A hard day In Haiti

We had two children die today.

It's a lot to process because these children were fairly stable and would not have been in the ICU in the United States. The most recent death was after a 45 minute resuscitation. But I can say that our team worked like a well- oiled machine. I always have a pit in my stomach afterwards like I could have done better. I suppose that's not a bad thing. The cross cultural differences really impact the care as much as the lack of resources and it's not easy to get used to.

This morning's clinic had a dichotomous group of patients. They were either really sick or totally fine. Some kids would come in complaining of cough for 3 days and when I told the parents they were fine, it's a cold, and this would go away in a few days, they didn't believe me and wanted medicine. Really? It felt like the US where I write a prescription for saline drops.  The other half was a baby with a moderate congenital heart defect and a 10 month microcephalic baby with hypotonia. There is no in between.

Tomorrow is a new day. I will get rest and start the morning with rejuvenated energy.

Byenvini à Haiti

I thought I was in Tanzania until I heard the beautiful Haitian Creole. There are so many similarities between Haiti and East Africa that I feel right at home here. The smell of burning wood and trash is actually a comforting, sweet smell bursting with lots of memories. The locals live similarly with street side vendors, carrying 20 gallon buckets of water on their head, and aweing at the "blancs" (white people) as we walk by. The most welcome difference is that I can speak with the people! Finally my 7 years of French is coming in handy! I even made a care plan for my patient with the nurse tonight en français.

The houses are made of cinder block and tin roofs. It's easy to imagine how devastating an earthquake could be when four simple walls are constructed right on a flat piece of dirt. I'm told by my colleagues that life is actually improving from their earlier trips as the roads are paved, there are lots of baby goats, and power lines line the main roads. 

Life is simpler here and being out of my "comfort zone" makes my heart happy. I put quotations around "comfort zone" because it implies that it's uncomfortable for me to rough it in a third world country. Quite the contrary. Those who know some of my crunchier tendencies or have traveled abroad with me can vouch for the laid back nature of my life. What really makes my heart well with tingly bubbles is realizing how blessed I am, getting both feet back on the ground with my fellow humans, and embracing a completely different way of life. 

Life at L'Hopital Sacre Coeur (HSC) has been pretty easy thus far. We have been rounding on the patients with the Haitian doctor and we admitted a little girl to the OR with a tib/fib fracture tonight. We even took the afternoon to enjoy a local beach. Tomorrow we start clinic and I'm afraid I will eat my words about how Island Time has made our stay so pleasant. 

Remind me to talk about:

-the children, particularly nutrition and kwashiorkor. 

-resource limited medicine with the world's greatest resource

-the team

-the food

Packing List

Headed out the door.  But real quick, here's what I'm bringing for 10 days in Haiti:

- 4 shirts (scrubs are provided by the hospital)

- 2 shorts

- 1 dress

- lots o' undergarments (I have learned my sweaty lesson)

- giant bag of Skittles

- a dozen granola bars

- 2 pairs of shoes: chacos and Saucony's

- IV start supplies

- liquid multivitamins

- gloves

- alcohol

- needles for meds/syringes

- 1000 stickers

- Harriet Lane

I was surprised to find all of my belongings packed quite easily into my suitcase and backpack.  I knew I was low maintenance, but this impressed even me.  

Off for the airport!  Check back in or follow me on Instagram.

Haiti

It's been a while...  Since I traveled to a country where I didn't speak the language.  Since I've ridden in the back of a truck and had pit stops that included bushes.  Since I ate fresh tropical fruit straight from the farm.  Since I cared for a child born into an impoverished life without the means of caring for themselves.

I need this...  The adventure of diving into a new culture.  The ruggedness of a third world country.  The sacrifice of my gifts and service.  The humanity of caring for a stranger's child.  It's been a rough winter and I really need this to get my feet back on the ground and remind myself of my driving passions.

As I prepare to depart for a medical mission trip to Haiti, I decided to bring back Local Townie because it was one of the most redeeming experiences of my time in Tanzania.  Live blogging the daily routines, struggles, and experiences helped my memory remain sharp, yet realistic.

