So I have decided to hold off on telling you about my trip through the city for the time being..until I have the time to put my full attention so as to do it the justice it deserves..which I hope I can do....
Tonight finds me sitting once again in the dark,fending off mosquito's in order to get a good Internet connection...although a bit tired and fighting off my first cold in many years I want to share with you my day....
After taking less then 24 hours to turn around from night shift today started out good....an IV needing to be restarted, medications to be given, all pretty normal stuff...Until in the middle of starting the IV one of the "jack of all trades" guys Chris comes around the corner "Lise they need all you guys in there, there's a sick baby"....(internal dialogue)"crap I'm not good with babies, medically they scare me...crap" running into the clinic.
Dr. Jen and Barbie are leaning over a 9 day old baby starting an IV, rubbing the baby "come on baby, breathe..." Baby is breathing on her own, but just barely requiring supplemental breaths. Dr. Halverson gets the IV and antibiotics,glucose, fluids all in..baby still not breathing well on her own..weight=3.3pds..poor little thing. Barbie gets a nasogastric tube down and we continue to help the little baby breathe with the help of a ambu bag..no O2..
Dr. Halverson..."Chris is the truck ready,we need to take this baby to Miami field hospital"..baby still needing help breathing...into the truck Barbie and Jen and off to Miami....mom brought babe in for an infected umbilical cord. Jessica, head nurse triage's baby and sees she is barely breathing..all this ensues while poor mom sits outside the "exam room"
Jen and Barbie return and baby is intubated (tube to help breathing) at Miami field Hospital (lucky they let us in, the night before Barbie had to take a possible typhoid peritonitis to the hospital but was told by the Haitian guard that "all the drs have gone home,hospital is closed"..I'll get into that later!) Poor mom is staying with us tonight and will get to go tomorrow and see her baby...my heart broke for her tonight as I watched her sit and I am sure feel so helpless...I can't even fathom what she is thinking, feeling...not that at a time like this there are any words that one can offer to ease the uncertainty or hopelessness one must feel, that this mom may be feeling and there are no words to provide her solace...,only time and hope that baby will be strong enough to get through this....
The group of professionals that I have had the great opportunity to work with are amazing. Jen and Barbie were absolutely amazing..calm, cool and collected..I can't believe how much I have learned all ready!!
And that was just the first hour of my day.....
off to bed, more tomorrow if the time allows
Lise
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