Friday, September 24, 2010

What a day............


Alforte Jr


Johnny
I'm pretty sure I've stated before that I'm not a nurse for a reason................
Today began with one child having plastic protruding from his eyelid and then on to a hospital visit with another child.

Alforte Jr. was brought to me at 6:30am. Not responsive (in shock) with blood coming from his eye. I had to lay him down, make calls, not panic (may not have succeeded COMPLETELY), wrap him in a towel,realized he was breathing (until that point I wasn't sure), AND THEN had to be reminded that there was a DOCTOR visiting and he was sleeping at the back of the church! Poor man, I think some of the boys scared him when they woke him! He came up and we moved Jr to the temporary clinic where the doctor did everything he could to clean him up and check him out. Thankfully all the bits of PVC piping were small and only in his eyelid and not in his eye or anywhere else. Thank you GOD. He needed stitches and was sent to the hospital with one of our staff, Herns.
Dr. Elio was willing to take a look at any of our other children and give us advise on care for them. It was determined that sweet, busy Johnny needed to go to the hospital to have an opening that we have been cleaning lanced and stitched so it can heal properly. Off we go to Univer! My first hospital experience here. Thankfully there is a fellow there (Alex) who speaks English but I did have to recite what I had memorized to the doctors. "SVP, Enlever tissu mort, tissu vivante, suture. " Well they sure did but after a BATTLE out of Johnny! He has had alot of medical care after surviving the earthquake with a broken femur and 2 surgeries so needles were not happening. Eventually the doctor gave up trying to freeze the area and said we had to put him under. At which point Johnny fell asleep on the bed.
One of our staff, Tida arrived at Univer with her niece! She had helped with Alforte Jr earlier in the morning! What a day! Tida was with us when poor Johnny was put out, cleaned up, stitched up and I carried his heavy, drooling, sleeping being back to the orphanage on the back of a motorcycle. Thanks to Herns who spent most of his day at Univer.

What a day! The boys got their meds, rested and I think Johnny snuck out to play by the end of the day! Normally he has 2 speeds - GO and sleep. I'm taking it as a sign that he is mending already!

More updates to come. It's been a busy month!

Jen