Roll Out!!

Training Child to walk with cast

Before and after views of Pelvic fracture from the other night.

So the last day has come already. We are all packed and getting ready to depart.  It was another great adventure and successful mission.   We fixed another spine yesterday and went well.  They are getting markedly better at dong spine surgery here.  Amazing how good its going to feel to have all the advantages of spine surgery in the US, great lights, great suction, all the tools...already looking toward the first cases back in states.

Made my fastest trip up the hill yesterday, under an hour to the top  of the hill.  Watch out Colorado, my quads are ready for your runs!!
This is the JuJu hat I found for Amy...I don't know why??

Little Boring or Home Sick, one or both...

Nothing to much to report.  Without a Toby to tell stories about, its a bit less dramatic and not so much to write about, I could write about Dad, but Amy told me no more toe stories...
Work is good. Have some pics of the stuff I fixed yesterday and new stuff from today.  The motorcycles just keep me stocked with business.

Did get done about 4:00 and made a mad dash up the hill to try to get come cardio in. Made it up and back in record time...  Managed to keep up with a local which is a real feat in itself!!

Broken arm I redid...there was a distinct lack of screw selection as is common here.

Next is before and after neck views on guy who dislocated his neck and is paralyzed.

Last are xrays of the young man with broken thigh bone and shin bone we rodded and externally fixated.  Too many motos.  I've also included pictures showing me working because Amy is not convinced I'm not just hiking all day with the parents.

Hard Days

So I've been the only Orthopod and running what is a very busy, big show here.  5 surgeries yesterday, then last night they came to get me at 9:30 at night and requested me to come to the theatre...what they had was a 28 year old police man hit on a motorcycle with a very bad pelvis injury.  He was bleeding to death, and so for a place with very limited blood bank, putting a external fixator on his pelvis might have just saved his life.  He was doing well enough to thank me this morning, that in itself was pretty rewarding.

I also had a cervical spine fracture I fixed this morning, I don't yet have the post-operative xray to show, but the xray of the neck shows just how broke it was.  Also fixed a very difficult hip fracture, without the benefit of xrays, so it looks pretty acceptable for what I have to use here.
Also fixed a broken arm, that was done elsewhere that the plate had pulled away from the bone.

Last is how much bad motorcycle trauma we see, this one would be tough even in the states, but is impossible here.  We  washed it out and put an external fixator on it and will hope for the best.

Looking for Nub!!!!

So as many of you know my Dad had an accident several months ago and lost part of his big toe, and he is still recovering, this walking has been very good for him, but I had the unfortunate mistake of watching my Mom caressing his foot, she says it was medical therapy on his nub....Gross!!

 I wonder where Joey and Toby get it from.....Perhaps from Grandma Mona!!

Walking has been great for him and his pants are already fitting better and he is feeling healthier.  I took them all on a trip back to the big waterfall yesterday and just the boys went up to the big peak on the front range today, called Half-Dome.  Dad was happy to hear from our guide that Cameroon doesn't have poison ivy, as he must have drank too much water and he had to squat like a native.  Unfortunately I don't have photo of that for the audience...But he made the trip none the less.  Yesterday's walk was pretty, but today's was one of those walks that between endorphin rush and pride leave you with a real sense of accomplishment when you finally reach the top.  It is one of the hills I had never done before, and was extremely steep at the end.

We all went to chruch today, and was not as intense as usual, as most of the women had gone to greet and worship with another village today.  It was still great for them to see and experience the passion and joy and the faith these people have in the Lord.

Had a wonderful dinner with Dr Nana and his family tonight.  Great food, great company and learned much.  Dad is having a wonderful time investigating the culture of Cameroon and Dr Nana is very open and willing to share his knowledge.  Learned an interesting Pigeon English Saying, "Ripe Banana still loose a tooth."  Meaning, even with a soft ripe banana you can still break off a tooth, if it is time for the tooth to come out.  Got some great African wear from Dr Nana's family as well.  D & J seemed excited to try on and looked pretty good.

