C SECTION

We got our first case bumped for a C section.

Baby coming out. 

Baby out. 

New baby. 

Cleaning. 

Bright eyed. 

Mom and baby.

As usual, Laci with the baby. 

 I got to be an observer since it was my case that got bumped. 

Another happy customer after T&A. 

WEDNESDAY IN PIERRE PAYEN, HAITI

We started the day with a tour of the public hospital. I won't go into the complicated details, but this mission includes the public hospital (pub h) which was built first. Then the private hospital (pr h) that was built in the 1990's. That's where we work. They are trying to make it self sustaining so patients have to pay to have surgery and clinic, medicine, etc. the public hospital is free. 

This is the hospital laundry. The private laundry looks exactly the same. They dry clothes in the hospital roof. 

This is labor and delivery. The he lady was in labor as we walked past the open door. (Pub h). 

This is pub h waiting room. All open air. 

They are overhauling  the pub h so this is the construction. It's funded somehow. 

More waiting room. Pub h. 

I can't post too many pictures at once as it overloads the Internet so I'll post more later. We got in on a C section. 

ANNIES ORPHANAGE.

While Ortho and surgery staff were still working, the rest of us made the 10 minute trip to ANNIES Orphanage. She's been here from Michigan for 20 years and has 21 orphans. Mostly special needs. I won't list them all but I got a few pictures. It makes all we do pale in comparison. We've met lots of long term missionaries like her. Www.GodsChildrenHaiti.org

Left leg deformity. 

Bone wasting. 6 years old. 22 lb. 

Rickets I think. 

Me holding one of the triplets. 

That's all for today. Goodnight. 

GUEST BLOGGER - DR. STEPHANIE FELEX -ENT, PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI

I finish my residence in ENT in Port Au Prince, Haiti 1 year ago. Dr Jovin a ENT from Port Au Prince, tell me about the Mission Grace for Haiti, so I came find the mission as ENT at The Pierre Payan hospital. And is a good experience. Be a doctor in Haiti is not easy but at the end of the day is a very nice. Help people feel better, see them smile, help give birth, so much work for help the patient be happy and be alive. Be a doctor is one of a great job in that world.  Dr. Felex

Dr. Felex, Dr. Novotny ( both ENT) and Dr. Cooper (ObGyn)

MONDAY

With 4 surgeons and two ORs the operating room time is at a premium so we have a to prioritize. The prescreened patients continue to come in and the schedule is already full. Laci is doing a great job as scheduler.

I got to do a combined case with Ortho of a 16 year old from the truck accident. Dr. Jovin (ENT) came today from PAP and spent the day. I brought her some sinus instruments. Apparently a lot of equipment got stolen from another hospital so they are short and unable to do a lot so she gladly took what I brought her. She scrubbed with me on torn lower eyelid combined case. 

Before picture. 

It was infected and had grass in it. Where is an Ophthalmologist when you need one? 

The end result was pretty good but I'm not so sure about the tear duct. That's where the laceration started. The other surgeons fixed the broken leg. The next pictures are of the OR team. Nancy scrubbed for me. 

From Left - Nancy, Dr. Jovin, me, Dr. Travis, Dr. Allen, Simeon (interpreter, Lisa scrubbing. 

Nancy, Dr J and me. 

Lisa from Omaha.

Laci. 

John worked on the the cautery, shower, water pump, etc etc etc. 

The cautery escapade. 

SUNDAY

They told us we (those not in surgery) could go to church if we wanted so some did, but they all got called back when we found that additional patients from last nights massive wreck were being transferred here from St. Marc, the third largest city in Haiti. Their hospital was overwhelmed so I got a facial fracture, leg fracture that I will do in combination with Ortho tomorrow. Apparently a truck full of people couldn't make it up the hill, started rolling backward, hit a car and rolled. I found the picture of me suturing in the hall in the dark sweating (note my shirt). 

Aside from that there were two motorcycle wrecks. I got one driver who hit a wall and fractured his cheekbone. 

He needed suturing and I'll fix his fracture Tuesday. Tomorrow is full. 

I followed him across the street to X-Ryan so saw their facility circa WW Ii. The X-ray didn't elk me anything I didn't already know but it proved to the family that it was fractured. 

We've been using the hospital gowns the Federated church needle raft ministry made for us and will send diapers and hygiene kits to the orphanage if there are any left when we are done. These kids had their tonsils out and HS on the gowns. Otherwise sometimes kids are in adult gowns. I think they should have swapped sizes, but, oh well....

