Marti and Nick, super ER resident!
Sunday, 17 November 2013
Saturday, 16 November 2013
The team assembles! Last Timmies before Port au Prince!
Last Timmies before Haiti
L to R Kim, Denise, Keith, Nick, Steve, Marti, yours truly, David , Heather, Katrina, Roetka,Susan, Dave,Tracy and Debbie, on the ground Chad, Cindi and Shauna
Friday, 15 November 2013
It's the final countdown.....
The bags are packed,including a small field hospital I seem to have managed to cram into a hockey bag. Managed to distract myself at Moksha Yoga before a hearty meal of poutine and a donair! Then my son's hockey game and now chilling with a glass of wine before bed. Tomorrow the fun begins at 0500 at Halifax airport when the epic journey commences. We get to Haiti about 4ish. Then the important stuff starts- like racing to claim the top bunk..... Until tomorrow then!
Wednesday, 6 November 2013
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Getting real...
A productive team meeting tonight with Andrew Furey on conference call certainly put everything in perspective. Really seems close now.
Still have plenty to get organized: there are bits of surgical kit and anaesthetic drugs to acquire, but we do have big red bags to put them in! The Ortho boys are going to be interviewed on CBC- hope they remember to mention their valuable Anesthesia colleagues!!
Plenty to do when we get there, but it sounds as if Broken Earth has good people on the ground to help us get it all together. Food is apparently better and our showers may have been upgraded from cold to lukewarm with the recent addition of solar panels!
We have put together a good team from Halifax and I am sure among the challenges that this is going to be fun- a bit like MASH with wi-fi!!
Still have plenty to get organized: there are bits of surgical kit and anaesthetic drugs to acquire, but we do have big red bags to put them in! The Ortho boys are going to be interviewed on CBC- hope they remember to mention their valuable Anesthesia colleagues!!
Plenty to do when we get there, but it sounds as if Broken Earth has good people on the ground to help us get it all together. Food is apparently better and our showers may have been upgraded from cold to lukewarm with the recent addition of solar panels!
We have put together a good team from Halifax and I am sure among the challenges that this is going to be fun- a bit like MASH with wi-fi!!
Sunday, 3 November 2013
Preparedness continued
As you can see for the photo I am prepared for the biggest hazard to the team in Haiti and to millions around the world: the mosquito! I was pleased to discover that mosquito nets are easy to come by in Halifax(who knew?) and that they have improved somewhat since the bulky nets I used in the last time I was in an endemic area, West Bengal in 1990. I am taking Chloroquine for convenience and since I am a cheapskate: 24 tablets are 4 GBP over the counter in the UK, about $6. Will also have to keep up my gin and tonic levels in the evenings for extra quinine.
I finally took my Dukoral: after setting my alarm to 0400 as it is sadly difficult to find a 2 hour window in my waking hours when I am not eating or drinking...
Will of course bring my trusty Swiss Army knife: if nothing else it is useful for opening beer and wine bottles and you never know when you might encounter a horse with a stone in it's hoof!
Not sure how much Voudoun we will actually encounter, but my readings about health and belief suggest that a lot of the patient population rely on folk medicine and it is good to be prepared as to the expectations and understandings of those we treat. The book is a reminder of the rich history and fascinating cultural heritage of the people of Haiti.
Lastly I have the words of Thich Nhat Hanh to keep me calm and focussed, and with the good humour, support and dedication of the team going with me I am sure I will not have to rely on Snowy to keep me company after the no doubt arduous and potentially stressful days in the OR!!
I finally took my Dukoral: after setting my alarm to 0400 as it is sadly difficult to find a 2 hour window in my waking hours when I am not eating or drinking...
Will of course bring my trusty Swiss Army knife: if nothing else it is useful for opening beer and wine bottles and you never know when you might encounter a horse with a stone in it's hoof!
Not sure how much Voudoun we will actually encounter, but my readings about health and belief suggest that a lot of the patient population rely on folk medicine and it is good to be prepared as to the expectations and understandings of those we treat. The book is a reminder of the rich history and fascinating cultural heritage of the people of Haiti.
Lastly I have the words of Thich Nhat Hanh to keep me calm and focussed, and with the good humour, support and dedication of the team going with me I am sure I will not have to rely on Snowy to keep me company after the no doubt arduous and potentially stressful days in the OR!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)