Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wednesday Update

It’s been two days without power! Then at 5pm the power came on, everyone yelled “fill the buckets” (I’ll explain later), three people jumped in the shower of three bathrooms, and no lie, the power was gone 5 minutes later. 15 people with no real shower in at least two days. What a tease! And three people with shampoo in their hair that had to finish with a bucket shower.

It has been incredibly hot! No news there. Yesterday was prenatal day. I met many beautiful pregnant Haitian women. Some with babies ready to be born in the next few weeks. One woman was expecting her fourth baby and cried when she told hus the father just left and she has no where to live. A 40 year old woman with many children was relieved when we told her she wasn’t pregnant! She is probably going through menopause, since she hasn’t had a period in three months. Just like the pediatric clinic, most of the women eat very little food, drink coffee, soda and Tampico and drink very little water. We give them all vitamins and tell them to drink more water!

Yesterday was the village clinic so after prenatals and a late lunch I decided to head over there. The walk is probably at least a half mile, and just as soon as I arrived I ran into the ND student midwife and one of our interpreters, Santo. I forgot that we had a meeting with a village midwife, Madame Bwah (really don’t know about the spelling!), and had to turn around to head back to the house. After waiting for nearly an hour and she didn’t show up we decided to head back to the clinic. (Did I mention how hot it is here?) When we were with our second patient we got called to head back to the house because Madame was there waiting for us. Oh, Haitian time! (and now two round trips to the village clinic) When Suzanne and I were already headed back we realized we didn’t have an interpreter with us! This would be interesting for sure.

When we first arrived we each grabbed a Haitian/English dictionary and started saying various words. It was pretty crude and not successful. But after some time we got into a groove and really got some information from her. She has attended 75 births in the last two months. We asked what she did in a hemorrhage, how they disposed of the placenta, if she carried medications or herbs. We were quite proud of ourselves, but finally found an interpreter and found out many more things about Madame Bwah. She is quite well known and had done a substantial amount of advocating for women’s healthcare. She was willing to send patients to our clinic and even let us go to some births with her. We planned to have a family planning clinic next week if she sent some clients our way, because she said many of her clients have many babies and don’t want to have any more.

Today Susan arrived, but her luggage was delayed. After attending another village clinic we headed back to the airport with Santo and a driver. A real car this time! Not the danger of a tap tap, but an adventure still! Driving through Cap Haitien is always an adventure. The airport was tiny and when it was time to take our bags outside we were swarmed with young men trying to carry the bags and wanting money. I was warned about this but it happens so fast! Susan gave a few men a dollar each, but it was difficult to know if she paid the ones who actually carried the bags, as there were about 8 men surrounding her with their hands out.

Dinner is ready! Susan asked what we were having and I had to laugh. Beans and rice again!


P.S. When the power comes on we need to fill the buckets in the bathroom so when we are without power we can bucket shower and flush the toilet without having to go to the well and carry it in.


P.S.S. It has taken many attempts to get this posted as the power continues to come on for about 5 minutes each time. One time I did get a shower in. Each time the power goes off we get up and open the windows, each time it goes off we need to close the windows and turn the fans and air conditioner on.

Monday, March 28, 2011

My First Clinic Day

We have been without power most of the day, so I've been unable to update anything. Now it is very late and I should be sleeping, but when the power came on I jumped on the computer. Since the power was off all day the house was very hot and stuffy. I tried to sleep outside, but the smell of smoke was too overwhelming. It is probably garbage burning. There is garbage everywhere! It is also very loud outside, but the stars are amazing!

Today was my first day of clinics and we saw pediatric patients. There is a large group of Naturopathic students here so they were in charge of patients. I was along for the ride, but was able to contribute on many cases. We saw a baby that is 7 months old and weighs 10 pounds. Dr. Sean wrote about her on his blog. She lost one pound in the last two weeks and we suspected her sister, who is caring for her, may be selling the formula the clinic gave her at her last two visits.

The irony to this was that this was our last patient before our lunch break, we were all exhausted from being hungry and hot. How dare us! I don't know how to explain how this feels, to know that you will eat soon and they will not.

