Sorry it's been a couple of days since we've written... AND that we don't really have any pictures to post this time! We hit the ground running again here in Guate after landing on Tuesday and getting the truck fixed, etc... Wednesday was a clinic here in Quiche (right down the street, really) at a new location, La Iglesia(Church) "Jerusalen". It's one of the larger Churches here in town, which provided a very nice setting for clinic. We mostly saw adults with high blood pressure and diabetes who have been receiving meds from Agape in Action long-term, but it was very nice to see how they have been doing on the meds. (There has really been no way to get their blood pressures and glucose levels checked for quite some time with no regular doctor here, so they were very anxious to get back on track!) Adults don't make for quite the "photo ops" that kids in our other clinics do, though-- so, sorry for the less colorful post today.
Today we went back to Aselsi, the well-established and well-run clinic under the direction of Sharon and John Harvey in Chichicastenango. We saw the young lady with the molar pregnancy again in follow-up, which is a continuing frustration with the care provided by the hospital here, really. She FINALLY got her surgery (a "D and C" for her abnormal pregnancy, which takes about 10 minutes) last Thursday night! For those of you keeping track, that's a full week from the time we took her in to the hospital the previous Thursday. The "run-around" she got in the meantime was ridiculous, and I'm very glad that she and her husband decided to stick it out and continue waiting to have the surgery done. Many patients, I think, just get frustrated and leave without the care they need.
She was sent home last Saturday with instructions to return the 20th after getting another ultrasound done and another blood test done in town at her expense. Again, frustrating... since ultrasound is pretty much the one reliable service that the hospital CAN offer and which should be done for free! Her appointment on the 20th, of course, is very unlikely to actually happen unless the doctors and government miraculously come to some decision that allows the clinic doors to be re-opened by then. We, of course, gave her another appointment with us "just in case" they don't! On Heidi's ultrasound today, it really looks like they really didn't get all of the tumor/abnormal pregnancy out, and we are afraid that we will eventually need to repeat the procedure. Please continue to pray for her (Laura Maria Hernandez) and her husband, who have been incredibly patient throughout this experience. We will see what continued prayer and her hormone levels do before making any major decisions...
Another prayer request is for a 30-something year old lady by the name of Tomasa Culax, who is suffering from symptoms of depression ever since her husband left her many years ago to provide for her two children. They are now 14 and 15 years old, but she still struggles to care and provide for them. Guatemalan women have very limited resources in general, and especially when they lose their husbands for whatever reason. We prayed with her today and started her on medication, but what she really needs is continued prayer support and to really feel God's love in her life.
Tomorrow we have a surgery (vaginal hysterectomy with repair of a prolapsed bladder) scheduled-- at FIVE a.m.!-- in Chichicastenango with Dr. Tom Hoak, a general surgeon and missionary working at the Methodist Hospital there. Heidi is very excited to have the opportunity to work on some gynecologic surgeries with him, and the facility there is very nice by local standards. Wish us luck with the early rising! But we've been up much earlier for much less fun reasons before, really...
Tomorrow (15th of September) is also Guatemala's Independence Day, so it should be filled with parades and other celebrations. Hopefully some better photo ops then... We'll skip the OR pictures this time, probably, in the interest of those of you who have told us you read the blog at lunch or other mealtimes! This weekend we'll be back up in Canilla with the Fickers, but will hope to update you again tomorrow before we leave.
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