First Weekend of 2008

This past weekend was our first in 2008 to be back to our regular schedule (clinics in Canilla and San Andres). It was our first chance to take the new 4Runner out to the Fickers', too. And, as luck would have it, we heard that the normal route we take was closed on and off due to road improvements. So we went around. The alternate route is normally one of the more daunting roads we drive, but it was no match for the 4Runner!

Clinic started out with a bang. One of the workers brought her grandmother in, literally on a litter. She looked like she had had a massive stroke. She was completely immobile on one side of her body and couldn't walk or talk. Unfortunately, there was little we could do for her, other than give her something for her very high blood pressure and counsel the family about how to care for a stroke victim. Afterwards, Duane drove the family home rather than make them carry her back.

The rest of the day consisted of a relatively normal number of patients, but an abnormally high number that required a lot of time. One was a woman who came in initially complaining of gastritis, but upon further questioning and looking, we decided that she might have a bleeding ulcer. She told us she had relatively recently had a baby taken by c-section because the doctors were afraid she would seize and die. She was only seven months, though, and the baby died. We asked if the doctors had done any tests and she said yes. We asked for the results and she said they were in her house, but that her husband was outside. When we brought the husband in, he told us that the c-section had been 8 years ago and also changed every one of her answers about her history (including her age - by about 10 years! - go figure!) Anyway, we gave her some medicines for a suspected ulcer and asked her to come back next week with her test results that were supposedly taken within the last month.

Today, they had about 80 or so patients. Heidi's second-to-last patient accepted Christ and promised to go to church this evening with Mateo (our translators' father and evangelist). There was another patient who said that he was ready to accept Christ, but felt better about doing that in a church and promised to find one.

Medically, there was a lady with some type of tumor on her arm, but also some symptoms of other health problems. Heidi referred her to herself at Buen Samaritano for a further exam on some of her other problems - obviously female-type problems - and possibly later to Dr. Hoak for a look at her arm.

There was a little boy a mass on his jaw. Leslie had seen him last week with something affecting his liver (he was jaundiced). Clearly, this leads to some concern about possible cancer. He looked a lot better this week, but will also be sent to Buen Samaritano for a look at his jaw.

In other news, a lot can happen in just 6 short weeks. Lots of progress has been made on Aaron and Katie's house, Duane and the boys made some really nice new cabinets for the kitchen, and Rachel's cat looks to be pregnant. Matt and the boys spent some time doing minor airplane repairs, David worked on digging out one of the tilapia ponds, and we celebrated Rachel's 13th birthday.

This week, Roy Simmons comes in again to start language school and we'll have some other special visitors for this weekend.

In pictures, the first is of the 4Runner on the way out to clinic. It doesn't really show how rough that road is, but trust us - it's no picnic. And the second picture is of the woman Heidi saw today with the tumor on her arm.

Tomorrow, we're in Nueva Santa Catarina.