Thursday July 2nd--It was the best of times...it was the worst of times...

It was the best of times it was the worst of times…..Today started off a little rocky. First I woke up at 2:00am with body aches, fever, and nausea. After a couple of doses of pepto-bismol, tylenol, and motrin I felt a little better by the time the sun rose. I decided that I was going to go out to help out in clinic anyway. After all it was our last day of clinic and I didn’t want to miss anything. We got there and because of some miscommunication they did not know that we were coming. Therefore they had not advertised the free clinic in the community. We decided to set up clinic anyway. I spent most of the day with my eyes closed, resting, trying to control the dizziness and nausea on a portable cot that many sick Dominicans had laid on before me. Oh and by the way, there was not bathroom at this location. The neighbors kindly offered up their restroom for the team to use if need be. Michael went over to check it out and decided against the offer…you had to wade through a few inches of excrement to get to the “toilet.” But even though it was the “worst of times” the day turned out to be “the best of times.” Our van turned and began to creep down a long dirt road with deep potholes that very few American have ever been down. Little children began to run out of their homes waving to us. They jumped up and down, screaming “yay”! I asked the Dominican interpreters what they were so excited about. They said “You!!! The only time that these kids see Americans is when someone is coming to help them or to play with them.” They all came around and watched us set up for clinic. Even though no one knew ahead of time that we were coming, the word traveled fast and we saw almost as many patients with less people! Four of us were sick that day. I saw just a few patients in the morning. One of my patients was a lady that I diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. I was able to do some diabetes education with her. (Are you proud Doris?) Then, we had 2 children from 2 separate families come into the clinic within 10 min of each other. Both of them unresponsive except to painful stimuli. David quickly assessed both of them and had me to give rocephin and start an IV in both of them to bolus them with fluid. They began to perk up some after this and we had their parents take them directly to the hospital. The amazing thing is I felt terrible the entire day except for when I was taking care of these children. Some say it was adrenalin, Michael’s mom said I was just faking all day, but I know it was God that placed me, an X-ER nurse, there in that village today. I know it was His divine providence that we were scheduled to have clinic there, even though the town had no idea that we were coming. Oh, on another positive note…Michelle and Jeff designed a toilet for us to use. (See picture). And the day ended perfectly with Dr. Yelverton (also an artist) drawing faces on blown up gloves and giving them to the children. Also, Shadrach, our interpreter, gave out all the extra food that we had left over from lunch to the children, who were so appreciative. Some may say that it was truly the worst of times….but to the team it was the best of times…the best day of the entire trip.