I feels like its been a while since I last blogged and to be honest not much has happened. Some viral illness has been affecting the group one by one and has chosen its 5th victim this week (me). For the past week I have been stuck in the house with gastrointestinal upset, this came to a crescendo last night with fever and vomiting which was very unpleasant. I have lost 18lb in weight since coming here and I think I will come back looking like I've been in a desert for 8 weeks!
I have been receiving reports that the weather has been crap (surprise surprise) in the UK and Ireland? lots of April showers? It has started raining here too, so maybe the weather might improve for you all... Apparently my bees have been flying lots and lots and hopefully some honey might be available when I come back in May. The pigs are getting bigger so some pork may also be on the cards for May/June!
I feel like I am being miserable here, but when your ill and in a different country its really shite! We have got 4 more chickens to cheer me up and lay a few more eggs...At the moment I wish I was home but I'm praying that the sickness passes as we are meant to be going on Safari (3rd time lucky) this weekend, and that would cheer me up a lot!
Hopefully my next blog will have lots of Safari photos and less D+V!
Take care all x
Wednesday, 18 April 2012
Friday, 13 April 2012
Sunburn and Anaesthetics
Ok, so the sunburn has actually gone nice and brown but I was silly to think that I would bathe in equatorial sun with no suncream. Well I paid the price and looked like a lobster for a few days and was a little sore...but I secretly think it was worth it!
The long weekend was a great time with doing the Rhino Sanctuary last week and then having the whole of monday to go by the pool and eat out (even though we eat out every night). I think this week in the hospital has been hard on a number of us. The girls started on Tuesday and are doing such a great job of looking after patients but this comes at the frustration of lacking resources and poor communication.
Working in the UK health system and knowing the great service we have makes it hard when we can't treat treatable diseases in Uganda. Of course the staff and everyone tries their hardest but when there is no money and a total lack of doctors then people are bound to suffer. Uganda has developed a role known as a clinical officer. These are persons trained to a diploma level in patient care and pretty much can't be told apart from a doctor (there are million of people with white coats about!). They try their best but ultimately they are trying to do the job of a doctor without the skills, training or expertise they need to treat people. Still, they are trying to plug the gap which is better than nothing by far.
Most of my work is anaesthetising patients for theatre lists and providing pain relief. The drugs we have are very limited with the majority of anaesthetics being spinal and not general. We tend to use Ketamine on most children and this is a very good and usually safe anaesthetic to give. Mothers are usually not allowed to be in the anaesthetic room when their child is being anaesthetised which seems distressing to both. But infection control is tight and we are not in the most cleanliness of countries!
We had all booked to go to Murchison falls this weekend and go to the waterfall and safari but a few of us have fallen ill...so we may cancel or we can play it by ear and see how we all are tomorrow. I hope all you folk in the UK and Ireland are enjoying the sunny weather ;) I will send you over some sun when I get back.
The long weekend was a great time with doing the Rhino Sanctuary last week and then having the whole of monday to go by the pool and eat out (even though we eat out every night). I think this week in the hospital has been hard on a number of us. The girls started on Tuesday and are doing such a great job of looking after patients but this comes at the frustration of lacking resources and poor communication.
Working in the UK health system and knowing the great service we have makes it hard when we can't treat treatable diseases in Uganda. Of course the staff and everyone tries their hardest but when there is no money and a total lack of doctors then people are bound to suffer. Uganda has developed a role known as a clinical officer. These are persons trained to a diploma level in patient care and pretty much can't be told apart from a doctor (there are million of people with white coats about!). They try their best but ultimately they are trying to do the job of a doctor without the skills, training or expertise they need to treat people. Still, they are trying to plug the gap which is better than nothing by far.
Most of my work is anaesthetising patients for theatre lists and providing pain relief. The drugs we have are very limited with the majority of anaesthetics being spinal and not general. We tend to use Ketamine on most children and this is a very good and usually safe anaesthetic to give. Mothers are usually not allowed to be in the anaesthetic room when their child is being anaesthetised which seems distressing to both. But infection control is tight and we are not in the most cleanliness of countries!
We had all booked to go to Murchison falls this weekend and go to the waterfall and safari but a few of us have fallen ill...so we may cancel or we can play it by ear and see how we all are tomorrow. I hope all you folk in the UK and Ireland are enjoying the sunny weather ;) I will send you over some sun when I get back.
