Bamacounda Monday Clinic

So we started clinic on Monday.  As always huge lines of people waiting to get in.  It's hard for us to imagine in America only really having a chance for healthcare, one week out if the year, and not being for sure they will come back next year.  There is a lot of fighting and squabbling for a "ticket/wrist band" that gets you in the door.  The Gendarime (National Guard) are here again this year, M-16 and all to help keep order...

Amy has fit right in, she's in her zone here...loving on little babies, getting to assist on dental procedures, she's throwing around dental terms left and right again like she use to, she might as well be speaking Manjuck the local tribal language to me.

Yes, that a whole tooth and part of the maxillary sinus floor that come with it!!!

Ouch!

So Terry Vogt (TeVo) my physician assistant and I have been having lump & bump clinic all week.  It's great because we have three other Dr's here this week to take care of all the general medical issues which I hate.  Dr Woodmanse, ER Dr from Branson, Dr Soh from northern Senegal and Dr Steve who is also from Senegal is helping as well.

The bumps are coming in droves, and getting bigger.  I've been concerned several times about pushing the toxic dose on local anesthetics because of how much it takes on some of these things..

I've said it before about the Cameroonian people, and now about the Senegaleese, but Africans are tough!! Little local and grit their teeth, barely a wince and take softballs out of their arm pit..

He came back today to have even bigger one taken off his arm.

TeVo is even getting quick with the knife.  I had to leave clinic today and came back and he had found one bigger than mine he was taking out without me just so he could claim to be Lipoma King!!

Found a boy with severe kyphoscoliosis that I hope to get to mission hospital in Ghana.  He will need major spine surgery sooner than later or he will most likely die.  It's crazy, been progressive for years but this was his mother's first chance to get him seen by a medical person. We pray that we can get everything to go well to get him the care he needs.

I've been working TeVo hard here too. He was fighting with Pastor Jetta to get the last of the good eats at the common bowl last night.

Terry and Pastor Jetta at dinner.

The place we are staying is nice, beautiful setting on the Cassamance River, a four star hotel with grass roofed villas...but also intermittent electricity, cold showers and misquotes in the rooms to remind you that your still in Africa.  Still, probably the best accommodations thus far in Africa.

Lastly we came home from dinner at the church to find one of the trees just outside of the property completely on fire all the way up, it was sooo cool for a pyro guy like me.

More to come, need to get some rest, another clinic/surgery day in Bamacounda tomorrow..

-B

Yes, we are here

I'm sure you all have been anxious about why there has not been any word from us yet.  Well I only got smarter than the internet yesterday, and after an exhausting day and me not feeling well I went to bed early.  So  gonna try to catch up today (Wednesday morning).

We made it to Dakar EARLY on Sunday morning.  The 8 hour flight uneventful, but with still many hours ahead.  

(My disclaimer...I'm am using my phone and I cannot adjust picture sizes.  So if they are rediculously large or small, I will correct them later)

So after our flight we hit the road.   Normally you would travel straight south through Gambia to southern Senegal and use a ferry in Gambia to cross the river, but the ferry was not open and our only choice was to take a 12 hour van ride around the country of Gambia.  We made it about 2/3 the way and decided to call it a night.  We pulled into the hotel, which was very festive decked out in Christmas lights and a Christmas tree, found our rooms, had a delicious traditional Senegalese dinner of chicken and rice, then hit the hay.  Rise and shine with the sun,  we hit the road again.  Five hours, three squatty potties, a Malta, Tevo trying to not to get sick in the back seat, cows in the road, and a long list if "things you only see in Africa", we made it to the clinic.

The clinic is a new building that was build by the friends of the Open Doors Foundation.  This is the first year it will be used, twice as big, and NICE!!  Soooo excited!  

We immediately unpacked and set up for the next morning.  

And of coarse it didn't take long to make new friends!  Terry was especially popular with his iPhone!  He got a quick lesson about personal space in Africa!

Alexa with some of the kids helping us settle in.

This is Jane, our Pharmacist and her friend .

With the clinic all ready for the next morning we headed to the church for dinner.  If any of you remember from Brian's last trip to Senegal, tradition is that we eat common bowl style.  So our 40ish member team (16 Americans and 25 locals) split into 5 groups, took off our shoes, criss crossed apple sauced on the floor, grabbed a spoon, and dug in. 

