I’ve decided that if we were to merge the American mentality regarding health with the Ugandan mentality, then we would be in a very good place. I feel like Americans tend to worry about every minor thing that is wrong, including the common cold, and jump to the worst conclusions. We go from having a headache to being terminally ill with brain cancer in a matter of seconds thanks to our good friends WebMD and Google. In Uganda they have the exact opposite problem, which is one of the main reasons why RHD is so prevalent. Illnesses such as strep throat and the flu are shrugged off simply because they are not considered severe. On Friday one of our RHD follow-ups came to the clinic for a routine check up. I noticed a large growth on her neck and asked her mom a few questions about it. I realize I am not a doctor, however I have taken a basic anatomy class and thanks to my wonderful professor TGills, I know the ABCD’s to look for. Her mother said that it started very small but has been growing over the past two years (another red flag). She says it doesn’t hurt so they never bothered to have anyone look at it. We sent her to the skin clinic after her appointment and I’m honestly praying that I was wrong.
On Friday I started the weekend by going to “fajita night” at a friends house. Everyone was required to bring a food or drink item and we ended up making it a celebration for one of our friends who headed back to the States on Tuesday. She called it her “funeral” and asked us to wear all black. The food was absolutely wonderful and I got to meet a bunch of new people, which is always great. OH- in case you were wondering about the cat-sized rat. Yes, it actually does exist. On my way to fajita night, it ran right in front of me as I was leaving our compound. I’m honestly still in disbelief at how big it was. That and the fact that “bush rat” is a delicacy in some parts of Uganda.
On Saturday I finished my LAST secondary application and I feel like a new person. I don’t think I realized how much they were stressing me out until I was done, but I have to say it feels great. On Saturday evening Jess and I went to the Ethiopian restaurant for dinner and then headed home for a quiet night in. Jess leaves in a week so we’ve decided that we have to eat Ethiopian at least 2 more times before she leaves.
On Sunday I laid by the pool and read Mountains beyond Mountains. I would tell you what else I did but honestly that’s about it. All in all it was an excellent day. I haven’t been to the pool in Gulu since I arrived in June and it was such a relaxing way to end my weekend.
On Monday, I met up with the nurses to clean up our office and enroll any patients that came for RHD follow up. We threw an alarming number of expired drugs away, organized all the registry files, and even saw a cockroach as big as my hand….not too sure what’s going on but I have seen more “creatures” in the past week than I have in my lifetime. Really hoping this trend doesn’t continue because after the extremely poisonous spider that made itself at home on our front porch, I think I’ll be good for the rest of my time here.
On Tuesday and Wednesday we continued to enroll patients into the Registry and had a record high of 9 patients in one day! Not only did we have 9 patients, but the whole process was extremely smooth and efficient and I could not be more happy with how our nurses handled everything. We still have a little ways to go in terms of them filling the forms out correctly 100% of the time but I’m confident in their abilities. In addition to the Registry patients, Opio came for his last visit! The time has finally come for him to head down to Kampala. He will travel tomorrow afternoon and stay with family until he is admitted to the Heart Institute on Friday. I just want to thank everyone who reached out to me about his case and supported his journey. I know they say don’t become emotionally attached to your patients but with Opio it was simply impossible. I care so much for this little boy and I am keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes smoothly next week. As of now my plan is to head to Kampala next Thursday afternoon so I can be there when he goes into surgery on Friday. I will keep you all updated on how everything goes. If you want to read more about his story you can click here.
Opio and I- we’re still mastering the whole picture thing
Lastly, I want to give a huge birthday shout-out to my wonderful grandmother! Happy birthday Mom-mom! Although she may not understand why I voluntarily moved to a place with cold showers, and “creatures” she has always been nothing but supportive. I wish I were there to celebrate and I hope you have a great day!
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