I would love to tell you about every patient I saw today, but there is not time. One five year old boy saw us at 2pm and had only had a cup of coffee today. He had not eaten any food and typically eats one meal a day. He was a beautiful boy, falling asleep on his mothers lap. I'm sure he was starving. This is the typical child in Haiti, I believe.

We went for a walk in the evening, to the village where we will hold a clinic tomorrow. What we saw on the way is almost indescribable. On the street are cars, truck and motorcyles, whizzing by and honking! Sometimes it feels like you are inches from them. And then just inches or a couple feet on the other side are various animals; Just tonight I saw a pig, goats, horses, cows, dogs, and various sizes of chickens. There are people everywhere! They spend their days outside their homes (shacks, most of them). They stared at us white people walking along their streets, some children laughing and pointing and calling us "blanco's". The funniest were the children who yelled in english, "hey you blancos". Also funny was the couple on a motorcycle who stopped and asked us to take their picture. We thought they were going to ask us for money, but they didn't. And neither did anyone else. Different experience than being in the city of Cap Haitien.

We just waved and smiled and greeted with "bonswa", good evening, and everyone answered back. It was an experience like none other.

The heat here is incredible. Really, it's the humidity. With no power we can't flush the toilet or take a shower. I chose to take a bucket shower after the walk because my clothes were soaked with sweat. The cool water was shocking at first, but so refreshing.

The food has been wonderful. Various fresh fruits every morning with breakfast. But I must admit I'm already sick of rice and beans. My gut is crying out! But again, how can I complain with three meals a day and a suitcase full of healthy snacks.

Oh, so much more I want to share, but I must get some sleep. It is so late and I think I'm the only one still awake. Tomorrow is another day. And one of these days I hope I can get some pictures up here.

Sunday, March 27, 2011

I have safely arrived!

My adventure from Santiago to Cap Haitien was interesting to say the least!

I took a taxi from my hotel to the bus station, but ended up at the wrong bus station. I had to figure out how to get to the right one and try not to panic. Thankful I gave myself some extra time. The ticket lady and I were not communicating well, but I was pretty sure she had told me there was a bus that would take me to the right station, she just didn't tell me when. After waiting a few minutes I started to panic. I called Mario and had him talk to her, just as the bus pulled up. A guy came and grabbed me and my stuff and loaded me on the bus.

When I arrived at the correct bus station I had no idea where to go. I went to the two obvious windows and neither woman could understand me at all. I called Mario again, she told him I needed to go around the corner but I was sure I didn't see anything over there. A man who spoke english, spanish and creole came to my aid. He took me around the corner and it was just a little door with barely a sign. I'm sure that in my panic I would never have seen it. I had left my luggage with a friend of the guy who helped me. How crazy am I? But I didn't know what else to do. I could not manage those three bags myself in that crowd!

I got my ticket and they kept my passport. Hmmm....I wasn't sure about this. But my new friend assured me this was the way it was. They would return my passport to me when we crossed the border. He then took me to a waiting room that was slightly air conditioned. I had 40 minutes to wait and prayed I would hear and understand when they called my bus. About 10 minutes before I decided not to chance it and just took my luggage out to where the buses arrived and departed. I stuck out like a sore thumb. Everyone knew I was confused and needed help. People were not really friendly, but there were a couple who made sure I was at the right bus.

As soon as I got on the bus I saw two Americans who looked happy to see me. They waved and one asked, " MamaBaby Haiti?" YES! I found two friends who were also going to the clinic. They were part of the group of ND's that I thought I was going to meet up with in Santiago, but they flew into Santo Domingo. The rest of the group was left behind because they had a lot of lost luggage they had to wait for.

The bus ride was comfortable. They served us lunch, which was quite good. The scenery was beautiful. When we crossed the border we stopped and took care of the immigration paperwork, etc. We stopped before the border and just after. I can not even tell you the magnitude of how different each side looks. As soon as we crossed into Haiti is was barren, dusty and poor looking. There was a river with hundreds of people washing clothes and bathing/playing in the water. From that point on it was something I have never experienced. I didn't want to close my eyes and nap anymore, afraid I would miss some part of the experience. My first moment's in Haiti I was filled with emotion, but I'm not sure what I was feeling. I just wanted to take it all in.

