Back in January I went on a medical mission to Haiti. Our group joined with Medical Missions Work, to establish a free-standing medical clinic in the
remote mountain village of Fond Jean-Noel and provide healthcare to the
children and staff of three orphanages in the city of Leogane.
The mission consisted of three distinct parts: our arrival to Leogane and visits to the orphanages, the medical clinic in Fond Jean Noel, and the return to a Leogane orphanage then on to a Port au Prince school, then home to the USA. Haiti is very mountainous. The people get around on motorbikes, 4-wheel drive trucks, tap-tap buses, and on foot. The people carry just about everything on their heads. I tried to get pictures but I was usually too awed to get the shots.
While at the medical clinic over 350 people received care and medications. The people walked 3-4 hours to attend the clinic and were very appreciative of our efforts. The most common problems were headaches, neck and back pain (carrying all that stuff on their heads), high blood pressure (the yummy food), stomach problems (the spicy, yummy food), and stuffy noses (lots of lush, green woods in the country, auto exhaust in the city). We ran out of stomach meds quick. In the mountains I didn't see any obese people probably because of all the walking they do. No smokers, either. I didn't see too many old people either, though. Most of the people in the mountains died before they got old, however I did have a 90 year old patient. Her complaint was her knees hurt when she walked up the mountains. She was grateful for ibuprofen and blessed me countless times.
The experience was humbling; the memories of which I will hold close and keep in my heart forever. I am forever grateful for the love of family and friends who helped make the mission a success.
Here's a few of the pictures I took while there.
Lots of motorcycles in Haiti. The whole family will get on one bike. I saw as many as five on one bike at the same time. Most of the motorbikes are small by American standards, under 200 cc's.
Our group consisted of hospital workers from Portland, Maine and two nurses from Gainesville, Florida. I'm in the front, third from the right.
Security at the Residence in Leogane.
Dinner at the Residence
The surrounding area from the orphanage. Very lush and green
One of the girls from the first orphanage
One of the older girls at the orphanage taking care of one of the little ones.
New dresses are special
Handmade dresses for the girls donated by a local church.
The second orphanage on our agenda.
Denise with one of the children at the orphanage.
A day off and we still go to the hospital.
Surgery at the Leogane Hosptial. The hospital is well known for its treatment of filariasis (elephantitis). Here the surgeons take time from their practices in the US to treat the patients. The nurse in the picture is a member of the hospital staff.
We heard about this orphanage in town. They were out of food and had beds for 6 of the 30+ children there.
We brought groceries, lots of beans, rice, oil, and other supplies to help them out. The next day some of our people went back to build beds and deliver mattresses.
The Tap-Tap buses intrigued me. Each one was brightly painted. You tap the side when you want to get on or off. Unfortunately, they are not known keeping a strict schedule.
Another tap-tap bus.
We had to cross the river to get to Fond Jean Noel
Going through a market town on the way to Fond Jean Noel
Vegetables for sale at the market
A shop owner's son. His smile is infectious
Emily instructing women at the clinic in the use of the Days for Girls bags.
Haitian Alarm Clock
The day we arrived back in Port au Prince the locals were upset about the upcoming elections. Yes, that is a very serious weapon the officer is holding.
A group of students at the school. Our interpreters run the school. The men grew up in an orphanage and finished high school whenever they could. One of the gents finished at 29 years old, not because he didn't have the smarts but because he didn't have the money, and never gave up. He is a remarkable guy, very knowledgeable in history and writes the curriculum for the school.
Denise and one of the students. The students learn to paint and raise money for the school through their artwork.
I learned several things on
the mission. Here's a few things:
1) People respond to a gentle
touch and voice regardless of the language.
2) Children laugh at jokes
and silly stuff. I am known as “Grann Feu” or Crazy Grandma. I hope to learn magic tricks before I go back....and bring my clown wig and nose.
3) Education is a treasure
and should never be taken for granted. Finish when you can and never stop learning.
4) You can carry a lot of
stuff on your head if it is positioned well...and you have a cushion for your head. Post by Eileen who took a few days from GoofingOff Sewing to do nursing care in Haiti.
