Clinic in Pachot II

Today we had a wonderful opportunity to join Kemmel and Dr. Lisa Dunham at their clinic in Pachot Segundo, a short drive outside Chichicastenango. Lisa is a Family Practicioner, so we were very excited to have an opportunity to work with (read: learn from) her. The Dunhams are awesome, Godly people and they have established a really neat relationship with the people in Pachot.

The clinic is held in a beautiful church complex there and it seems like half the community shows up, whether they need a consult or not! There is lots of fellowship and smiles and laughter. It is a very loving community. Kemmel and Lisa have trained and are training several local folks as health promoters and the health promoters work with them on clinic day, rotating through the "stations" with their successive patients. A health promoter will check a patient in, pull their chart, gather their vital statistics, bring them into the consult with Dr. Lisa, translate for them (most locals are K'iche speakers), take the completed chart with the prescribed medicines to the pharmacy where Kemmel fills the prescription, and then pray with the patient.

The people in this community are very appreciative and hospitable. You will not make it through the day without being offered two or three snacks, some hot drinks, and a complete hot sit-down lunch. It is truly an all-day affair.

On our way out, we got our favorite thing "... solo una pregunta..." (only a question) which means that you're about to get a request that'll probably take the next half hour or more out of your day. One of the health promoters has a cousin who was injured while carrying something heavy up a mountain. He's at home with a "broken knee" and can't walk, we were told. He's been like this for a few weeks. It was on our way back to Chichi, so we stopped by. The injured party met us in the yard - on foot. His leg was wrapped in an ACE bandage, though, and he was clearly in a lot of pain. On exam, it looks like he probably has either a torn MCL or some damage to his meniscus. Not broken, but definitely "dinged".

Which brings us to our "Guatemalan Culture Lesson of the Day". In Guatemala, when something is broken, they throw a towel or a sheet over it and give it up for dead. This works for cars, appliances, and body parts. (We had a woman in clinic one day who hadn't used her arm in a few years because she had been shot in the shoulder. The wound was completely healed, but the arm was useless from atrophy, not from the injury. Of course, it had a towel over it.) Lisa explained to this man that he would have to stay off his knee for at least another week, but that he would have to bend and move it or he could lose use of it.

Anyway, we made it back to Quiche in time to grab a few groceries and tuck in for the night. We are heading to Canilla in the morning for clinic there with Katie. (Leslie and the rest of the clan are in The States for two weeks for their son's wedding.) Sunday is San Andres, then a full week of clinics awaits us....

Pics:
1. Heidi on the roof of the church annex where the clinic was held.
2. Lisa, Heidi, a patient, and the health promoter share a laugh in clinic.
3. A cool shot out of the window in our clinic room.
4. The countryside from the roof of the clinic.