On Our Own

       Sorry about not posting in awhile; Bob, Kerri, and the Waids left Lauren, Chantel and I to go to Dhaka. They left Tuesday and came back last night. So today was the first day with them back. We were all happy to see eachother and I was especially happy to see Kerri. While she was gone I had the key to the clinic and so I was the one to whom everyone came when they had any kind of sickness or injury, and I do mean any kind! The main thing I had to watch out for was Bart and his stitches. He fell and got his chin cut open, so Kerri had to put three stitches in. This happened the Friday before they left, so while they were gone, I was in charge of changing Bart’s bandages and watching it for infection and such. I knew I could handle this since it was what I had to do for myself when I had my stitches! Since they had left Tuesday morning we were on our own for practically a whole week. Being the only ‘medical’ staff on hand, I was actually kept kind of busy! Whenever anyone got any kind of cut or injury they came to me and wanted something.

       Friday night was actually sort of stressful for me. I was heading to vespers with Lauren, Chantel, and Danny, who had come up to our room after he had eaten and gotten ready. Saborna (the head caretaker) caught me and said we had many sick babies. So I went with her to the baby room where most of the babies were sitting on a mat and some not looking good at all. Saborna told me ‘they all had fever’. Well I honestly don’t know all the ways to tell if babies have fevers, so I went to the clinic and got the thermometer and some fever medicine. I then went back and took the temps of the worst looking children. Now I do know what normal temperature is for humans, but I was not quite sure what was considered high, dangerously high, and just too high for babies. I did remember something Kerri had said when one of the little boys had a fever, so I based the treatment I recommended on that. I gave the ones with fever some medicine and then told them when to give more if it seemed needed. Now all that I did with them was purely guessing, but later that night I was talking to my parents and looking online and it appeared that I was not far off from what is typically recommended for treatment of babies and fevers. Although online did say a lot of ‘if their temperature is above this call the doctor’. Well here in Bangladesh that doesn’t really work. I do think I did pretty well for not knowing anything for what to do! From what I remember when I was a child, if I had a fever or felt ill, I was put in my bed with water, and maybe a damp rag on my forehead, but I really don’t remember taking much medicine, although I do remember child Tylenol/Ibuprofen, that it tasted similar to bubble gum and I didn’t mind taking it! It’s kind of funny; I didn’t remember that until I smelt them as I was getting some out of the bottle.

       After we checked the babies, Saborna took me to a few other children who they said were sick, although none of them seemed to have a bad fever. I gave them vitamin C, since it just appeared they had a cold or something. The people here are very paranoid or something. If they have any type of symptom of even just an everyday cold, they freak out and want medicine. They seem to rely more on doctors and medicine than their own body’s defense mechanisms. The doctors here definitely take advantage of this mindset and prescribe many things and also seem to go straight to surgery for something that may be just fine. Babies being born is an example of this, from the sound of it most children here are born by C-section if they are born in a hospital.

       I must say, after this experience, I am going to be very happy when I am at least starting nursing and have some type of training! Learning about babies and fevers online made me realize again how fun learning is! I don't think I'm going to mind going back to school!