So I could only get mefloquine in tel aviv to use as malarial prophylactic and it has major side effects. The other day I took my second dose, as it's a once a week dosage, and almost immediately I was thrown into 24 hours of violent vomiting, nausea, dizziness, headache, and fatigue. When I finally stopped throwing up, I broke out in a rash all over my face and eyes and lips. It looks like I have chicken pox.
I know I should have taken doxycycline which is a better choice but it's not covered in my health basket back in Israel, so I would have paid much more for it. Still knowing that I have such a strong reaction to most medications, I should have been more careful. Hopefully I'll feel better soon and my face will calm down. I'm glad I don't have a mirror here.
Saturday, February 20, 2010
Sunday, February 14, 2010
phew
I know I said I'd be posting on another blog and I did set it up but haven't written anything yet. Our experience has been far too overwhelming and I've been far too busy and removed by reliable internet access. Right now I'm working at a field hospital in the emerg tent, but tommorow morning I'm designated to the internal medicine tent which is more my background.
Earlier today we drove up to one of the orphanages around ground zero near port au prince and treated some of the kids who have had zero access to basic health care. The clinic room consisted of a 60 year old cot and a dental chair. There was sewage running freely through the pathways in the orphanage compound. I'll write more about this later but I think these orphanages are the reason why I ended up volunteering here. I'm going to start up a project in tandem with some other NGO's to bring a mobile medical team for one week per month to 40 orphanages in the area who have no medical care for their children. Without it or any health education these orphanages end up with epidemics of typhus and cholera that are easily preventable forms of suffering. I think I'm supposed to do something about it. Actually, I don't think anyone could not do anything about it.
Working in the emerg tent has been stressful for me tonight as we had some major intakes; shootings with intestines leaking from the abdominal cavity, a full cervical fracture, crushed skull, a hefty ton of malaria cases and etc... The stress was just because it's been a while since I've done emergency rotations. Generally most of these cases require some out of the box thinking to make up for lack of resources. The IDF field hospital is gone and with it all the high tech equipment.
Today most of Haiti was fasting because some Israeli woman told the Haitian president before the earthquake that there was going to be a disaster if they didn't fast and cancel the Carnival. So, when the earthquake happened, the president ordered that the whole country fast and pray to make up for not heeding the warning of the Israeli woman.
So much to say but I'm too tired to write this and I have to go back to see if there are new patients in emerg. I'll be back here writing again when I get my next burst of written energy, because at this point inspiration doesn't provide me with enough energy to type. My tent and sleeping bag are looking awfully good right now :-)
Earlier today we drove up to one of the orphanages around ground zero near port au prince and treated some of the kids who have had zero access to basic health care. The clinic room consisted of a 60 year old cot and a dental chair. There was sewage running freely through the pathways in the orphanage compound. I'll write more about this later but I think these orphanages are the reason why I ended up volunteering here. I'm going to start up a project in tandem with some other NGO's to bring a mobile medical team for one week per month to 40 orphanages in the area who have no medical care for their children. Without it or any health education these orphanages end up with epidemics of typhus and cholera that are easily preventable forms of suffering. I think I'm supposed to do something about it. Actually, I don't think anyone could not do anything about it.
Working in the emerg tent has been stressful for me tonight as we had some major intakes; shootings with intestines leaking from the abdominal cavity, a full cervical fracture, crushed skull, a hefty ton of malaria cases and etc... The stress was just because it's been a while since I've done emergency rotations. Generally most of these cases require some out of the box thinking to make up for lack of resources. The IDF field hospital is gone and with it all the high tech equipment.
Today most of Haiti was fasting because some Israeli woman told the Haitian president before the earthquake that there was going to be a disaster if they didn't fast and cancel the Carnival. So, when the earthquake happened, the president ordered that the whole country fast and pray to make up for not heeding the warning of the Israeli woman.
So much to say but I'm too tired to write this and I have to go back to see if there are new patients in emerg. I'll be back here writing again when I get my next burst of written energy, because at this point inspiration doesn't provide me with enough energy to type. My tent and sleeping bag are looking awfully good right now :-)
Thursday, February 11, 2010
still safe and sound
I haven't disappeared but will be posting shortly to a new blog just dedicated to Haiti for a bit. I'll paste the link here so you can visit me there until I get back to the holy land. It'll start up shortly. See you soon on bloggy 2...
Monday, February 1, 2010
Obama girl?
so the famous bikini clad Obama girl, who sung about her crush on Obama and went viral on Youtube as she garnered huge support for him during the presidential campaign, has now stated that she's fallen out of love with him. Obama girl set a press conference to complain about how Obama has focused too much on reforming health care in the U.S. and she doesn't understand why and thinks it's pointless when money could have instead been diverted to strengthening the american economy...shoppers unite! Sorry, but what a dumbass. Anyone who voted for Obama because of Obamagirl deserves to be led by Crusty the clown.
leaning tower of visa
we finally got the visa for my colleague who's had a hell of a time with administrative lollygagging. More than a week late we're now book and paid to fly on thursday. see you all in bloggyville from a Caribbean IP address... It's a bit funny. When i mention to friends that I'm going to the Caribbean, most have no idea that I'll be sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag with mosquito netting, drinking water purified with chlorine pills, and treating the ailments of 41,000 earthquake refugees within a small secured area. I hope I can really do my part there.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
