Greetings from Kalene!
We are really enjoying living in Bamboo Cottage. James and Ruth, who were living here previously, have made it a lovely home. It is complete with Kenwood mixer and a Singer sewing machine – what more could a girl ask for?! It is nice to be on the mission compound and to feel more part of the community.
One of my joys has been the arrival of Masaku, a baby girl whose mother died shortly after arriving from Angola. Her family asked us to look after her while they grieve. We hope they will come back for her. She is absolutely adorable as you can see! She is being shared amongst the mission staff and I love it when it’s our turn! We have even been doing some night shifts! However, it is nice to be able to have her in the afternoon and evening and then drop her off at maternity for the night so we can sleep!! One morning, while I was getting ready for work, Christopher fed her whilst having his porridge and watching a dvd on ‘how to perfom a hysterectomy,’ in preparation for the morning list – talk about multi-tasking!
We have been on a couple of trips outside of Kalene which has been lovely. We took a walk up Kalene Hill a few weeks ago and went for a drive out to ‘the hydro’ – the hydroelectric power station about 6km away (we’re living on the edge here – that was a really exciting day!!) We have also visited Ikelenge, our nearest ‘town.’ We had to visit the local immigration officer there to have our passports checked. A highlight was having a cold coke out of a glass bottle! We went to the health clinic there too – it was a pretty grim sight. They have no electricity or running water and virtually no drugs or equipment. A couple of weeks ago, Christopher saw a woman who had been seen there and given panadol and sent home. She had raging lactating breast abcesses and required extensive debridement.
Last Sunday, we visited Sakeji school. Once a month, the staff at Kalene get together with Sakeji staff to pray and eat cake! It was a bumpy ride but very worth it – it was a great opportunity to meet some new people and see the school which is beautiful.
We are hoping to spend 2 weeks in the local village to help with our language learning! We have already visited a few homes in the village. People are extremely poor and in their little hut, they may have 2 or three tiny rooms with very few possessions. We are also going to have some Lunda lessons with Paul Fisher, whose grandfather was one of the first missionaries to the area in the late 19th century.
I have taken over as sister on Fisher (female) ward! It is pretty chaotic. My role is quite involved – as well as overseeing the inpatients (who have many and varied conditions), I also see those who turn up outside my office and must decide their fate! It is a very challenging and busy ward. I am trying to get my head around all the tropical/infectious stuff such as sickle cell anaemia, TB and HIV, revise some gynaecology, GUM and paediatrics as well as recall some general medicine, figure out how to set up traction, along with getting to know the ‘system’ (what system?!) i.e. how the off duty works, ensure I fill up various pots with sugar and milk in the morning, order toilet roll on SATURDAYS and desperately trying not to worry too much about ridiculous practices and procedures such as the cleaning of wounds with a solution of saline and BLEACH?! The staff need a great deal of instruction – I keep forgetting that most of them aren’t trained. We have 3 enrolled nurses and the rest are called ‘CDEs’ (and I can’t actually remember what this stands for!!) I was devastated this week to turn up on Tuesday morning to find that a young woman brought in during the evening had not been properly assessed and by the time a qualified member of staff saw her, it was too late. She had a ruptured ectopic pregnancy, a very treatable condition. But there are stories with happy endings too – in fact, too many to list! It is good for me to remember these when I feel like loosing hope. We successfully diagnosed and started treatment for TB in a young boy called Feyason – there is a photo of him at the end, looking very happy as he is going home!
We are very fortunate to have a school of nursing here. The students are the work horses of the hospital – we couldn’t operate without them! There is one called Foster, who I thought wasn’t really on the ball as whenever I ask him to do something, he seems to either not understand or to be somewhat reluctant! However, he came to tell me that he thought one of the patients was in pain. The young woman had mitral valve regurgitation and was having difficulty breathing due to her ascites. I was in the middle of something and said I’d be five minutes and then I’d go and put a drain in to relieve her symptoms. When I was ready, Foster came to me and said ‘Sister, I have prepared the tray – I would like to watch you insert the drain!’ I was so surprised but it was so nice not to have to ask – go Foster!
We will miss our friend Becs who has left us for a month for a well earned rest. We are looking forward to meeting Paul and Katy, two doctors coming from the UK for 3 or 4 months – they arrive this afternoon!
Christopher will be writing soon about some of his surgical experiences, so watch this space!
With our love, Emma and Christopher x
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| Chota outside Bamboo Cottage - traditional shelters like this are common place and used as meeting places. |
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| Fireplace at Bamboo with our beautiful bunting made by Jennie. |
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| The metropolis of Ikelenge, our nearest 'town.' |
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| On top of Kalene Hill. |
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| Our kitchen, complete with Kenwood mixer! |
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| Two friends, Mamisa and Maria. |
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| Baby Masaku, who we have been looking after since her mother died two weeks ago. |
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| Loving being a foster mum to this beautiful little girl! |
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| Christoph calling home from our office. |
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| Ikelenge Rural Health Clinic - delivery room. |
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| On table cholangiogram, Kalene style. |
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| Feyason, who was treated for TB, with his granny. |