Sunday, 8 April 2012
Happy Easter!
I've just arrived back from an amazing weekend at the Rhino Sanctuary...Uganda is so cheap and there are quite a few things to do provided you are willing to travel and have a nice driver (and car). I was quite cheery by the end of the week as I was adopted by the Anaesthetic team. I did an epidural on an Emergency Caesarian section as the fetus was in distress - all went well and most importantly I am no longer doing Paeds! We also have 5 new lovely additions to our clan - 4 Docs and 1 Nurse....they have cheered me up :)
We arrived at the Rhino place on Saturday and went on a Rhino tour around the park. We got VERY close to some of the Rhinos and their babies but was told that we may need to "Jump up a tree, if they charge at you"...of course I would be dead as I could never climb up a tree! We got back and ate lunch and booked our next trip to do some birding. This was a 5:40am start zzzzzzz but we got up in the pitch black and borrowed some wellies to go through the swamp!
We started by looking for some birds on the swamp. The noise at sunrise is immense and Africa is such a beautiful and flat country, you can see for miles and miles. We then took a canoe over the swamp to the other side to try and spot the Shoebill birds. Unfortunately we didn't find any, but found many accommodating mosquitos.
We then climbed the local "Mountain" thank god we didnt go at 10am or we would have been sweltering in the heat. The views were breathtaking and the bugs were scary including the giant ants that went on attack. I hope you have all had a nice easter at home and will blog more of my adventures next week after more anaesthetics. Off to see some local boxing and have some local food. Don't eat too much chocolate (apparently its not a very manly think here to admit you like choc!?)
We arrived at the Rhino place on Saturday and went on a Rhino tour around the park. We got VERY close to some of the Rhinos and their babies but was told that we may need to "Jump up a tree, if they charge at you"...of course I would be dead as I could never climb up a tree! We got back and ate lunch and booked our next trip to do some birding. This was a 5:40am start zzzzzzz but we got up in the pitch black and borrowed some wellies to go through the swamp!
We started by looking for some birds on the swamp. The noise at sunrise is immense and Africa is such a beautiful and flat country, you can see for miles and miles. We then took a canoe over the swamp to the other side to try and spot the Shoebill birds. Unfortunately we didn't find any, but found many accommodating mosquitos.
We then climbed the local "Mountain" thank god we didnt go at 10am or we would have been sweltering in the heat. The views were breathtaking and the bugs were scary including the giant ants that went on attack. I hope you have all had a nice easter at home and will blog more of my adventures next week after more anaesthetics. Off to see some local boxing and have some local food. Don't eat too much chocolate (apparently its not a very manly think here to admit you like choc!?)
Debs - This is our tortoise..what shall we call him/her?
The New chicken shed that was made for £10
Me eating a whole fish - I don't normally like fish but this is GOOD!
This is how they transport livestock in Uganda!
Road to the Rhino Sanctuary
Some wasp nest - they were nasty things!
Ants/Termites crawling out the ground ewww
Me with the Rhinos
Me, Tom and James
Our Driver Steven and Nurse Rosie
Sunrise today
Beautiful
The "Clan" on tour
Canoeing
swamp full of mossies!
Giant ants going for an attack
Top of Uganda's Kilimanjaro (joking)
Friendly Gorrila/monkey thing
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Storms, Chickens, Homesickness and New arrivals
Well I'm nearly 2 weeks into my Gulu "adventure" and its been a mixed two weeks. I started working on the Paediatric ward on Monday and found the staff to be very friendly and welcoming. The work is very monotonous and surprisingly there has not been too many children to see. I have looked after children with meningitis (one presumed polio meningitis) urinary tract infection with obstruction, pneumonia, sickle cell disease (with the largest spleens you've ever palpated) and malnourished children.
I am going to ask to be put onto Anaesthetics as I'm not finding Paeds enjoyable. I don't know why I want to change but its just not really my thing! The Ugandan people are anticipating the rainy season soon and we got a small taste of it with a spectacular storm.
The new chicken hut has been built and we are going to buy the chickens tomorrow. I feel a bit homesick at the moment but its probably just because I haven't ever been away for so long. Today I went though the list of patients with TB and HIV at the local health office to identify potential recruits for the Aspergillus study. Hopefully we will be able to progress to finding these patients by visiting the local districts - Something I am really excited about, given that I can travel to some of the most rural parts of Africa.