It was so yummy!  Elizabeth (Pastor Ngor's wife) is a fantastic cook.  We are not going to starve this week!  Dinner, devotion, prayers, and exhausted, we loaded up and drove across town and called it a day.  

Ok, so that is good for now.  We need to get to work.  Will update on the clinics status later.  

Glad you all have finally gotten to hear from me ☺️☺️!

Hope it is going well back home.  My kids sound like they are not ready for us to come home so I guess we'll keep working! 

Love you all, keep praying!  There is wonderful things happening here!  God is Good!!

-al

A Good Nights Rest

Monday I started to stress a little about all the things that need to be done in the next two days.  (Don't tell my friend Tami!  She would FREAK out at my list and my procrastination!)  I don't know why, I always get it done, I know I work better under pressure, and I know it will be fine.  Yet, I still worry.  Normally I do not sleep well when I am under lots of stress, but that night I had the best sleep.  It was like a drug induced sleep, but I didn't eat or drink anything to cause that.  Guess I just needed it and it was provided! But, as all good things must come to an end...

My tired body in protest the next am, must have unconsciously turned off my alarm instead of hitting snooze...

And I overslept!  Gggrrrrr!  

So, I put on my roller skates and started to prepare for my day.  Despite my restful sleep, the now rushing around because I overslept caused anxiety overload again.  I was in the kitchen grumpy and yelling, slamming lunches together when the song "Praise and Thanksgiving" popped into my head.  I started singing it.  With so many other thoughts running through my head, it seemed strange that I would think of that song. You know, good old traditional German Lutheran that I am.  But why now?  As I was singing it I had trouble remembering all the words to the verses, I kept singing what I remembered anyways!  It seemed to calm me down a bit and help me focus on my task at hand.  After I took the kids to school it was still stuck in my head, so I decided to look up the rest of the words to refresh my memory.  Here is what I found that I wanted to share with you...

"Bless, Lord, the labor we bring to serve you,
that with our neighbor we may be fed.
Sowing or tilling, we would work with you,
harvesting, milling for daily bread.

Father, providing food for your children,
by your wise guiding, teach us to share
one with another, so that, rejoicing
with us, all others may know your care."

HUH...
I reflected on the words for a few minutes and was happy with the message that God was sending me.  (At least I think that is what was happening)  In the midst of our preparations for this trip, I need to work WITH God and not try to make it all happen on my  own.  This mission is an opportunity that God placed in our laps.  "Here I Am, Send Me!!"  Working with Him, following His direction, we share the gifts and talents that God has blessed us with with others.  It is a privilege to get to serve Him in this way.  From all the preparations to sharing with others our experiences when we return home, it should all be done with JOY, NOT STRESS!  He has and will continue to provide and guide.  We do and will continue to serve and share with thanksgiving, rejoicing, and love.  Wow, pastor you can use that in your sermon Sunday!!  I usually don't get that preachy, but I am SO EXCITED!  Today I am NOT stressed, even with a kid home puking.  (Please pray for that to end and not spread!)

On to business, the front part of our leadership team has arrived safely in Senegal and is making preparations for our arrival on Saturday so that we can hit the ground running.  We have so much to do there in such a short amount of time.  I might need to bring those roller skates with me!!  :)

Toby's bible memory verse for this week, "Shine as light in the world, hold steadfast to the Word of life."  Philippians 2:15-16

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Let it begin

So today I go into full Africa trip mode.  Brian, myself, and B's PA Terry will be leaving early Friday to travel to Senegal with the Open Doors Foundation medical and dental mission team.  We will spend the next week in both clinics, helping the sick and sharing Gods great mercy, grace, and love!!  I am so thankful that God has once again given us this opportunity.  

I am looking forward to Friday and dreading the next four days.  Sorting, prioritizing, and packing what is "needed" and what is not.  (Guessing already that my extra set of clothes will not make the cut!).  I am still in need of a few child sized tooth brushes for us to hand out at the schools if anyone can get them to me by Wednesday.  

I hope all you followers from our previous trips will be with us again this time.  We will try to post every day, internet willing!  So stay tuned.  

Please pray for our team, there are about 20 of us going.  Part of them left this am and the rest of us leave Friday.  Pray for safe travels, health during the trip, and that the brothers and sisters we meet will see God's hands at work through us!  Also please pray for my three kids, my wonderful care team for my kids, and the others families that will b holding down the forts while we are gone.  

Have a great Monday!  And thanks for all of your support and encouragement!  

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.