Chitoko-tastic!

We thought you'd like to see some of the highlights of the past month or so - we hope you enjoy these pictures! I am very proud of the fact that I have managed to resize and upload these BY MYSELF! It's so funny that it has taken a year in the bush to make me update some of my IT skills!

We had a visit to Hillwood to see Christine and the other children there. I love this photo! She is so precious. We have had some amazing news about her. She was tested for HIV soon after she was born and the result was positive. This result cannot be relied upon as babies can still have their mothers antibodies. So we send off a test called a PCR to Solwezi. The results normally take 3 or 4 months. The result of this test has just come back as NEGATIVE! Although we will still repeat this test, due to the fact that she's had this strange problem with her ear and enlarged lymph nodes but we do pray that this result is accurate. An ENT surgeon is going to be at Beit Cure Hospital in Lusaka. I am trying to contact him to see if he can have a look at Christine as we are no further forward with her ear problem. Do pray he can see her next week and that I will be able to fly down with her - we would love to have this sorted for her before we leave.

We had a great time with Christopher's mum and dad in October. I think anyone who visits Kalene cannot failed to be touched by what they experience and the people they meet here. We were really encouraged by their visit and I know they had a special time here and at Sakeji school.

We celebrated Jackie's birthday at 'the hydro' with a picnic and a swim in the river.

We were invited to Chitokoloki Mission Hospital for a month. We had a very interesting and enjoyable time and it was a very useful experience to see another mission station and different ways of working. The best bit about Chitokoloki is the food, namely morning tea and cake which is served daily at 10am without fail!

The hospital is in a beautiful setting on the Zambezi. 

My first time assisting Mr H in theatre! I am trying to use a retractor here. This was a laparotomy for a pelvic abcess - you wouldn't believe the amount of pus and how bad it smelt! Thankfully, I had Tanis to help me figure out what all those instruments are for and for moral support - the amount of abuse I suffered was shocking, especially considering we were in a mission hospital!

Washing out that manky pelvis.

We got to wear some very snazzy theatre outfits. Christopher is looking particularly camp, yet pleased, in his floral scrub top.

The very beautiful Hope, 6 months (above) and Mika, 2 years (below). We had such fun with these girls! Tanis, one of the mission nurses at Chit, has adopted them.

We were the flying doctors for the day! We flew to Chavuma Mission Hospital to do some hernia repairs. Here we are with Rachel (anaesthetist, Northern Ireland) David McAdam (surgeon, Northern Ireland) and Larry our pilot.

We also visited Dipalata Mission Hospital. Here is a typical pose of Dr McAdam. On arrival at Dipalata, we were given tea and scones before beginning the day's list. It's a hard life being medical missionaries!

The 'pharmacy' at Dipalata. The five bottles are boiled water, glucose, quinine, more boiled water and carminitive. You just have to hope that there's nothing else wrong with you other than tummy upset, diabetes or malaria!

Assisting with what felt like the umpteenth hernia!

I am in love with the maternity unit at Dipalata! It has recently been built and is absolutely beautiful. The patchwork quilts are gorgeous and they even have a birthing ball! Who wouldn't want to deliver here? It goes to show that it is possible to build and run health facilities of high standards in rural Africa.

The cutest 'resusitaire' I have ever seen.

Larry flew us along the Zambezi on the way home from Chavuma. Slightly vomit-inducing but nonetheless breathtaking - we even spotted a big croc in the middle of the river. Croc attacks are common along this stretch of the Zambezi - we had a 12 year old boy who'd been attacked but miraculously escaped with some nasty fleshy wounds to his leg, perineum and hip.

The Zambezi at Chit. Our canoe trip was pre-planned for the afternoon after the croc attack!

We had a lovely river 'cruise' with Gayle, Rachel and Jay. The Zambezi's answer to punting! This of course involved many potential croc spottings and capsizings and Christopher had to actually get in the river when we became grounded on several occasions!

Pimms? Strawberries? That would be marvellous!

Rachel kept us entertained during our stay. We learnt lots about anaesthetics - I had a go at doing some spinals and intubation.

Chitokoloki babies!

This little chap had a diaphragmatic hernia. He was very sick and weak on arrival but is doing so well now and putting on weight chovu chovu. He was a very happy wee soul and a highlight of the ward round.

This little girl was having serial manipulations and casts for club feet. This method is very effective and means that these children don't need to have an operation to correct their feet.



Rachel is looking ecstatic about the spleen Christopher has just removed! This child (12) fell from a mango tree and ruptured his spleen. Injuries are very seasonal - mangoes and catepillars cause all manner of trauma.

This is Beatrice who had an abcess on her buttock. This was my first I+D and I loved it! If there's pus about, let it out!

Joseph, one of the star patients at Chit. I take back my words about tracheostomies in Zambia! Joseph has a papilloma in his trachea / larynx so the trachie allows him to maintain his airway. He is an absolute delight. He currently lives in the 'ICU' at Chit as he has to have regular suctioning - he has actually blocked off his trachie several times due to all the secretions he gets. He is going to Lusaka to see the ENT specialist at Beit Cure who will hopefully be able to remove the papilloma. We also looked after another little boy who required an emergency tracheostomy. He had a 2 week history of swallowing a fish bone and had been unwell ever since. He was agitated and febrile. There was nothing to see on chest xray but he looked like he had a pericardial effusion. We took him to theatre to try and have a look with a scope but after he was given ketamine, Rachel tried to look with the laryngoscope but she couldn’t ventilate him – the pharynx was massively swollen. So Dr McA did an emergency tracheostomy! It was pretty slick. He had a look and thought there was something in the pharynx so he stuck a needle in it and all this revolting purulent pus came out – it was disgusting. You could smell it down the corridor! He did very well and the trachie was removed about a week later.

Our last day at Chit with Julie-Rachel, Gayle and Rachel. Thanks guys - it was great working with you.

We are now back at Kalene and only have 6 weeks left. I am now working on maternity which I'm enjoying although it's quite a challenge trying to look after labouring women, antenates, postnates and family planning clinic, not to mention all the 'special care' babies who are in the office! Do look out for our 'Christmas Special' blog later on in December.

With our love,

Emma and Christopher x