Week 3 :)

Bonjour toute le monde! Hope you're all well. Lots has happened since we last wrote. We spent last week in 'le bloc' (surgery)...it was so interesting that we've decided to go back for a couple of days each week until we leave. We saw lots & lots of pus, 3 heads of femurs being removed (& not replaced!) & mastectomy (of a massive breast with very advanced cancer...unfortunately the wound was too big to be closed). One of the big medical problems here is that people present too late...such as coming with a fracture over a year after it happened so that it has healed. The one medically trained surgeon is leaving in less than a month but there are 2 trained nurses (surgeons) who can do all general surgery & some nurses who have been trained to do anaesthetics. We both had a chance to get involved with some practical procedures: Sarah attempted a chest drain (but a later chest X-ray showed that the pus had cleared up by itself) & Vicki attempted to give a spinal anaesthetic (but didn't quite manage!). At the weekend we went on safari with 2 with a new doctor from the UK & a new occupational therapist from Germany...the journey north was VERY bumpy & we spent lots of time on the other side of the road & off-road trying to avoid the almost continuous pitholes...but it was definitely worth it as we saw giraffes, loads of birds, hippos, monkeys, 2 lions & an elephant. (Just to let you know: the operation on the man with complex leg fractures went well & he's recovering on the ward). Please pray for the family of a young girl who died yesterday of tetanus (she had been in hospital since we arrived). Also, the hospitals main generator has died & will take 3 weeks to get the right bits to repair, & today one of the smaller generators near the paediatric ward caught on fire...so please pray that the frequent powercuts wouldn't jeopardise patient care.