Some new lady doctors have arrived today in our accommodation and will be working at Gulu hospital too. It will be nice to have some more company. I hope everyone enjoys easter this weekend at home. I shall be having a long weekend off ;)
Bye for now x
I am going to ask to be put onto Anaesthetics as I'm not finding Paeds enjoyable. I don't know why I want to change but its just not really my thing! The Ugandan people are anticipating the rainy season soon and we got a small taste of it with a spectacular storm.
The new chicken hut has been built and we are going to buy the chickens tomorrow. I feel a bit homesick at the moment but its probably just because I haven't ever been away for so long. Today I went though the list of patients with TB and HIV at the local health office to identify potential recruits for the Aspergillus study. Hopefully we will be able to progress to finding these patients by visiting the local districts - Something I am really excited about, given that I can travel to some of the most rural parts of Africa.
Some new lady doctors have arrived today in our accommodation and will be working at Gulu hospital too. It will be nice to have some more company. I hope everyone enjoys easter this weekend at home. I shall be having a long weekend off ;)
Bye for now x
Friday, 30 March 2012
Shit Happens...
Well I spoke FAR too soon, and of course I ended up with the delightful D+V...I'm on day 3 of Shits and although I am not feeling too unwell and have urine like maple syrup things are looking up slightly. I'm sure it was expected but there is nothing like a good dose (of shits) to make you feel home sick and regress to wanting your loved ones. I also missed the Murchison fall trip which was even more depressing given that it was such a beautiful sight..I shall go there anyway when I have some more spare time.
Today was the last day of the conference and I presented and did a workshop about implementing an early warning score system in the maternity section of the hospital. Uganda still has very high rates of maternal mortality and 25% of children will not see their 5th birthday. There is also the issue that half of the Ugandan population is under 14! The early warning system will allow nurses and doctors to detect and implement action when a patient is showing early signs of deterioration. It is a tried and successfully tested method that is used in the UK by all hospitals.
I also went to see the Paediatric ward today. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming which was very nice. The children looked very poorly and I know this is going to be a very hard 7 weeks. This will probably hit me more knowing I have two daughters, but we must be grateful in the UK/Ireland for what we have. I'm sure I will be taking sympathy trips to the pharmacy to get children the medicines they can't afford.
Talking about costs, the guys who guard the compound are very friendly but get paid 5000 Ugandan shillings a day. That is £1.20 a day! The guy got us some water today from the supermarket and I told him to keep the change (6000 ugandan shillings). He was absolutely over the moon, even though it is a miniscule amount to most of us...I can't imagine working for such a low wage.
So I have a weekend of lie in's ahead of me, saying goodbye to two lovely proper Midwives and will go to the pool if I can for some relaxation. Ugandan cuisine is firmly off the menu until I get better!
Today was the last day of the conference and I presented and did a workshop about implementing an early warning score system in the maternity section of the hospital. Uganda still has very high rates of maternal mortality and 25% of children will not see their 5th birthday. There is also the issue that half of the Ugandan population is under 14! The early warning system will allow nurses and doctors to detect and implement action when a patient is showing early signs of deterioration. It is a tried and successfully tested method that is used in the UK by all hospitals.
I also went to see the Paediatric ward today. The staff were extremely friendly and welcoming which was very nice. The children looked very poorly and I know this is going to be a very hard 7 weeks. This will probably hit me more knowing I have two daughters, but we must be grateful in the UK/Ireland for what we have. I'm sure I will be taking sympathy trips to the pharmacy to get children the medicines they can't afford.
Talking about costs, the guys who guard the compound are very friendly but get paid 5000 Ugandan shillings a day. That is £1.20 a day! The guy got us some water today from the supermarket and I told him to keep the change (6000 ugandan shillings). He was absolutely over the moon, even though it is a miniscule amount to most of us...I can't imagine working for such a low wage.
So I have a weekend of lie in's ahead of me, saying goodbye to two lovely proper Midwives and will go to the pool if I can for some relaxation. Ugandan cuisine is firmly off the menu until I get better!
Wednesday, 28 March 2012
Power cuts, hot weather and D+V
The last few days have been quite interesting in Gulu. Firstly there has been the African Medical Student conference which is quite prestigious, even to the point of the First lady of Uganda coming to make a speech. The educational link between Manchester and Gulu has helped to reduce maternal mortality by 50% as quoted at the conference. This is a fantastic achievement for both the people of Uganda and the efforts of the people who come to help develop the health system in Gulu.
