First day of Surgery

It is 7:30 pm and we just got back to the hotel after a very long day; but a wonderful one. It started early with breakfast at 7am in torrential rain, then we loaded all the equipment into the bus, when we got to hospital we dragged all the stuff to the theatre from a muddy carpark, before starting the chore of setting up the theatre, recovery room (twice as we had to move it when the electricity draw became too much to have power on both sides of the building....

Mardi, Carolyn, Taka, Alice and Shannon

The theatre only gets used for emergency opps as there are no elective opps in Tanzania. The majority are cesareans; two happened today. So I got to see both babies born -a first for me!

Mel with her instruments all wrapped up 

Setting up operating theatre - Matt with Taka and Alice

Whilst we were setting up and being delayed as the store room here was locked we had serveral walk in patients to assess like yesterday; one was Mariam with keloids on both ears like huge matching pearls. Matt consulted her and decided she just need steriod injections so did that there and then as he had time. The next was probably the most confronting case I had seen; Yusuph had been in a petrol fire in a tent back in December. His hands were so swolen and raw; but he hardly flinched when Shannon replaced his dressings twice today; the second visit he gave me the biggest smile and we had a little chat as he speaks some english. Yusuph is coming in later this week for skin grafts but is unlikely to get the use of his hands back.

Jusuph with Shannon and Anthony

James - Recovery Nurse

As soon as the doors were unlocked the theatres were quickly put together and before I could catch my breath the amazing team had pulled everything together and the first operations were underway. The team run two tables in one theatre; which would just never happen in Australia but here it allows the team to work togther and support rach other if need be, given they are so short staffed and operating with such primitive equipment;  I reckon it pays to have been in this game along time as some things like the anaesthetic drug Halothane has not been used generally in the developed world since the 1980s.

Japeth our first wake up with his new lip

I have been mainly hanging around today at reception, recovery plus a visit up to the ward. But I did  have to wear scrubs and look the part - I felt a bit of a fraud but they are very comfy. Today it was important to let the theatre team get into the swing of things without me tripping over everything; I was also not feeling 100% so i was to have time acclimatise to the surroundings and smells. It was also nice to spend some time learning more about some of the stories and blowing balloons up for the kids waiting for their operations.

I learned more about Renatus who had skin grafts this afternoon; he was working in steel manufacturing last year and an explosion caused a fire that left 8 including Renatus badly injured and one worker dead - no workers comp in Tanzania! 

Back with Muma

Farida got a special pink balloon.

Mashaur gives us a wave

Mathaye - so cute waking up

Mashaur and Japeth back on the ward

In recovery I got to see all the patients wake up; this was amazing seeing them come back to life. For many I had the joy of collecting their Muma's and witnessing them be reunited. First came Japeth and shortly after Mashaur - I went to visit these too later in the day in the ward -doing so well. The ward is just a room full of old matresses where all the patients will stay for the full two weeks. I really noticed a difference in the family groups today; much more relaxed and bonding with one another. Yesterday I sensed tension as they waited to find out if they would have an pop - today everyone was so pleased to see Mardi and I. Several of the older children waived including Rose; which just made my day; as did seeing the lovely Farida wake up still with glitter in her hair from her posh outfit from yesterday..

Outside the ward families make food together

All day the team have struggled with power outages also leading to no water and air con in the operating theatre - they all coped admirably; on generator power and instruments cobbled together by Alice, as the sterilising machine would not work. Everyone was shattered on the bus on the way home; but Andrew still had the energy to help with a broken down car in the hospital carpark.......

Exhausted but happy in Mwanza.