When we were driving through Cap Haitien is when things got really crazy. There were so many people on every street, so many cars that drive with no rules, people and children walking on the edge of the road and selling their wares. Busy and loud!

We arrived at the bus station and again I had this overwhelming feeling of gratitude that I was not alone at this moment. When we got our luggage I didn't even know which direction to go. We went through a small door where there was a "guard" with a rifle. The hallway we walked through was so small I could have never gotten my three bags, backpack, purse and self through there. Patrick and Kara helped me and we were all loaded down but got through the doors. Once outside we were immediately on the street full of people and cars. We decided to cross the street to a little park and wait there. At that time we were welcomed by children begging, and then an old woman who was persistent. I was told to not make eye contact and grateful for that little bit of wisdom. It did make it easier to deal with.

I wanted to be aware of everything I was feeling and experiencing. The smell was hot, smoke, dust, exhaust, food. The air was thick with heat and humidity and dust. It was loud, with people and honking and yelling. It was crowded everywhere you looked.

We waited about 30 minutes for our ride, which ended up being a tap tap, because the MamaBaby car had died. I rode in the front while everyone else rode in the back. I wish I'd been in the back, too. In the front you see what's going on and it's not pretty. I was thinking "I could easlily die in this little truck". I think seeing things from behind would have been easier. Patrick said he thinks if he'd been in the front he would have thrown up! I was a little concerned when someone opened my door and tried to get in when we stopped for a moment. But there is not a lot of stopping, just going and honking and going, no matter who or what is in your way.

As we pulled in front of MamaBaby the little tap tap high centered itself on a pothole. But we had made it!

The house is comfortable, The food is wonderful and I'm getting to know the friendly people. I felt a lot of culture shock last night. I was exhausted but too tired and stimulated to sleep. The heat reminded me of being a little girl sleeping in my upstairs bedroom, hot and stuffy.

But this morning is a beautiful day and who knows what's in store.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

I made it to Santiago, Dominican Republic

I was hoping to post a few pictures, but for some reason my computer isn't reading the SD card. I brought the cord and it doesn't want to read that either.

I left home Thursday night and took the red eye to New York. I got pretty nauseous, which has never happened to me before. Probably the combination of nerves, a very bumpy flight and the sleeping pill I took. Needless to say I didn't really sleep. I really thought I was going to throw up! Towards the end I had some nuts and ginger ale and that helped a lot.

When I landed in New York it was still dark. I forced myself to eat some breakfast, then enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.

The flight to Santiago was much better. I dozed off and on quite a bit. It was quite an experience to be on a flight full of Latino's. They are much louder than Americans. There were lots of little kids. And when the plane lands EVERYONE claps. It was so awesome!

Getting through customs was much easier than I expected. Though, I don't know what I expected. My shuttle was waiting for me when I walked out of the airport and I got checked into my hotel with ease. I spent the afternoon trying not to fall asleep (unsuccessfully), then finally gave up and shut everything down around 7pm. I got a great night's sleep and had a wonderful breakfast this morning.

This morning I'm feeling a little nervous again. As I was eating my breakfast sitting in this beautiful hotel I was pondering what the next two weeks will be like. Nothing like this I am sure!

I hope that I have brought the right clothes and equipment. I hope the language won't be such a barrier. I hope that I will be able to help those around me and be of help to them. I hope that I will be open to whatever comes my way. I'm trying to have an open mind, open heart and open spirit to what this journey may bring to me.

I have to say again how much I appreciate all the love and support that has been given to me. My family is so willing to make this sacrifice for me to do this and for that I am grateful. Please continue to pray for me, those I am working with and the people of Haiti.

Orevwa!

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

48 hours to go!

Today was a busy day! After a wonderful home visit with a client that I pray will wait three more weeks to have her baby, I stocked up on some frozen food for my family, bought a mosquito net, cleaned house for prenatal day tomorrow and finished packing.

I'm about 98% done packing and that feels good. Just need to load up my back pack for the plane and add a little more food and I think I'm done.

