Second week at the hospital!

This week has been interesting in many ways. I've been at the "New Building", which is a pre- and post operation unit. There are male, female and children, in this ward but in separate rooms. The left wing belongs to the ladies, and the right wing to men - the children are mainly put with the ladies, but sometimes it's full and then they are put where there is room.

The ward has 16 beds divided in 4 rooms, and 2 single rooms. The ward is run by 2 nurses, and 1 nurse during the night shift, which starts at 2 pm til 7 am next morning. During the day there are 2 ladies that are doing the cleaning, and they are also responsible for the transport of the people that are going to the the operation block.

So this week has been quite something. First day I was with the nurse that was responsible for changing the bandages on the ward. There were some heavy infections and some were not complicated. The next day I helped the other nurse with the medications. We took all the journals, read what they needed, wrote it on a double paper and went to the Pharmacy. They kept one copy and we had the other. The meds we had written were charged to the people, because they have to pay for everything that is being used. And they have to pay the bill before they can leave the hospital.

When you come to a hospital here in Madagascar, you always have people with you because they are the ones that takes care of you. The medical stuff is taken care of by the hospital, but the rest is the family or relatives. They stay by your bedside at all times, so there are often more than one person that comes. If you don't have people with you, there is no one that cook for you and you don't eat. And they are also the ones that help you to the bathroom, the shower etc. So it's good to have a large family!

This boy fell about 10 meters (30 feet) and broke his vertebra, and can't feel his legs. But he's in good spirit despite that. I have had the opportunity to talk a bit with him, and his father that is there with him all the time. He is 11 years old, and don't know if he'll walk again. I'm praying for a miracle, that he'll be able to walk again. =)

I told him that even if I'm at a different ward next week and the following weeks I would come and visit him now and then. The picture is taken with him and his family knowing that it will be sent to people that will see him, and hopefully pray for him.

As a future nurse I saw that his heals needed some relief, to prevent wounds. So I talked with the people staying with him that they should put something under his feet, so that his heals would stay off the mattress. They understood the problem, and found a blanket and put it there. I also tried to explain to them that since he couldn't move his feet, it was good if they could bend his knees some times during the day also. A few things to help this boy and his family out.

So many stories!! And I'm sharing one at the time!!