Last but not least I did do some work Friday, and really had one of those great days, where some really messed up stuff came through and got it much better.  Took this very crooked kid and got him alot straighter.  Dr Nana gone all week, so Im'm holding down the fort for a week.  Need to go. Have to put together some lectures for the orthopaedic PA students I am suppose to teach in his abscense.  Also Pretty big spine fusion, and 3-4 other surgeries plus 60+ patients in clinic.  (Velvet and Es, don't get any ideas, seeing 60+ African patients way different that seeing that many in the states.)

Paybacks a B.........ingo!!!!!!

Dad made it up the hill twice today, He and Mom headed out this morning and he came with me this afternoon.  I made him go up the waterline trail and as you can see.  Quickly paid him back for all the Baatan Death Marches he took me on as a kid, "Its just around the corner Brian.."  I so loved telling him, the top is just over the next rise:)

So I'm now I'm sitting here trying to blog and having to debate with my Dad about the use of the Bataan Death March on the blog as a historically propagandazied event, that may offend my Japanese audience.  We have since gone on to the inhumanity of the Trail of Tears, the A-bomb and death of Japanesse Generals...

Thankfully, Mom popped her head in and told Dad to quit picking on me...I don't even give a crap, I'm just looking for a descriptor...  Allan just wants to add here that "water-boarding saves lives" he is such a crapp stirer.  I'm pretty sure he just needs to get his own blog site...Back to the blog.

Hayfield on the hill side...have no idea how this guy is not falling over.

Mom

almost became a moto (motorcycle) statistic today.  They were walking down the hill and a moto, rolling silent down the hill came zooming up behind her and dad and had to scoot.  She jumped out the way and skinned her knee, pretty sure she will survive.  Walking through the hospital late the other night, I was realizing how many people were sleeping out side. see the attached pics.  Last pic is the crazy rod put in at St Elsewhere, bent and backwards, have no idea how they even got it in.  Worse, is figuring out how to get it out  Now to play pitch, and kick Jim and Dads butt.  

Blogging on Ipads Sucks!!!

I've written this 5 times, had to put this at the front because I cant get to the end.
I'm just going to stick in all the pics and keep fighting it.

So as many of you know, I have traveled back to Cameroon with my Parents and Uncle Jim, hence forth to be known as "the entourage or MDJ (Mom,Dad, Jim)  I think it has been quite the eye opening adventure for them.  They all seem to be enjoying themselves, the quite pace, great weather and pictures surroundings.  They are quickly settleing into life here.  MDJ all went and visited the Hope Village (Leper colony) today and were toured around.  Then I made a point to get done early and hiked them up the mountain that looks back on the compound.  Breathtaking views and again Mom and Dad were taken by the natural beauty.

Grasshoppers for dinner!!

Patients laying outside for sunshine...

E

Both my parents are amazed at the feeling of community and closeness this place exudes.  Dad just enjoyes sitting on the porch watching the kids play "football"  I  saw this compassion again today when the kids past up walking up the hill going home from school all holding hands in a line.

I can't tell you how frustrated I am right now, between the horrible internet here and how bad a choice it was to bring the Ipad with me, which is not designed to work with this blogging site...pretty grumpy right now.

MDJ have hiked 3 days in a row at this point and I think are pretty well enjoying themselves.  Dad and Jim tried to find jobs here, eventually got handed to the painting crew...scared the crap out of two poor old paws (men) who were the painting crew..  Pretty much two young wipper snapper Americans' (Dad and Jim) were there to steal their jobs and take there pay.  So Dad and Jim decided maybe they'd just head for the mountain...good side, is Dr Palmer is very pleased, because he hadn't seen them get the ward repainted that fast...ever.


Mom is settling in as well.  She has more to do, went to wound care clinic and got invited to come spend time in Physical Therapy once they found out she use to work on rehab unit.  She is going to come home and complain about how much laundry she did, but as opposed to Roxy and Amy before her, who did it all by hand and it would never dry.. She has a laundry machine next door and extremely dry weather and the dry fast.
So