice cream - yum!

Sunrise over the Indian Ocean

Wrist update

Great news! My repeat x ray today showed no fracture! So this MacGyver type splint and thumb immobilizer is no longer a necessary attachment! Though my left hand stepped up to the plate, I'm grateful to have the use of my right hand again - even typing this is so much easier. I did learn through this ordeal that I'm that obnoxious health care provider as a patient who reads too much. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit I spent a couple hours reading about wrist injuries in the hand surgery and fractures orthopedic textbooks in the medical library. While I learned a lot about scaphoid lunate dissociation, SLAC wrist, and the surgical management of scaphoid fractures, it was probably not the most productive use of my time. :) And I'm sure my orthopedic doctor is grateful this is behind us, too! The best news is he's cleared me to swim at the beach this week!