Tomorrow is a long day of work, so I'm grateful I will have Thursday to take care of last minute details. Need to go to the bank to get some cash, make a list of emergency contact numbers and I'm sure LOTS of other details that will keep me awake tonight. I'm not having any trouble falling asleep, just staying asleep. I'm still waking very early with my mind full.

Mario secured my hotel reservation in Santiago on both legs of my journey, as well as my bus ride. I feel much better knowing that is taken care of. The hotel has a free shuttle and asked for my flight information, so they will be waiting for me at the airport. I'm looking forward to a brief R&R by the pool before heading into Haiti on Saturday.

Can't believe this is really happening!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Wow!
Four days and I will be on my way.

I have begun packing my personal belongings and I'm proud to say that I think everything is going to fit in my small carry on suitcase. Packing the supplies that have been donated is another story. My office has been taken over and I don't know where to begin. Susan and Nancy are coming over Tuesday night and we will figure it all out.

I am so proud to say that I have raised $1165 in donations. I feel so grateful that my friends and family have shown so much support for a cause that I believe in. I do not have adequate words to express my feelings. So thank you!

I have been having some crazy dreams. They usually involve missing a flight or a bus, figuring out language or travel barriers, being late...the usual stress dream. Last night's was the best...I forgot to bring my camera so I was driving around Haiti trying to find a store that would likely speak English and sell cameras for a decent price. I found a camera but it cost $116 dollars and I thought that was way too much money. I was trying to figure out if the price was in US dollars or Haitian dollars. I then decided to try another store to compare prices (oh, my! This is sooo me.). I was then thinking about how ridiculous it was that I was even considering not buying a camera because of the cost, because how could I be in Haiti without a camera?

These dreams explain my extreme fatigue today! Melatonin tonight and hopefully a good night's rest. This week it is on to last minute details and crossing things off of my to-do list.

I've become overwhelmed by the Haitian Creole language tapes and have taken a break. I'm trying to decide if I should carry on, or just start over and get the basics down again. Any suggestions?

Thanks again my dear friends! I feel your love!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Donations are Coming in!

It's been a great week for donations! I have received boxes of goods (vitamins, medications, book, supplies, etc.) as well as several cash donations. I had a goal in mind of how much money I would like to raise and today I surpassed that goal.

$1090 to date!

Every time I receive a donation my heart swells with gratefulness. Grateful for the sacrifice you have made and grateful that you care. I have committed that 100% of the money donated will go to supplies and medications that my group will be transporting to Haiti. Whatever money is left over will be donated directly to MamaBaby Haiti.



Thank you again! It is not too late to still donate. I will be leaving one week from today.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Help for Haiti Shower





The fundraiser was few in numbers, but I had a lot of fun. Thank you to my friends who put it together and took care of the decorations, set up and food. It was wonderful. My basement began flooding as soon as I was getting ready to leave for the party, but we caught it quickly and were able to fix the problem before too much water got in.




I invited two women who have already been to Haiti and worked at MamaBaby Haiti. I was so grateful that Kim and Korina took the time to come and share their experience with us. The slide show they gave was wonderful. I was soaking up the whole experience and it felt surreal to think that I would be there in just two weeks from then!


These two ladies were fun and entertaining and I can't wait to hang out with them again!!


We didn't have enough time to make the hygiene kits so the kids at church made them on Sunday. I am very sad that I forgot to bring my camera and take pictures of them.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Updated list of needed items

I'm looking forward to our fundraiser tonight! A friend that adopted a child from Haiti is making us some Haitian food and there will be other goodies, too. I will try to remember to take pictures and post them tomorrow.

I am so grateful for all the donations received so far!

Today I received an updated list of items needed at the clinic. Highlighted items are those of most need.


