Check-ups

       The last couple days we have done check-ups on all the children. We are still not done, but we got quite a few done. This check-up is not exactly what I remember from my check-ups in elementary. Parts are similar: pulse, ear check, throat check, and pupil check; but I don’t ever remember getting my belly, arm, and head measured! This whole task of doing check-ups on the kids is an interesting experience, majority of them are honestly scared of the ‘doctor.’ Today Kerri went to Joypurhut with Mrs. Waid and so since I knew what we needed, she said I could check the older children. As I was going I realized that most were a little nervous about getting checked. The thing they seemed to be most nervous about getting their pulse taken. I think the reason was because, they had to stick their finger in the clip thing with a flashing light. When it was Joseph’s turn, I could tell he was nervous, but for the most part he did fine, until it was time to take his pulse. The way I had been doing the checks is while their finger was in the pulse reader I would check their throat and teeth, just looking for anything out of the ordinary. Well Joseph hesitantly put his finger in and I leaned over him to grab my pen or something and the stethoscope that was around my neck slipped and landed on the table near his finger. Well that did it, he was really traumatized. He jerked his finger out and started to cry a little bit. I got him to complete the rest of the check up, but he would NOT put his finger back in the pulse reader. So I decided to just leave well enough alone and let Kerri take his pulse when she got back.

       A couple of the girls wouldn’t open their mouth for me to look at their throat. The only way I got them to finally open was to threaten them saying if I didn’t look then either Nurse Kerri or Banni (a Bengali orphanage worker who is helping with the clinic) would have to look. I asked them if they would rather have me or one of them and they said me and then opened up, well as much as they could. One of the girls has a pretty bad overbite and has lockjaw because of it, she can’t open her mouth very much at all.

        The measuring of the abdomen was another difficulty when it came to the older girls. I was supposed to measure around their belly button, but most of the girls would not lift their skirts so I could measure. Well when this first happened, I convinced them to let me measure them but I wouldn’t lift their skirts or look, they just had to show me where their belly button was so I would know where to put the measuring tape. Well in order to read the tape, I did have to lift their skirts a little, but they were okay with that little bit, go figure! Their ideas of modesty here are definitely interesting!