Things are a little different here.

On rounds today the head doctor (consultant) showed up along with about 10 medical students. We were completing our rounds on about 40 patients and we arrived at one of the last patients in the back corner. There was a nurse/tech trying to put an IV in the patient and he had an oxygen mask on his face. No one knew anything about the patient because he had come in earlier in the morning and no one had seen him yet. The intern picked up the file and started talking about the patient. After a few seconds several of us realized that the patient was not breathing. The consultant checked his pulse and the patient had passed way. I was just shocked that no one had any idea who this patient was and why was he one of the last patients we rounded on that day.

We also had an interesting case of what we think is Gullian Barre Syndrome. This gentleman has had a 1-2 week history of ascending paralysis. He now is unable to move his legs at all. The weakness has moved into his arms and he is starting to have some difficulty with his breathing. So we called the ICU in the morning. They have 5 ventilators in our hospital and they are very selective about who can use them. Fortunately this man was transferred to the ICU because Gullian Barre is reversible and you just have to let it run it course. Very interesting case that I will have to follow-up on. I am interested to see if he actually gets intubated.

I did my first lumbar punture today on a patient. Lumbar puntures here are a WHOLE lot easier because the patients are so skinny and you can actually feel their spine. This guy has severe neck stiffness and was not responding very well. The Medical student tried first and was unable to do it, so I gave it a try and GOT IT....I was pretty excited. Ofcourse the fluid came out so slow I had to sit there for about 30 mins watching it drip one drop at a time. We had to label the sample with small pieces of paper taped to the bottles and carry across the hospital to the lab to make sure it got done.

So on a lighter, non-hospital note the weather here is awesome. It has rained a few times but it is mostly sunny and in the 70s. I am going on a safari this weekend to Nakuro National Park which is know for rhinos, hippos, and flamingos. So I am sure I will have some great pictures. I will try and post some more pictures soon.