Wednesday 20 June - Working Hard in the Philippines

Hope today is not too crazy. I didn't sleep very well and bit nervous remembering how to do everything since there is only 4 of us in the department. For cleaning I was assigned to do one of the hallways we rotate helping with. I had to sweep floors and wipe down handrails and door knobs in the whole public area. They have stepped up the general wiping down of things to try and contain this flu bug. We chest x-ray the new interpreters that come on every morning for the day. They are about 21 or so and I still think they are nursing students. Had about 8 CT's and I went in and did the OR C arm on a club foot on a young boy. I saw him on the pier yesterday and wondered if that was what he was having done. When I first saw him he only had socks on his feet because he was so poor. I had some stickers with me, but I thought he was shy and would not come get them so i walked them over for him to pick some out. After he left to go on the boat ahead of me I thought he probably could not get a shoe on his foot. The ortho doc moved the bones around and put a pin in to hold it forward so it heals the right way.

Did a young boy for a chest with a mass. Yesterday I did a forearm that had osteomyelitis so bad the whole wrist was disintegrated and most of the forearm was gone, too. I have never seen anything like that. Usually we see it just as it is starting in the bone. This is the same thing my dad had in his leg when he was 12. We started getting busy after lunch. Seems this will be the normal pattern. Patients come on ship about 9, get admitted then start ordering labs, x-ray and scheduling surgery times. Makes for a long day. I helped do a barium enema with a 9 year old whose lower intestine had not developed so he had part of it coming out of his abdomen. We figured out where it was coming from and then the surgeon will attach it to the rest so he can have a normal life. It is nice to see a positive ending.

Tonight in devotional Shannon Williams, the Edmonton girl, quoted from Elder Holland's conference talk. It was about the parable of the owner hiring the workers at different times. How each of us comes to things and blessings and the Lords has mercy in making it all equal even if we don't see it that way. He talked about not being envious or angry with others and what they receive. I still had problems with that in not so much being envious but with those who get the blessings or special things and they they brag it up so others feel they are left out. Kind of what I listen to with people getting off the ship so much and others not getting off at all. It is really hard to watch those who feel so hurt.  Of course I started the tears with it and my director, the X-ray / RS president sees me and wants to talk. So I told her I got 5 hours sleep and just was hurting for all the people who felt like others get off all the time and they only once. 

They are still sorting out stuff about the tour trip/temple. Looks like we can do a session. ( all of us hot and sweaty!!) still have not heard what the hotel thing is as we are stuck on a tour bus and have to go where they take and drop us off. Tomorrow is pier day which means up early and ready for the boat at  6:30 for a day of heat and sweating. Two more weeks. Time is flying by.

Mom/Caroline