Three weeks ago my littlest guy, Salty Dog, suffered a cardiac arrest. At first we didn't know what happened but after resuscitation (doggie CPR) and through his recovery, we were able to piece together that he suffered a cerebral vascular accident, CVA, more commonly known as a stroke. I posted updates on Facebook with pictures of his recovery but my friends said I should blog his story so others might learn from it. I broke the story into parts so it wouldn't be overwhelming. Throughout his recovery I found little on the web about dogs recovering from stroke or what to do so everything we did was by the seat of our pants. I hope it helps someone. By the way, we love our vet. We get lots of good advice and care but sometimes things happen after hours or on the weekend....and we live in the country, a bit of a distance from the big city so not everything is easily accessible. Sorry I have been away for a while but the last month has been a bit crazy. Between Salty having a stroke the day before having surgery for cancer removal (not a big cancer but the C word scares me) sort of had me a bit preoccupied. Day One:
The morning before the surgery I was a little on edge so I thought I would walk my dogs...at least 2 of them. Sammie, the boxer, and Fred, my bigger male poodle (he's not that big, 15 pounds but he thinks he is big) walk while Salty, the little toy poodle of the pack..7 pounds after he eats, runs to the garage to hang with the hubby in the man cave. That day was no different, Salty ran out of the yard as fast as he could to be with the hubby while I circled the drive with the other two.
When I got back to the house my hubby called me sounding a bit off. "Babe, could you come here a minute?" he said.
"What's up?" I said really thinking now what. "Salty's dead. He just died."
I thought of the little guy running so happily from the yard. "What happened? Did something fall on him?"
He just fell over dead. He's not breathing," was my hubby's response.
My husband was carrying Salty, cradling him in his arms. He had tears in his eyes and he sat on the ground next to a big oak. "Come on little guy. Come on Bud Bud. Don't leave me," he said.
The next thing I knew I saw my husband start mouth to snout CPR, resuscitation, on Salty. I assisted with compressions.
I wondered what could have caused a sudden cardiac arrest and thought it could have been one of two things, a heart attack with a fatal arrhythmia or a CVA, stroke. In Salty's case I didn't know what it could be. He had no signs or symptoms of major health problems that I was aware of. He'd been to the vet and had a clean bill of health.
After a few breaths and compressions Salty started to open his eyes. He didn't focus and his head flopped back. He couldn't move the left side of his body. His left legs stiffened and he couldn't control his head movement. It looked like he had a massive stroke. While supporting his head I carried him into the house. I gently bathed him at the kitchen sink talking to him and singing soft to him while supporting his head. I didn't know if those were his last moments and, if they were, I wanted him to hear a loving voice. I thought about taking him to the vet but thought there wasn't a whole lot they would offer a little old dog other than watch him. I also examined him while I bathed him. I noticed his pupils were equal, not blown, so I didn't think he had a hemorrhage. I also noticed it didn't seem like he could see if someone was on his left side, left-sided neglect. I noticed he couldn't bark or wag his tail and his tongue hung out of the left side of his mouth, like facial droop.
My husband and I talked about taking him to the vet. He was afraid he would need to be put down and he said he couldn't do it. To tell the truth, I couldn't either.
"I'm not taking him to the vet," I told my husband. "What will they tell us? Put him down? Leave him with us and we'll watch him? I'm not leaving him in a strange kennel with strangers. He won't know what's going on and he'll be scared. We can watch him here. If this is his last day on earth he's going to spend it with family." There was no way I would leave my little dog with strangers during his last hours on earth. Thankfully my husband agreed.
