Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Clinic Day!

Alan the director in Cambodia asked if I would do a clinic day for the girls at by Tavi and their kids.  Obviously I answered when and how many!  So yesterday I got to use the gifts that God has blessed me with and treat patients.  I only saw 33 in about 5 hours with a nice long lunch break with the entire staff!  Not too bad when you consider the translation doubles your visit time!  It was reassuring that people here deal with the same issues as Haiti.  Headaches and "hot chest" (reflux).  I didn't save any lives, but I got to pray with each one and show them they are loved and cared about which doesn't happen alot in Cambodia.  One of the workers has a 2 month old baby that I got to check out.  Very healthy but with baby acne the mom wanted me to fix!  Then there was the 13 month old running all over the workshop that her mom said didn't want to eat anything.  Just like in the states, too busy to sit down!  A six year old who didn't like going to school, wouldn't eat his vegetables, and was too small for his age.  Sound familiar to anyone?  I love seeing that medicine is the same everywhere!  If I could only move my practice over here and take care of people with no access to any healthcare rather than those who abuse our system.  I really appreciate American Healthcare!
So we had to go visit one of the past staff who had a stroke about a year ago.  She is homebound now with minimal use of the left side of her body.  We drove down some alleys to the end of a dirt road and found her home.  It was a one room concrete house that reeked of urine, flies were everywhere and it was empty except for a mat on the ground that she was sitting on.  Her mental status is fading and she can't talk very well any more.  She has an aunt that helps take care of her but only at night and some in the mornings before she leaves for work.  So this poor lonely woman just sits in her own urine and feces all day long because she can't get up her self.  She uses her right arm to move her left arm and leg around.  She is cachectic and malnourished and there is not much we can do for her.  I left her with some pain medicine to add to the aspirin we have already supplied her with to help prevent another stroke.  It frustrates and saddens me to realize how a good rehab hospital may have been able to save her functioning.  But that is the way of life here in Cambodia- no money equals no healthcare and no chance.  We are working to break that cycle!  Our only hope is in Jesus!
I am exhausted from the day- mentally and physically beat down- just like I like it!

PS. No paperwork was filled out or signed today and very little charting was done!  I could get used to this.

In Him,
Jeremy

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