The security at the first day of the conference was VERY tight. Airport style scanner, government/army guards and strictly no electronic devices allowed...which was a shame given that I would have loved to have taken some photos. I am also going to be presenting and doing a workshop which will be good towards my CV as it counts as a presentation and workshop at an International conference!
The electricity to supply in Gulu is very temperamental at the best of times and water is not always available. A few colleagues have moved back to the UK, which has left us with lots of wonderful fans free...This was certainly the best nights sleep I've had so far! Unlike my unfortunate colleagues who have ended up with a nasty episode of D+V. I hope they feel better soon!
We are all going to Murchison falls on Thursday which is a beautiful waterfall and National park, very much looking forward to this. Hopefully will get to see the hospital this afternoon to see what lies ahead in the next few weeks...
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Gulu Time!
I arrived in Gulu this evening around 6pm setting off from the ARA at 11am on a rural journey through some of the most beautiful parts of Uganda. For a start, I will never complain about my Father's driving ever again...The roads are a massive hazard and there seems to be no concept of courtesy on the roads. It is basically, the larger your vehicle the more right of way you have. We have often been demoted to the road side from larger vehicles but better than a crash I suppose!
I took a number of pictures on the journey and many people live in mud huts and congregate around the road to sell whatever they have..fruit, shoes, meat, fake medicines etc. I am at the African Medical student conference tomorrow at 8am, so bit of an early start! Mosquitos are biting the shit out of
me so been told to eat lots of garlic - Debbie, I shall not embrace them ;)
Have unloaded all the medical supplies ready to take to the Hospital tomorrow. I'm sure they will appreciate it! Looking forward to meeting some Ugandan Royalty tomorrow too!
I took a number of pictures on the journey and many people live in mud huts and congregate around the road to sell whatever they have..fruit, shoes, meat, fake medicines etc. I am at the African Medical student conference tomorrow at 8am, so bit of an early start! Mosquitos are biting the shit out of
me so been told to eat lots of garlic - Debbie, I shall not embrace them ;)
Have unloaded all the medical supplies ready to take to the Hospital tomorrow. I'm sure they will appreciate it! Looking forward to meeting some Ugandan Royalty tomorrow too!
Road going into the centre of Kampala
Some delightful Veg shops on the road side
The tradition way of carrying your shopping from Tesco
Banana Trees - shame I hate the bloody things (Catherine can have them instead)
Roman roads are not just found in the UK!
The Nile
Crazy monkey showing some love
The "Fake" doctors...as if people pay for this shit!?
Saturday, 24 March 2012
Finally Arrived!
Currently I am trying to squish some mosquitos and enjoying the lovely climate and sounds of Africa. It really is beautiful and so much more different from anything I've experienced before!
After over 20 hours of travelling and no sleep for 30 hour I am finally at the ARA in Kampala, Uganda with Tom and James. Qatar airways overall was a good airline to fly with and looked after us well on our Journey. We arrived 30 minutes late at 07:10am (not bad) to Entebbe "International" airport that looked rather like a minor UK airport but serves the majority of Uganda. Visa entry went fine and you have to pay $50 to an immigration officer with a rather unfriendly smile. They take a picture and collect finger prints on a digital scanner.
We was greeted by a taxi driver at the airport who was to take us to the hotel, I was optimistic that we would be able to book in straight away and get into bed for some sleep...NO CHANCE! The hotel needed to get our room ready...and 4 hours later we managed to get some sleep. That was until we got a phone call from the hotel saying that a Medical student from Gulu University was coming to collect our bags. Finally we got some reprieve and slept for 5 hours.
The hotel is very nice and the staff are very friendly. A coke costs around 50p for a large bottle and food is reasonable. We went for a swim in the pool for an hour to cool down and wake us up. Tomorrow the plans are to go to the centre of Kampala to get some pillows and supplies for Gulu. We will then take the 4-8 hour journey to Gulu by road with 2 others nurses who are meeting us later this evening. We have been pre-warned that it is much hotter in Gulu and they currently have no power or running water (This should be fun!).
There is also the African Medical students conference to look forward to all next week, where the First Lady of Uganda will be present. There is still that potential promise of a Sarafi, which I am anticipating with much excitement. I also need to get in touch with a Lab in Gulu for prices for processing blood samples for the Aspergillus/HIV/TB study by next friday.
