So, It has been a while since you were last treated to an insight from my life in the Solomons.
It is weirdly enough actually becoming like home. Yes, the routine of being kept up until midnight with traffic on the only road and drunken locals, then children screaming or dogs yelping from about 6am. By 7 then sun is warming my room and by 7:30 it is impossible to get back to the sleep you crave as you are roasting like a pig on a bonfire.
At around 8am we head off to the hospital and say 'Halo' to the local children as we pass, this is in reply to the "Halo whiteman!" that is plaguing my life.
As for the hospital and A+E...
There are 2 new doctors ('interns') and so now I can actually find a doctor to sign the various forms for scans and drugs. This is a revelation. I know, it is hard to believe but as much as I love running an A+E department by myself it does get frustrating when you need the scan to discharge or admit, just to rule out important differentials but if you sign then Ultrasound department won't accept it as only ONE scanner for whole hospital. Also, due to this, guess what URGENT means on the form... maybe sometime in next 2 weeks! Luckily though "Pliz fit in" for the very urgent ones does help.
I can't get over the large volume of miscarriages (or abortions as all called here) and general gynae problems. Just so unexpected.
Also been graced with the impressively rare, with medical terms I have never been taught about. However that was a unique case and luckily the medical 'notes' (an exercise book with pages falling out) gave me the diagnosis.
Anyway enough of the medicine as you must be bored of the medic talk by now.
Water.
Actually, No water.
This makes hydration and general hygiene a big issue. The water is not even reliable. We have had 24 hours without water straight earlier this week, as well as many smaller losses of 6-10 hours and trickles inbetween.
Having a shower is impossible but can't be helped, nowhere near enough power to even start it. As for the toilet... I am getting used the smell of festering Number 2s. Not out of love of them i have you know but of lack of water in the cistern and no rain water to manually fill it. Therefore bowels basically are being regulated on whether there is enough water to fill the cistern or you physically can't hold it any longer.
Sorry, just realised girls may be reading this and be grossed out. Sorry. But it is important to get an accurate picture of my current life.
Also, I was so pleased to finally have breakfast on Friday. This is because at the beginning of the week we ran out of bread and hospital was too intensive to get any more, so was living off 1 meal a day.
On the plus side, definitely losing weight!
Also, finishing in Hospital next week as we need a holiday. We have just booked flights to Gizo on Friday 3pm. I'm really looking forward to this.
I'm also now a qualified PADI Open Water Diver!
It is weirdly enough actually becoming like home. Yes, the routine of being kept up until midnight with traffic on the only road and drunken locals, then children screaming or dogs yelping from about 6am. By 7 then sun is warming my room and by 7:30 it is impossible to get back to the sleep you crave as you are roasting like a pig on a bonfire.
At around 8am we head off to the hospital and say 'Halo' to the local children as we pass, this is in reply to the "Halo whiteman!" that is plaguing my life.
As for the hospital and A+E...
There are 2 new doctors ('interns') and so now I can actually find a doctor to sign the various forms for scans and drugs. This is a revelation. I know, it is hard to believe but as much as I love running an A+E department by myself it does get frustrating when you need the scan to discharge or admit, just to rule out important differentials but if you sign then Ultrasound department won't accept it as only ONE scanner for whole hospital. Also, due to this, guess what URGENT means on the form... maybe sometime in next 2 weeks! Luckily though "Pliz fit in" for the very urgent ones does help.
I can't get over the large volume of miscarriages (or abortions as all called here) and general gynae problems. Just so unexpected.
Also been graced with the impressively rare, with medical terms I have never been taught about. However that was a unique case and luckily the medical 'notes' (an exercise book with pages falling out) gave me the diagnosis.
Anyway enough of the medicine as you must be bored of the medic talk by now.
Water.
Actually, No water.
This makes hydration and general hygiene a big issue. The water is not even reliable. We have had 24 hours without water straight earlier this week, as well as many smaller losses of 6-10 hours and trickles inbetween.
Having a shower is impossible but can't be helped, nowhere near enough power to even start it. As for the toilet... I am getting used the smell of festering Number 2s. Not out of love of them i have you know but of lack of water in the cistern and no rain water to manually fill it. Therefore bowels basically are being regulated on whether there is enough water to fill the cistern or you physically can't hold it any longer.
Sorry, just realised girls may be reading this and be grossed out. Sorry. But it is important to get an accurate picture of my current life.
Also, I was so pleased to finally have breakfast on Friday. This is because at the beginning of the week we ran out of bread and hospital was too intensive to get any more, so was living off 1 meal a day.
On the plus side, definitely losing weight!
Also, finishing in Hospital next week as we need a holiday. We have just booked flights to Gizo on Friday 3pm. I'm really looking forward to this.
I'm also now a qualified PADI Open Water Diver!
Hi Mark, I have looked through your various posts and am duly impressed and partly flabbergasted! Not having water in a hospital and not being able to take a shower... And having one meal a day!!!! Wow. But your diving sounds just like a passage from a James Bond books (which I happened to like very much in my younger days!).
ReplyDeleteIn any case a very special adventure you are in!
Enjoy the warmth; we had morning frost the other day despite mid May and all the flowers trying to open up...
lots of love from Thalwil,
teta Jasna
It is truly an experience. Frost sounds alien to me here, especially when the sea 30 metres underwater is still 30 degrees!
DeleteI agree- it's amazing what living and working conditions you're surviving in! I knkow it's tough, but it must be such an incredible and rewarding experience!
ReplyDeleteAnd a traveller's tip (though i'm sure you've already thought about it): when the water's on, fill up a couple of buckets you can use when it goes off. It's quite handy for flushing smelly loos too! :D
Crispy