Below is my journal from yesterday. Tomorrow I leave for Chichicastenango to work with a American surgeon team in translating!:
Monday, July 05, 2010
Today I got to shadow Dr. David Lux. He was really good about teaching me during the whole appointment, as he was diagnosing the patient and after the patient had left. He is genuinely concerned with each of his patients. He touches them on the shoulder and offers to pray for them at the end of their appointment. Granted, getting through our 33 patients today took more time, but it was more rewarding.
I got to see an older woman whose uterus had prolapsed and whose bladder had fallen and was coming out her vagina. Eek. I saw several little kids with staph infection on their skin. I saw one man who was complaining of problems inside his ear. After looking in his ears, Dr. Lux told him that a tiny spider was living in there! We didn’t see the spider but there were small webs with tiny yellow eggs in his ear! We saw one lady who brought in lots of paperwork and rambled on and on for nearly half an hour about her problem. It was obvious that she was disputing Dr. Lux’s opinion. I got lost near the beginning and had to force myself to appear attentive. I guess she had been told by one doctor that she had cancer and it was a difficult case. Anyways, I was ready to move on, but Dr. Lux offered to pray for her at the end of the consult. She teared up and it was apparent that her defenses came down. She cried as we prayed over her for peace and no fear for the future and for trust in God and not what man says. I guess you never know what’s really going on inside a person.
I have concluded that several problems are very common in Guatemala: diabetes Type II, kidney problems, and malnutrition in kids. I asked Dr. Lux about these epidemics, and he told me that diabetes Type II occurs a lot because of lack of exercise and poor eating habits. I’ve noticed that no one here exercises, and Dr. Lux said it’s because many workers don’t have time to exercise. They use any spare time to tend to their kids or work some more. Also, even though a person might have severe diabetes and high blood sugar, I have noticed that they still eat their 4-5 tortillas with each meal. Can’t break a habit, I guess. Also, very few Guatemalans drink “agua pura” regularly. Most Guatemalans prefer to drink frescos (sugary fruit drinks), atol (a corn-based drink), or soda. This lack of water intake is the primary cause of renal problems. My “sister” Veli, whom I live with here, is 29 years old and has kidney problems. She has already had a kidney transplant, and her mother died of kidney problems. Also, many kids here are skinny. It’s not that they don’t eat. It’s that they don’t eat good foods. They will eat tortillas, rice, bread, and cookies, but don’t want to eat their beans, eggs, and meat. Their stomachs get full off of food that doesn’t provide lasting nutritional benefits. But all adults here are NOT skinny. I guess that kind of eating since childhood and the complete absence of exercise catch up with you.
I learned a lot today, including how to make balloon animals, in our spare time. Tomorrow, I will shadow Dr. Lux again at a clinic where we will see ABC kids. ABC is a government program similar to World Vision, where kids are sponsored through patrons’ support. We will measure their height, weight, and nutrition level to see if they are on track for their age.
If you could, please pray that I will feel my best while I’m at the clinics, so that I can put all my energy into absorbing information and helping the patients. Today, I think just because of the “stress” of the unknown and a new situation, I was light-headed all morning. The afternoon was much better, but I don’t like feeling crumby during all my mornings in a new environment. I sincerely appreciate your thoughts and prayers!
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