Fracture pans (Edie thinks these would be great for us because they would fit between a woman's legs and you can catch all the blood and after birth right in it)
Ear Specula for peds & adults (lots and lots to fit a 3.5v MacroView Diagnostic Otoscope)
Tongue depressors (can never have too many!)
Temporal thermometers - preferably the ones with the silver ionized antimicrobial tip
Epsom salts - we've lowered a few BP's with this alone - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Sharps Containers - at least 3-4 - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Acupuncture needles in various sizes but especially 1 cun, 1.5 cun & 3 cun
Auricular acupuncture needles (preferably ones with a guide tube)
Normal Saline IV's
IV Start Packs - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
More hygiene kits (usually include a toothbrush, toothpaste, wash cloth, bar of soap & sometimes shampoo/conditioner) in a plastic bag - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Bars of soap - the more natural the better
Bottles of shampoo & conditioner - the more natural the better
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Medium sized gloves - the most popular size & the size we have the least of - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Soy based formulas for babies who need formula but are sensitive to dairy - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Syringes - especially 1cc, 3cc, 5cc, & 10cc
Needles - especially 18 gauge, & something smaller like 22-23 or even a 25....also butterflies are awesome but expensive
Surgical scissors (could really use surgical kits but we're really low on scissors for some reason)
Scalpels & blades (sizes 10, 11 & 15)
Glucometers with lancets & strips (would be awesome to give out to patients if we could but I know how expensive the strips are) - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Snacks :)
Other canned/boxed foods - the more American the better :)
Drink mixes

Supplements we'd like so far (again this isn't yet complete but it's a start)
5-HTP
Vitamin A Drops
Bio-Vegetarian (Priority One) - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Artemisinin
B-Complex
B-6
B-12
Vitamin C (we like the 500mg chewable ones from Costco or something with lots of C per cap that tastes good for the kiddos)
Calcium/Magnesium supplements
Charcoal Caps
Chromium
CoQ10
Vitamin D3
DHEA
Vitamin E
Fiber Flow (Wise Woman Herbals)
Folirinse/Folate
GABA
Glutathione
Glycine
Thyroid Support (Pure Encapsulations)
Iron
Magnesium supplements
Trace Minerals (liquid)
Pregnenolone
Selenium
Tyrosine
Zinc - not super urgent but want in the next month or two
Digestive Enzymes (Papain & bromelain)
Urinary Defense Formula (Priority 1)
Cranberry
D-Mannose
Adult Multi Vitamins
Prenatals (I know Jennifer sent another email about this and we'll take all the adult multis people can cram in their suitcases - we can never have too many since we would love to be able to give pregnant mamas enough multis to have them every day and not just one or two weeks a month)
Juglans Nigra - tincture or caps are fine
Clove - tincture preferred
Blood pressure meds - Methyldopa & Libidolol are best for pregnancy & could also use some HCTZ & Nifedipine for hypertensive crises
Vitamin K (Christine McGraw is bringing some but we can always use more)
Garlic capsules or gel caps (lots, we use this all the time)
Augmentin

Not so urgent but we need more clipboards, pens, a 3-hole punch & page protectors like the ones that Des sent for charts (like a few hundred since we have so many patients)

Saturday, March 5, 2011

Donations

First of all I just want to say a huge THANK YOU to those who have already donated money. I am making a plan of what items I will purchase and bring with me to Haiti. I plan to bring as much as I can carry!

I just added a Paypal donation button
to this blog.

I'm hoping this will make it
easier for those who wish to donate funds!

(look to the right)--------->>>


Things are falling into place and though I have some nerves I am mostly getting excited! It looks like I will be traveling into the Dominican Republic and meeting up with a group of Naturopathic students from Seattle. They will also be working at the MamaBaby clinic with me, and we will be able to travel by bus together from Santiago, DR to Cap Haitien, Haiti.

This week I am looking forward to a shopping trip with my friend Susan and her friend Nancy, who will be joining us at the clinic. We will be looking for both personal and clinic items that we need for our trip. Susan found some Creole language CD's that I will be downloading and listening to the next couple of weeks.

My most pressing things to do in the next two weeks will be:
*Finish my CPR and NRP classes that I stupidly let lapse and need to re-certify in before I leave.
*Figure out if I can find a phone that will work in Haiti.
*Gather supplies

I won't bother to list my never ending list of other things to do. Besides, I might start freaking out if I look too far into the future. One day at a time!