7:30am - Staff devotions at the hospital. Today it was the last day for some of the nursing students so there were many speeches, songs, prayers, and well wishes. This is all in Kirundi, so we follow along with the singing from the hymnals and do our best to catch words here and there in the other parts. The hardest part is when important announcements are made in Kirundi and we’re left in the dark - or when jokes are made or stories are told about bazungu (foreigners) and everyone looks at us with laughter (good-natured, of course) but we have no clue what was said. Today I understood a student start a story with, “We know how much bazungu love dogs (cue laughter from the crowd). Well, once there was....” I have no idea what followed. Oh, well - I was excited to at least understand a whole sentence!
8am - Morning report (in French). The student who was on call the night before presents the new admissions (from after 5pm) and any issues overnight and we discuss the cases together. There is a doctor on call at night, but they aren’t called for everything, so there are sometimes surprises in the morning. Today the student presented 2 new admissions - a 10 year old in a coma with seizures from malaria and a 3 year old with a repeat asthma exacerbation. I was concerned for possible meningitis in the 10 year old, so I planned to do a lumbar puncture (spinal tap) immediately after morning report.
9am - I examined the kid with asthma and asked the student to take her to the operating room where we have a working 110V plug for a nebulizer (breathing) treatment (imported machine from the US that we found in the storeroom here). I examined the 10 year old in coma and then searched for the supplies for doing a lumbar puncture (in 3 different places in the hospital). While walking back to peds, the mother of a premie found me and explained there was a problem with the NG tube I had placed yesterday to feed the baby. I couldn’t understand what the problem was, though, so I walked back with her to the OB ward for a translator. The nurse helped solve the problem and I was consulted on two other sick babies while there. Started antibiotics on them. Found out that the baby of Felicité who was very sick yesterday is doing much better today and can now breastfeed again. Also very excited to see the twins of Joline gaining weight and ready to go home. They (a boy and a girl) were born at 32 weeks and 1500gms (3.3lbs) and it’s quite miraculous that they survived - even without incubators or oxygen or phototherapy for jaundice. Praise the Lord! Took a quick picture to print and give to Joline. (The picture from the last blog post of the premie in the box was one of the twins.)
9:15 - back to peds with the LP supplies. While getting set-up, got a phone call from visitors who were lost in route. Giving French directions on the phone is not yet comfortable for me, so I handed the phone to the student. Then we did the lumbar puncture, checked the boy’s glucose level, and took the spinal fluid to the lab. Just in time as the visitors walked up at that moment. So, during our year in France, we were warmly welcomed by the evangelical protestant church in Albertville. And there was an amazing connection in that the pastor’s daughter was actually a missionary in Burundi! We met Annelyse in France and she joined us for dinner a couple times there and we’ve enjoyed connecting with her more here in Burundi. Well, she got married on Saturday and I was so thankful to be able to attend the Belgian/Burundian wedding ceremony in Bujumbura. And then it was a blessing to welcome our pastor and his family here for a quick hospital tour today as they were on the way to the nearby waterfall.
Annelyse's wedding in Bujumbura
Pastor Christian Mary, his wife, daughter, and son-in-law Daniel
The church in Albertville welcomes so many missionaries year after year and patiently listens to our broken French and endures our awkward attempts to greet them with the French bisous (kisses on both cheeks). It was a joy to be able to show them what our life looks like after France and what they are helping us prepare for with their patient and likely painfully slow French conversations in the church lobby. We connected with other teammates on our hospital tour and ended with the kids showing them their school and even speaking French with them. Anna wrote a sweet letter in French for them to bring back to the church from us. (Heather continues to teach French class for the kids every afternoon.)
10:45am - As we finished tea at my house, Carlan called to say the second group of visitors was at the hospital looking for me. And then a medical student walked up with Brad, the leader of the second group. I quickly explained the lunch menu to Francine, who helps me at home, said goodbye to our French/Belgian visitors, and then headed back up to the hospital with Brad. He and his colleague Brian and their families work as missionaries in Germany with Cadence International, a mission agency serving the US military. They visit Burundi twice a year doing trainings for the military here on post traumatic stress disorder and other things and I was connected with them through a mutual friend. They also came to see the work at the hospital just for a couple hours. They were gracious to join me and the medical students on hospital rounds and simply observe what goes on with our, currently, 21 pediatric patients - mostly with malaria, meningitis, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, and/or malnutrition. A new patient began seizing during rounds, so we gave meds and prayed with that family. Several patients were well enough to go home, so that's always a blessing. And the lumbar puncture for the 10 year old did not show meningitis, so that was helpful to know.
12:30pm - Hospital tour, this time in English! I really enjoyed hearing the perspective of both groups of visitors today as they observed our work here and asked many insightful questions. I can get so bogged down in the tasks of a day, so it's helpful to see things again with fresh eyes and to explain what we're doing and why we're here. Really, it is a joy, and I'm thankful for God bringing me here and strengthening me daily for this unique work.
1pm - lunch with the visitors at my house exchanging stories and encouraging one another
3:15pm - back up to the hospital. Did some teaching and reading on a new patient with likely Stevens-Johnson syndrome. Talked with 2 colleagues about her and got a more detailed history from the mother. Evaluated the sickest kids again and was thankful to find they were no longer seizing and the kid with asthma was improved. Remembered we had some donated meds for asthma and so went to the back store room to find them and give them to the patient. Talked to Ezekiel (electrician and skilled maintenance man) about the 110V plugs not working in peds and he was able to fix and label a couple of them.
4pm - gave lecture to all the medical students on the topic of "Fever of Unknown Origin". Power went out near the end and so the projector stopped working, but overall, I think it went well.
Beautiful late afternoon at the hospital
5:15pm - walked home. Here are some pics from my commute:
Soccer game
Volleyball game
Cows
5:20pm - home again to discover that the pincer ant parade route went just past my house. We watched the parade from a safe distance.
Quiet evening at home, thankful for a joyful, encouraging, and blessed, albeit busy, day. Visitors are indeed a blessing, in more ways than one!
