Musings of a Confused Grasshopper

Day who knows...

My first blog entry. What happened? Where are we? What is happing next? I still don't know.

We finished an exhausting day working at Casa Materna. Today we had a clinic or "consulta" for both the women at Casa Materna as well as folks from greater Huehuetenango. This was an eye opener at best. Women and children lined up, many just for the novelty of having an ultrasound done by the American doctors, but just as many with incredibly grave illnesses. Mali and Orlando provided cover for the front lines, triaging the women, men and children that came for the clinic. In back Bob and I worked as ultrasound monkeys. Everyone had incredible stories at the end. Orlando saw many sick children, but also a homeless woman with end stage heart failure who was turned away from hospital because she couldn't afford any treatment. Elena was the madre de agujas, administering innumerable acupuncture treatments for employees of Casa Materna, the National Hospital and the Health Department. Employees and patients alike have been through more stress and trauma than I can imagine; all were grateful for the Elena's healing touch.

Beyond the cultural differences, the vast differences in medical care, probably the most difficult thing for most of us was navigating a completely different medical system. Although Orlando reveled in being able to chart on paper, only writing three sentences instead of wrangling with Epic, all was not peaches and gravy. Trying to figure out how to order basic lab tests, how to arrange for follow up, all this was nearly impossible.

Now exhausted, we're waiting before heading off to dinner with La Licenciada, Bal Maria! The mood is mellow, people gathered throughout the casa de la familia Lopez Guevara. Everyone is low energy after the training workshop yesterday and the frantic clinic today. Tomorrow we do it all over again. One has to wonder at the effect we're having. I know it's expected for visiting American doctors to hold a clinic like this, but think about the numerical difference. At the training yesterday we worked with 50 doctors and nurses, each of whom will see hundreds or thousands of patients in their careers. It pales in contrast with the 100 patients we saw in clinic today.

Just my confused and hungry musings. Disregard as desired. - Matt Sperry

Happy Patient and Doctora

Matt instructing La Medica Cubana Dagmar on Ultrasound

El Chapulin es un Wizard

Can you guess who is throwing who under the bus for the lock job

Chapulin" Sperry.

Thanks Matt - a few other amusing stories, Mali placed our first Jadelle (see above) - somewhat of a frightening yet awesome procedure if you like shoving blunt instruments the size of a Javelin into someone's arm, we were locked into our procedure room with 3 nursing students (right), eating Cardon Blue de Reis for almuerza in three large chews, the power outages while 14 women were waiting for their scans and getting to teaching a wonderful Cubana medico named Dagmar ultrasound. Not too mention we nailed two other members of our teams with their Guate Motes (Nicknames): Orlando es "El Campepe Malcreado" y Mali "La Paloma Blanca! Felicedades.

Mas adelante! Beto "Loro".