Today Kerri and I went into the village with Pomwell to look at a sick lady. When we arrived, the lady was squatting against a tree. Everyone squats here; it’s actually pretty incredible the way they squat, flat on their feet, not toes!! Pomwell was our interpreter and so he tried to find out what was wrong and what hurt. This lady’s feet were very swollen and when you pressed on her legs, your finger indent stayed. She complained of abdominal pain when she sat or stood, especially when she sat. Kerri wasn’t sure exactly what was wrong, but she figured a lack of protein and dehydration was part of it. So she advised the lady to raise her feet above her heart (to try and get some swelling down), drink plenty of water, eat some protein, and see a doctor to get a true diagnosis. Kerri did say she thought she had a fever, but she hadn’t brought a thermometer to be sure. After making sure the lady lay down with her feet up, we left and went to see another lady. This lady had come and seen someone at the orphanage gate who gave her some pain reliever. From talking with her Kerri determined that she had tension headaches and arthritis probably. Not much you can do for that. :(
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