Another woman got hit by a motorcycle and died in our hospital with a basilar skull fracture. It was hard to watch. 

FIRST DAY IN PIERRE PAYEN

Flexibility seems to be the word of the day. We started late, then had to wait for the bridge being out.

Then we had a flat tire. 

We got here about noon. With a little sunburn, had lunch, pasta and Cole slaw, toured the hospital and planned out the next day. Surgery patients had been pre-screened so it was smooth. There was a baby with a brow tumor so we got her to surgery already today along with a boy with a broken leg who fell out a tree. 

I had a chief resident help me. She did a great job helping close. We've got 2 anesthesia folks who work together in Omaha and make a good team. 

I saw every clinic patient in good time and had settled in for supper when 8 people were brought in from an accident. A bus full of people rolled, I guess. 

Several people died and were transported to 5 different medical centers. 

The shower didn't have much pressure, but was cool. It felt good. Goodnight. 

GUEST BLOGGER- CHELA - NP

Greetings from Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. This is my first trip to Haiti on a medical mission & I am sooooooo excited to be here. I also brought my son, Kamau with me to be a part of this awesome adventure. I am so glad that God allowed me to find the Columbus Medical mission group  & Grace 4 Haiti, this is an amazing group of people that are anxious to be of service to the people of Haiti. 

Hi, I'm Kamau. I am currently a senior in high school, taking this trip with my mother. I'm excited to get started! 

We are sitting, waiting for the bus to take us up 1 1/2 hours along the coast on highway 1. The highway runs between the hospital and mission compound and is busy. Although it's a 2 lane highway, it's really 5 lanes. 2 for driving, a turn/passing lane and 2 motorcycle lanes/pedestrian sidewalk.

Crossing the street might be the most dangerous thing we do. NN

PORT AU PRINCE

We arrived safely in Port Au Prince last night and had a short but interesting ride in the back of a truck sitting on our suitcases to the Servotel. Quite the lap of luxury overnight. They did not think it was safe to travel after dark so we stayed. I ate three times my normal breakfast with a ham and cheese omelet, delicious fresh fruit and cereal. The first picture is the team in Atlanta. The second is the hotel in PAP. We will be taking off for Pierre Payen in a few minutes. We are in Nebraska time so no jet lag. The team is like a snowball. We started in Omaha with 7, then gained in Atlanta to 20. Now the rest will arrive later this morning. They already have a too long list of possible surgery so as soon as we reach PP we will screen and start surgery. We will work out any bugs in the OR today then hit the ground running tomorrow. So far we have Nebraska, Kansas, New Hampshire and Colorado represented. We'll gain Texas and Washington state by the end of the day. Orthopedics got hung up in Miamai apparently. 

ATLANTA AIRPORT

We met up with the rest of the group. 

GATHERED IN OMAHA

Our group leaving from Omaha. Some left earlier this morning. We are meeting the larger group in Atlanta. Me, Jihn, Giana, Cole, Nancy, Ken and Carrie. The two on the far right are anesthesia. 

Guest Blogger John A. Novotny

This will make my 7th "medical" mission trip, having been to Nicaragua twice (2010 & 2011), Guatemala (2012), Kenya (2013), Haiti (2014) and Nepal (2015).  I have also been on as many Church mission trips prior to these medical ones, through the Federated Church in Columbus, NE, with the youth. The Federated Church has been very instrumental with supporting our medical missions in terms of financial, materials & supplies, and spiritually. 


Each trip is unique, even if repeated. Team members change, facilities change, needs change each time.  People sometimes indicate that they would love to go on a trip like this, but don't have any medical skills. I am not medically trained, I am business trained with a farm background.  The need for non-medical support staff is key to enabling the medical staff to perform their tasks. Just ask any medical person you know that has gone on a mission trip. If you ever think you would like to try a trip, let us know.




Many blogs reference the changes we can make in the underserved, and all of that is very true. In addition, any trip like this can help change your own point of views about life and priorities.




I have been asked to be what we call a "MacGyver" on this trip, which is basically a "fix-it" or "gopher" function.  I will also be coordinating many of the logistics of getting the team for week #2 there.  By my count, there are 10 team members there for week #1 (April 15-22), and 29 team members for week #2.  There are 6 members that will be there both weeks, making a total of 33 different people spanning the two weeks. We generally work harder and longer on a mission trip than we do at our regular jobs, so it is far from a vacation.  We will come back both exhausted and refreshed, if there is such a thing. However,Haiti shares the same island as the Dominican Republic, and the two countries together make up what is called "Hispaniola", which was so named by Christopher Columbus in 1492 on his voyage. By topography, it is a beautiful place, much like any Caribbean island. So we will be in a tropical island setting, but surrounded by the effects of a long-term unstable political situation and poverty.  But the smiles on the people we serve, help on get past this dichotomy. The smile on my daughter Giana's face from a prior mission trip we went on, is special too.