My husband and I held Salty for hours moving his legs and supporting his head while talking to him. We made sure to stand on his right side so he could see us...and we supported his head. I made a place for him on the pillow on the floor with a towel on it. He couldn't control his bladder. He just laid there and went to sleep. I remembered from stroke care that the sooner physical therapy is started on the affected limbs the better the recovery. It was then I started moving his legs, range of motion. My husband watched me and took turns doing it, too. I don't know how many times the hubby got up during the night to check Salty but I know I got up at least four times, each time expecting to find him gone. He amazed me, though. Even more, Sammie, the boxer, stood guard at his side watching him during the night. She laid down next to him and slept. Day 2 Salty was still there. He was able to lift his head but nothing else yet. I went for my skin cancer removal and straight home when it was through. When we arrived home Salty was still there and seemed to lift his head a little. Salty recognized us, me particularly, and would turn his head to my voice. He still couldn't drink or eat anything which worried my husband. I explained to him it was pretty dangerous to give him water by eye dropper especially since he couldn't bark yet. I was afraid of aspiration, water getting into the lungs, and thought we still had time to address it. The rest of the day was filled with holding, range of motion, and worry.
The hubby holding Salty so his head wouldn't flop around.
Day 3
Day 3 brought me a big surprise. Salty tried to get up for breakfast. I thought I should take him out like I usually do and he walked under his own power to pee. He walked in the yard about 10 feet then rested. He was pretty wobbly but he did it himself. A while later I made him walk again and he walked to the water bowl for a drink. It seemed like he was making up for all the water he couldn't drink over the last few days. Still not ready to eat, though. He wasn't ready to quit so we wouldn't, either. Hourly physical therapy that included walking, massages, lots of hugging, holding...and doggie dose aspirin.
I thought about how to treat Salty. In the hospital setting we use clot busters, like TPA, to restore blood flow after a CT scan to make sure there is no hemorrhage but we were home and I was treating by instinct. Since we didn't have a CT scan or TPA I thought about what other blood thinners could be used and remembered dogs can take aspirin. Aspirin is used commonly treat cardiac patients to decrease platelet aggregation, or clumping. I thought why not try it for Salty. I looked up "doggy dose aspirin" and found 5 mg per pound of body weight. Salty weighed 7 pounds. I split an enteric coated baby aspirin (81 mg) in half and gave him a half tablet. I started him on a half tablet twice a day, or every twelve hours.
The hubby holding Salty and Sammie, Salty's nurse, sitting close by.
To learn more about Doggie CPR there are several YouTube videos that demonstrate the technique. Here's one:
Dog Dose Aspirin:
"Most veterinarians recommend from 5 mg to 10 mg per pound of the dog's weight during a 12 hour period. (That is about 10-20 mg per kg weight). Going on the safe side, a recommended dosage of aspirin of about 5 mg/lb (10 mg/kg) seems to work well for most dogs." Giving Your Dog Aspirin by Ron Kurtus, November 11, 2008. http://www.school-for-champions.com/animalhealth/aspirin.htm#.Vwsb62N2fzI
Remember, do not use ibuprofen (Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) on dogs. Ever. And never use aspirin on cats. Never.
Post by Eileen from GoofingOff Sewing Nursing people and dogs.
The other day the world lost a music legend, Merle Haggard. I loved his music but one of my favorites is a song he did with Janie Fricke, "Natural High."
Natural High was released in 1985 on the album "It's All in the Game."
A beautiful love song written by Freddie Powers, it was Number 66 in the Top 100 Country Love Songs.
Merle's version made it to number 1 for 1 week. It is overshadowed by his many hits like "Mama Tried" and "Okie from Muskogee" but it is one that touched my heart.
I hope you enjoy it.
Good Morning. This is Dude, the garage rooster with a Happy Good Morning crow to start the week.
The hubby rescued Dude from some folks down the road. Dude was beaten up by the other chickens and roosters in the pen when he was added to the folk. When he first arrived here he was beaten, bloodied, and most of his feathers were gone. He now struts his stuff all over the farm.
He needed a good, safe place to grow and thrive.
Be like Dude.....strut your stuff and crow about it. Let no one keep you down.
So I am minding my own business, being a good nurse and taking care of my wonderful patient, when I noticed he was watching Pride and Prejudice on TV. This version with Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier is one of my favorite movies of all time.
It doesn't hurt that Laurence Olivier is soooo handsome.
I love the big, voluminous dresses, too. Not too crazy about the hats, though.
A fun movie.
