So today was my first day on the wards. It was quite the experience, very intimidating. When you first walk into the wards, there is a stench that is completely unexplainable. I dont think I even want to explain it because it would gross everyone out. I took a lot of mints to suck on and did a whole lot of mouth breathing, but I made it without vomiting or passing out. Yeah for me! There is a men's side to the left, a women's side to the right, and the pediatrics side across the hall. I am assigned to a team on the men's side with my new Kenyan counter part, Beatrice. She is super nice and helped me out so much. Today we rounded with a consultant which is the equivalent of an attending physician in the United States. There are about 15 people on my team. It gets a little cramped on rounds. Everyone speaks so quietly here, and I pretty much feel like I am going deaf. I am going to have to work my way to the front of the group just to know what is going on. We round from 9-12 everyday and the consultants are there on Mondays and Thursdays.
Today I witnessed alot of unpleasant sights. There was a psych patient huddled into a ball in the hallway with vomit and spit all over him and the floor surrounding him, and NO ONE did anything. Didn't clean up the mess, didn't try to help him, nothing. There are 2 patients per bed because it is so crowded. Diagnosis here is pretty much a guessing game for patients that cannot afford to pay for labs and procedures because they have to pay in advance before getting them. Therefore, things change on a daily basis. I have the authority to write orders and prescriptions here. It is frightening and nice at the same time. A huge responsibility!
Molly and I walked home for lunch because we were not feeling to well. The rest of the group went to one of the pharmacist's family's restaurants called the Sizzler. Thursday is burrito day, and apparently it is amazing and cheap. After lunch, we had a discussion and finished up our orientation.
Every Thursday at 5:15p we play dodgeball with people from IU house and Kenyans who work with us. It was intense. This was no ordinary dodgeball game. People were getting REALLY into it. It was crazy and soooo much fun at the same time. We played for a little trophy, which my team lost. We played Kenyans vs. Mzungus (foreigners/white people). It was a nice break from the crazy stuff I witnessed on wards earlier in the day. Maybe next time we will win though!
We had a "fireside chat" after dinner. We have this on a weekly basis and it is where we have discussions or watch movies. Tonight we talked about a solely 1st line ARV therapy protocol, or adding a 2nd line protocol meaning that less people would get treated because it is so expensive. Not very interresting for you guys I'm sure, but I enjoyed it. :)
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