So by the second day of the clinic/medical mission, we have usually gotten into a groove with how things are going to go, workshopping new ways of doing things and working through the hiccups. Today was very much a day like that. We did have an issue with the EMR Electronic record system not communicating, and so had to switch back to paper records for a short while, until I figured it out. I did a little work on the router that they connect to and after about 45 minutes or so things seemed to be back up and running. Which is good because the system is really proving to be worth while. Providers are seeing huge benefits to it and the real excitement will be next year when we have a lot of our regulars come through and we are able to look up past medical history and medications and treatments prescribed.
In general today was a little harder in that we had quite a few challenging cases come through the clinic. A lot of them are diabetic related. Diabetes is very prevalent here in Honduras and often goes untreated. Untreated diabetes is the worst and the body can deteriorate fast. We had at least two cases of necrotic feet from untreated diabetes and referrals to surgeries to have them amputated were made. It’s so sad and heartbreaking that people reach this level due to no fault of their own. Lack of access to medical care and medicines is the biggest component of it. The ability to even get to a health care center is a challenge. And to be able to afford is an even bigger challenge. The numbers we measured for a lot of our diabetic patients have been high. Hypertension is also another disease that is prevalent here in Honduras. Again very treatable, if you have the resources to do it.
Several people got involved in caring for the patients that needed amputations and it was amazing to see the care been given to them. Tonight at our devotions, our Honduran provider shared her story today about the love she saw given to her people . She talked about how its not just about giving a medication, its about how its given and how the person is made to feel during the treatment. It’s important to show respect and love.
Today was a loud day in the clinic also – I think all the crying babies came this afternoon! I got to at least cuddle and play with a few of them and even managed to get a couple of them to giggle at me. I do love all those cute kiddos!!
In VBS they had around 90 kids so it was a busy day for them also. They enjoyed stories and crafts
Kurt continued with his clean water project in the community, continued health checks at both the regular school and special needs school, and health checks at the women’s clinic all continued. The school team had fun teaching some of the kids how to grow seeds and they all went home with chia seed sponges! The hope is to help them implement a vegetable garden in their school down the road so they can learn to grow food.
Tomorrow is another day and we hope and pray it will be another great day!
Blessings,
Shelley
Working the kids at the special needs school