GUEST BLOGGER - NANCY, NURSING

I am so thankful to be able to be part of this wonderful experience.   The last two weeks I have been busy inventorying the rest of the surgical instruments.  It has taken a lot of time and organization, thank goodness John is so organized.  I'm not sure if he ever sleeps.

It sounds like Week 1 has planned a busy week for us and looking forward to helping out where ever I can.     I cannot wait to work with all the surgeons, nurses, staff, and MacGyver's.   We will be changing lives and making life better for people that truly are in need. 

People keep asking me if I am getting nervous.  Well, as the hours get closer to departure, the answer has now turned to YES.  This will be the hardest and most rewarding thing I have ever done and can not feel more blessed to be a part of it.  

Nancy, LPN

GUEST BLOGGER - GIANA

On my fridge, I have a countdown for Haiti and lo and behold it is only 2 days away! I am excited to serve Haiti with my husband, Cole (we have never embarked on a journey like this together). 

First off, I work as a physician assistant in a Family Practice in Lincoln, NE and have found such joy with what I do. I have been on several missions in the past, including this Haiti trip, but I have never been there as a physician assistant. I am sure to be worked hard, and very humbled at the same time. During my last visit, I remember thinking 'This is the poorest place I have ever been' while at the same time thinking 'This is one of the best run medical clinics in a poor country I have ever seen'. Two remarkable co-existing thoughts. 

The building that we work in an open air hospital that is about the size of a  small high school gymnasium. The way I remember it (though it may have changed) is 1 wing operates as a "clinic" with providers who treat all sorts of typical family practice conditions, but also help screen for potential surgical cases. 1 wing has "hospital". 1 wing is for "pre-post op", 1 wing is for surgeons/specialist clinic, the back of the clinic has 2 well functioning Operating Rooms and the front of the compound has a sort of large triage ER. 

There will be many patients to see, and similar to the last trip, I am sure there will be a line down the street full of patients for us. We will work hard from morning into the late evening, if not night (depending on what we see). The surgical team will be pushed to their limit and it will be used every minute of the day. 

As far as mission trip for medical purposes- this is a VERY well functioning clinic. I truly think the reason it works so well is due to the major planning done ahead of time by the Grace4Haiti leaders who take many long hours packing and preparing for our trip. (Thank you!) We stay in a lovely living compound right across the street- which happens to be one of the national highways (more like a 2 lane street). For anyone worried about our safety- they say the most dangerous part of the trip is crossing the street! I would say that sounds about right as I do recall several motor vehicle accidents from the highway coming into our ER last trip.

Haiti is the 2nd poorest country in the western Hemisphere and has notoriously poor access to health care. Yet, the best part about this clinic is that operates more than just while we are there- there are teams there (last I heard) about 12+ weeks a year. From a primary care perspective, this at least a step in the right direction to achieve continued comprehensive care, though it isn't ideal. When I go down a further bunny trail, I start thinking about how sad it is that so many of these patients rely on our group for primary and surgical care instead of their own health providers since they cannot pay and do not have comprehensive health care system- but I digress . 

I keep on thinking, and I paraphrase, 'You can't help the whole word, but you can help one person's whole word". And, while I do not want to act as though we are heroes and overemphasize our importance, I still think that what we are doing is very special. It can be overwhelming with thoughts of "Why was this person born into a poor family in a poor country, and why was I not?"  But then I remember that is God's way of telling me to improve my perspective on my own life and of course poverty in my community. I suppose God has also called on those of us to "love thy neighbor as thyself" no matter where we are and no matter how hard that may be.  

How blessed am I to be able to experience a different part of this wonderful world, yet again! Haiti, here we come!

COMMISSIONING

We got commissioned at Federated Church today.  Things have been so hectic around here that I haven't focused on the mission so much, but today it became more clear.

This is only part of the group.  Left to right, Nancy - nurse, Giana - PA, Cole & John Macgyver's, me ENT surgeon. I was a little afraid I'd have to say something, but I didn't so that was good.  There is one other nurse from Columbus coming and one who used to live here.  We're joining a fairly large group, 27 I think, who will all be there together.  We are packed and ready to go.  All that's left is to get our surgical instruments packed at the last minute.  Pierre Payen, here we come!!!