I'll be spending about 9 days working at CRUDEM'S L'Hôpital Sacré Coeur in Milot, Haiti (a short drive south of Cap Hatien) with a group of colleagues through Children's National and various other children's hospitals in the US.  I'm the only pediatric nurse practitioner from our group and I'll be running the outpatient clinic as well as taking call on the wards at night.  Despite my experience with international medicine in East Africa, the stakes are so much higher in this game, and I feel the burden of being the sole provider with immense responsibility.  Being a student in an exotic setting carries far easier responsibilities than managing resource-limited medicine independently.  The opportunity alone is humbling yet exciting.

Finally, my 7 years of French will pay off, although discussing infectious diseases and antibiotics was not something that we practiced.  I'm hoping to pick up the Haitian Creole pleasantries to give myself some street cred.

Bonjou! M rele Becky.  Mwen se enfimye amerikenn.

My hope is that I can be somewhat connected and can document the experience through shoddy wireless internet, so I invite you to check back for updates.

Na we pita!

The year of the YOLO

Another year done.  Accomplished.  It's been quite the year.  Impromptu graduate programs, new friends, old faithfuls, ups, downs, travels, marvels, goals accomplished, failures endured.  C'est la vie.  Carpe diem.  Or the modern twist: YOLO.  You only live once.  On my birthday this year I pacted with V to seize the day because there should be no regrets in these final fabulous years of our twenties.

Forget tigers.  Forget roosters and snakes.  This is the year of the YOLO.

Thankfully, V committed to being the good-bad influence on me.  Sleep in the grave, there will be time enough for it when you're dead.  There may be days when caffeine has to jump start my day or months when the checkbook doesn't quite balance, but no one ever looks back on their years saying, "Man, I really wish I hadn't had such a rich life of experiences."

A similar influence: KGLove...

One of the coolest girls I know. Her wise words will stay with me into the year of YOLO as I reluctantly got excited about how great life is going. When I pumped the breaks on my excitement because disappointment threatened on the horizon, she told me that the thrill was worthwhile, "because everything that comes along is worth getting excited over.  It's the best thing that ever happened to you until it's not... Then you add it to the list of blessings-in-disguise until something comes along that makes you understand why it all happened in the first place."  The Gone Wrong list may be long, but the forever optimist in me knows that it all turns out in the end, otherwise, it's not the end.

Then there's Rob:

We both showed our out-of-state ID's for a couple of local brews and realized that our upbringing in this sweet little college town was the quintessential childhood that most only see in the movies.  And while we both cherish those formative years, our exodus from the town was so that we could know how special our lives were, how much we had been given, and to harness our hunger to do good works.  I grew up with the idea that for those to whom much has been given, much is expected.  We echoed the sentiment tonight in that we feel an obligation to do more with our lives because of these gifts.  But more importantly, the key is not to look at it as obligation, but an opportunity.  It's people like Rob that reassure me, not all who wander are lost... They just ventured off the beaten path to make the world a better place.

Cheers to 2014

Treat Yo'Self

Today is my 14th shift in a row.  I am exhausted.  Between working full time, starting another graduate school program, and fulfilling my [unpaid] clinical hours, I haven't had a day off in two weeks.

Such is life.  After I burst into tears three days in a row, ugly crying Dane-Cook-style into the mirror repeating "I'm doing my best," I knew that I needed to change something.  Since my academics and employment were non-negotiables, I was at a loss of what to do.  My wonderful cousin asked me, "Becky, what was the best thing about today?"  I don't remember my answer, but it was the start of me asking myself that question ever day.

So here I am, two weeks later, and I have made it a point to do something that is "the best part of today" every day.  Think of it like Parks & Rec's "Treat Yo'self".  

It can be as easy as taking a shower and blow drying my hair.

Or taking a walk in Georgetown with my dog and friend with an ice cream pitstop.

Buying myself peonies.

Going to a see a new band play on H St.

So as much as my life is hectic and stressful, I am so proud to say that I'm taking good care of myself.  This crazy schedule has kept me in one place for a few months, helped me be more present in my community, and appreciate the small stuff...

Just taking time to smell the peonies.