Old Fashioned Medicine

Yesterday (actually, Wednesday), Kim, Sherrod (an RN on the team) and I went to a village with a “mobile clinic”. This was an experience! “Mobile Clinic means two 4-wheel SUV’s, a random assortment of people and trades, and a couple Rubbermaid containers of pharmaceuticals, and a rough, hot, very bumpy drive 60km out of the city.

We left at 6 AM, piling into the SUV, arriving there two hours later. This village of course had no electricity or plumbing, or any other “necessary” conveniences. We walked up to the home hosting the clinic to find about 40 people crowded into the front room of the home sitting Indian-style on the wooden floor. There was not a square inch to walk to the rear room; but we did it anyway, stepping on a few hands and uttering un-understood apologies.

Kim was put to work taking BP’s – she loved it, you should have seen her glee. Sherrod manned the pharmacy, and I worked with a teacher-missionary (originally from NC) doing triage. Some pts we would send back to the “real doctors” and some we could “treat and street” right from that position.

There was no air movement in the crowded home, actually with the number of people, there was little movement of any kind. Unlike an Asian, I was not made to sit cross-legged on a hard surface for an extended period of time. (I was afraid that it would take a crane to get me up at the end.) The temperature must have climbed to at least 110-115 degrees. I have never sweat so much in my life; drinking water like a fish,, figuring I was OK while I was sweating and that I needed to worry when I stopped sweating!

This was medicine of old; hands, eyes, ears, touch, notably absent were diagnostic tools or tests, insurance forms, politics, and lawyers (spologies to my lawyer friends), notably present were sincere “thank yous”. We saw over 40 people in a little over three hours. All in all, it was a demanding, but refreshing day. I enjoyed my shower and night’s sleep immensely!


BATTAMBANG

Today, we head to Battambang, the site of our original orphanage. While we are no longer “managers” of the facility, we will visit and play with the kids, bearing gifts like cookies and rice. Guess which one they prefer?

I hope you are enjoying this trip! Keep up the prayers and encouragements. More later …