Will blog next when I arrive in Gulu (and hopefully we some pictures!)
After over 20 hours of travelling and no sleep for 30 hour I am finally at the ARA in Kampala, Uganda with Tom and James. Qatar airways overall was a good airline to fly with and looked after us well on our Journey. We arrived 30 minutes late at 07:10am (not bad) to Entebbe "International" airport that looked rather like a minor UK airport but serves the majority of Uganda. Visa entry went fine and you have to pay $50 to an immigration officer with a rather unfriendly smile. They take a picture and collect finger prints on a digital scanner.
We was greeted by a taxi driver at the airport who was to take us to the hotel, I was optimistic that we would be able to book in straight away and get into bed for some sleep...NO CHANCE! The hotel needed to get our room ready...and 4 hours later we managed to get some sleep. That was until we got a phone call from the hotel saying that a Medical student from Gulu University was coming to collect our bags. Finally we got some reprieve and slept for 5 hours.
The hotel is very nice and the staff are very friendly. A coke costs around 50p for a large bottle and food is reasonable. We went for a swim in the pool for an hour to cool down and wake us up. Tomorrow the plans are to go to the centre of Kampala to get some pillows and supplies for Gulu. We will then take the 4-8 hour journey to Gulu by road with 2 others nurses who are meeting us later this evening. We have been pre-warned that it is much hotter in Gulu and they currently have no power or running water (This should be fun!).
There is also the African Medical students conference to look forward to all next week, where the First Lady of Uganda will be present. There is still that potential promise of a Sarafi, which I am anticipating with much excitement. I also need to get in touch with a Lab in Gulu for prices for processing blood samples for the Aspergillus/HIV/TB study by next friday.
Will blog next when I arrive in Gulu (and hopefully we some pictures!)
Thursday, 22 March 2012
Rush rush rush
I am blogging again while trying to squeeze a RIDICULOUS amount of clothes/medical supplies/shite in my suitcase. I have just completed my ILS training this afternoon and was informed by my GP surgery today that I would be "eligible" for the Cholera vaccine that I have been nagging for them to give me for ages...at least I will get it tomorrow morning and for free!
I am very nervous at the moment but I know I will probably have a great time and that this will be a fantastic once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully I will be blogging from Gulu with lots of photos and much more interesting things to write about...
Au Revoir! :)
I am very nervous at the moment but I know I will probably have a great time and that this will be a fantastic once in a lifetime experience. Hopefully I will be blogging from Gulu with lots of photos and much more interesting things to write about...
Au Revoir! :)
Monday, 19 March 2012
4 days until the adventure begins
So the time is counting down! whilst trying to work on the last week of my 4 week block in Respiratory medicine in Wythenshawe and holding the FY1 bleep, I am trying to balance packing all my things for staying in Gulu for the next 8 weeks and obtain medical supplies for the region. Qatar Airways have kindly given me an extra allowance to take all of these supplies (believe me, the table is full with them) and hopefully they should benefit a lucky few.
It seems slightly surreal that I will be travelling so far away and for so long in a place I have never been before. This is quite daunting for me, who has lived life fairly comfortably for the past 5 years and is pretty stuck in his own ways eg. allotment, car, nice house....
I'm sure I will get a lot out of Gulu both in terms of clinical and life experience. I met the guy who's PhD I am helping with in Gulu and have lots of things to keep me busy when I get there. There is also the African Medical Students conference which I am helping out with on my first week, with possibly some promises of a Safari at the end!
I have also been promised that I can set up having some Chickens at the Hospital link accommodation, so hopefully things may seem a little more like home than I thought, as long as they don't roam the wards for food like this lady below!
It seems slightly surreal that I will be travelling so far away and for so long in a place I have never been before. This is quite daunting for me, who has lived life fairly comfortably for the past 5 years and is pretty stuck in his own ways eg. allotment, car, nice house....
I'm sure I will get a lot out of Gulu both in terms of clinical and life experience. I met the guy who's PhD I am helping with in Gulu and have lots of things to keep me busy when I get there. There is also the African Medical Students conference which I am helping out with on my first week, with possibly some promises of a Safari at the end!
I have also been promised that I can set up having some Chickens at the Hospital link accommodation, so hopefully things may seem a little more like home than I thought, as long as they don't roam the wards for food like this lady below!
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