28th Sept.

Summer weather has returned. At lunch it was 96 in the kitchen and it felt cooler than my exam room this morning. Cory says we may get rain tomorrow.

I knew that today would be a big clinic day. So started school a bit before 7 a.m. Was in clinic by 8:40. We saw 16 patients in the morning and added two this afternoon and one lab result.

Most had colds, fevers and anemia. One little tike had a small abscess on his head. Chris and the student nurses helped the pharmacy nurse with opening it. Unfortunately no one saw that his mom was feeling faint until she went from a kneeling position to a dead faint. She felt better a short while later after drinking some juice.

Our saddest case was a small 1 1/2 month baby brought in by an Aunt. He had gained over a pound in a week and his tiny feet were so swollen that his skin was taunt and shown. His heart was beating rapidly but a loud murmur was still heard throughout his small chest.

He is very anemic and had a non-determinant test for HIV last week. He was born by C-section in Cap Haitian but his mom died 2 days later. The family doesn't know if he was a preemie or if his mom was sick during pregnancy. But they are doing their best to care for him.

I held him while I discussed the findings with the Aunt and asked about them being able to return to Cap and have him seen at the big hospital there. She assured me that he could go this week to his grandmother's in Cap and to the hospital.

There was nothing left to do but the most powerful thing. We prayed. I don't know what the Lord has in store for this tiny one but I know that He loves him and has not forgotten the little ones.

I hear my kids had a pretty good afternoon in school and both worked hard. Thanks to Kathleen my doctor duties didn't mean a school holiday. I'm also thankful that I didn't have to go down to clinic during the weekend.

I did have one nurse come up to the house on Sunday to discuss a machete wound to the hand. But we had no cleanser to clean the wound. O.K. I said then give him a anti-tetanus shot and antibiotics and refer him down the road. Nope-no anti-tetanus either. Do we have a dressing? Yes-OK dress the wound and send him down the road.

Sigh....we do our best but some days.... Thank you to those who are praying for us and the work.