Tragic Accidents

Last night we had a tragic case in the emergency department. A young boy was brought in after a 4-wheeler accident. Less than 10 years old, he was out riding in the dark when he collided with a telephone pole guy-wire. The heavy wire caught him right under the chin and broke his neck in several places. I'm so sad to say that he was DOA. What an incredible tragedy! Children his age are so full of life, even lying there on the backboard he looked like he would open his eyes at any moment. It was hard to believe he had already passed. It is so terrible that the magnatude of the loss takes some time to really sink in. I cannot imagine his parents' grief. One of my cousins was not much older when his life was also cut short on a 4-wheeler. His machine flipped over and crushed his chest. A nurse in the ED also related to me last night that three of her cousins were also killed on 4-wheelers. Readers, please understand that 4-wheelers are not toys. Children have no business riding them alone. They would likely be safer if you let them drive your car alone, for they would at least be surrounded by the vehicle. These machines are basically little cars, and many children die on them each year. Please be careful out there.

Almost Done with Call

I met these two girls in Peru. They stopped by our clinic from a local trade school. The girl on the left was so funny, I laugh when I think about her. She was every bit the American college girl, but lived in one of the most remote regions of Peru. She was laughing and chatting on her cell phone. She acted like she didn't want her picture taken, at first, and would turn away as if embarrassed. Then she would sneak up on the doctors and snap their pictures with her cell phone, as if we didn't know that was a camera. We had some good laughs. Back to the Big House... It has been a really long road. I started this blog almost 3 years ago when I was in the hospital 'on call' every 4th night. This was a major factor in my life and hence the name of the blog. Well, I'm now almost done with hospital call. I'm on tonight, but there will be only one more in June. These are not easy calls. We don't take them from home, as in some programs. We don't 'cap' at 5 admissions, as in others. We take over at five this afternoon, and generally stay up all night in the ER, sometimes running upstairs for problems on the floor or ICU. We may admit 15 patients to the hospital and usually never get to bed. By seven in the morning I will finish the call and be allowed to start my usual work day. I will be taking a nap in the afternoon, however. I expect to be really tired in the office tomorrow. There have been some good calls. Maybe this will be one of them. I'm reminded about the no hitter.

Back in the States

Returning home from an overseas medical trip always lends a mixed bag
of emotions. There's the usual let-down that comes with coming home
from a vacation, but also the pleasures of getting back to
civilization. I'm enjoying long hot showers and my digestion returning
to normal with the help of a little Cipro. Unfortunately, I find I'm
eating much more food and getting less exercise. I will have to remedy
this soon. The long and difficult road of medical school and
residency is finally reaching its completion, and not a day or call
night to soon. I have two night calls left...

Accommodations in Huaraz, Peru

If you are ever in Huaraz, Peru, I have a great place for you to stay. Huaraz is a town in a beautiful valley, and a gateway to the Andes. I recommend you stay at The Steel Guest House. This is one of the nicest settings and most comfortable accommodations in town. The people are very friendly and the location and building height give marvelous views. The owners are friendly and gracious. Check out this link Guest House

Sunset Over Huaraz

Final Numbers

We've been on this Peru trip for a week and a half,and had 5 days of
clinics. In this time, we saw 1670 patients and used up many cases of
medicine! We also had a little time to venture out into the Andes.
Some of us swam in a cold mountain lake at 14000 feet. We also enjoyed
a few hours of shopping. Our return trip involve 8 hours on a bus to
return to Lima. Then, we had a few hours of shopping, waiting in the
airport for 3 hours, then flying all night to Texas. Another 4 hour
wait, and the final flight home. Two days of travel on either end of
the trip leaves you tired. I'm glad to be back in the USA with its
security, clean drinkable water, safe food, common language,
reasonable traffic, toilets, and especially all the comforts of home.
I still think you can mark the progreess of a country by the quality
of its bathroom facilities.

Third Day in the Village

Today we went back to the village for our third day there. Along the route through town, I caught a great shot (below) of women selling cheese. They are mountain Indian women who raise cattle and sheep on the high slopes. When we arrived, the 'waiting room' was really full, as you can see in the picture. People continued to filter in from the high mountain regions, bringing all their problems for treatment. One young man told me that he has to walk about 4 hours up the mountains, just so he can start working his fields. Then he walks back in the evening. No wonder his knees hurt and osteoarthritis is setting in. We stayed late today and saw all the people that wanted to meet with us.