20100831

You get a little uncertain about which weekday and which date it is, when You live without radio, TV and newspapers.
It is OK for a short period, but I think it would be terrible if this lasted for a long time.
But tomorrow are we promised a mobile internet dongle which the hospitals chauffeur is going to buy on our demand in Ndola where he apparently drives on Wednesdays.
So from tomorrow we will be back in our world again, I didn´t say the civilised world, because one can doubt whether it is a civilised world or not.
This world that we are visiting now has there civilisation, their culture and there traditions, and I can´t say that one is better than the other, but different it is, for sure.
People are so friendly, warm and as far as I can see as smart or smarter than we are.
Things have gone well today, meaning that the autoclave is now working, it did have a transportation damage, but we managed with the help of a big polygrip plyer to fix it.
We have seen the Wijk couple, today, missionaries sent from Sweden, to see that the organisation worked OK, and after some trouble they are now about to return to Sweden, very nice people, who we will miss, and wished that we could have got to know a little better.
Till barbarnen:
Hej alla barnbarn! Vi har träffat tre små svenska killar idag som flyttar hem till Sverige nu , den äldsta har fått hemundervisning här, eftersom det inte finns någon skola för honom här, han börjar tvåan så fort han kommer hem, hans yngre bröder, ska tror jag skolas in på dagis och jag undrar hur de kommer att anpassa sig.
De är inte vana vid en massa leksaker och tror att alla människor i Sverige är jätterika, eftersom vi har så mycket prylar av alla slag.
De är inte alls vana vid det. Jag hoppas att de inte blir för besvikna , men de kommer säkert att längta tillbaka hit, till värmen och naturen och deras underbara hembiträde, som är mamma till vår maid. Vår trädgårdskille ville ha pengar idag för att kunna köpa gödning till trädgårdslandet, jag var lite tveksam för det var väldigt dyrt och vi kommer knappast att hinna äta de grönsakerna, men han fick pengarna i alla fall och gick till den lokala marknaden och köpte tre små påsar med gödning .Sen fick han gå tillbaka igen senare och köpa en flaska spray mot kackerlackor, eftersom vi har haft massor av dem det sista dygnet, just i kväll är här inga, men imorgon är det säkert nya som kryper omkring i köket, jag avskyr dom!!!!
Det var allt för ikväll, sov så gott mina små änglar, glöm inte att be aftonbön, som jag gör.
Stor, stor, stor kram från Farmor.

2010830

This day started early, already at 8 o´clock were Tom and I attending the morning meeting at the hospital.
I was introduced to those who were at the meeting, I told them about the autoclave and that it was to be installed this week for, everyones use.
Then I mentioned that I would like to do a survey at the open patient ward, but did not go into any deeper story about what I was going to do.
I brought with me a box of the super breathe protections for mouth an nose that we had brought with us, in the first place to be used at the big operation theatre.
Everyone was deeply impressed by their quality.
We also brought an instrument for gynaecological sample taking, something one of the doctors had high on his wishlist, the same doctor also got the latest version of tropical medicin.
The reports from the night were read for everyone and without almost any discussion.
Afterwards I talked to doctor Okuku about my thoughts around the survey.
My main task is to collect information about how many infected patients come in per week, where they are infected, and how they are treated, especially concerning antibiotics.
My intention is to do this during three weeks and hopefully the results could be of interest for the treating doctors.
The fact that someone is interested in the treatment, might start a discussion about the use of antibiotics, especially the broadspectrum antibiotics, which are used for small or big infections, no matter what, and where that might lead in the end.
Okuku said that from the hospitals view it was Ok and I asked him to talk to the personel at this ward about it.
From there I went to see Mike Masona at the lab and we are going to install the autoclave tomorrow and test run it.
The most thrilling was that he had done a lot of things about getting the equipment for starting bacterilocical culturing at the hospital, I must say that I was thorougly impressed, he had bought exactly the same equipment as is used in Linköping at bactlab there.
I said where did You get the money and he answered that there was a government program for this and no problem, furthermore they were even promised money for restoring a new room where this job was to be done. I was so happy, I think that I had contributed to all this just by starting him thinking and then acting.
I have now done the formula for the survey and given it to doctor Okuku so that he can comment on it.
Very satisfied with this day I must say.
But we have an invasion of cochroches in the house and I almost vomited last night, Angela was asked to take care of it today, we did the first rush last night.
The dogs are still barking at night, but apart from that it is quiet , there was a funeral in church today, quite interesting to watch from a distance, with women screaming, crying, very strange for us.
Till barnbarnen:
Idag har både farfar och jag gjort lite nytta på sjukhuset, jag har givit tiken med valpar potatismos, som var över från vår lunch, vilket hon tyckte var väldigt gott och jag har sett till att hon har vatten, stackars hund , ni har aldrig sett något så magert. Valparna har hon gömda i häcken, där är de väldigt väl skyddade, jag har inte ens sett dom, bara hört dom pipa. Kram från Farmor

20100829

So, not much has happened today.
We have been to church for a more than two hours long sermon.
The singing was just beautiful, people singing spontanesly in harmonies.
But the service was hard to follow although, most of the time, translated simultaneously, I know my spelling is horrible. The church itself very rural, very simple, but still with a holy sense.
Afterwards everybody shook hands and said something nice to each other. We spoke a little with doctor Okuku, who is the medical supervisor of the hospital and was about to leave the congregation and move to another, closer to where he lives now. Then in the afternoon , we spent drinking coffee with Erna, the head of the maternityward and a close fiend of Toms and getting to know two Young English doctors, who are here practising tropical medicin for 5 months.
Now what I intended to write about today, nature.
As it is springtime now everything is blooming, the chakarandatrees are in full bloom, covered with blue large flowers,stunning. We have two in the garden, where we also have a bush with Christmas stars flowers, red, so wonderful, we have lawns on both sides of the house , a bananatree, but without bananas.
Outside the garden is something that You could call a park, but everything is so dry, leaves all over, Yellow grass, and quite dirty, no one seems to bother to pick up plasticbags for instance, they float around everywhere, but if You look up to the sky, You see all these beautiful trees in full bloom.
We have a homeless bitch in the garden with puppies, and she breaks my heart, she must be starving and I have given her a little to eat twice today, I know I should not, she is so nice , friendly and wags her tail, every time You come home.
Barnbarn: Vi har en tik med valpar som bor i trädgården och hon är så mager och så utsvulten så jag har inte kunnat bli att ge henne lite att äta idag, även om man inte ska göra det med främmande hundar.
Så har vi en tupp som tror att den här trädgården är hans, han spatserar omkring med ett helt följe av hönor och kycklingar.
Det är rätt varmt nu, säkert över trettio på dagarna, men inte värre än man står ut, men man aktar sig för att vara i solen.
Jag undrar så hur ni har det, ni kan väl skriva och berätta hur ni har det på era respektive skolor.
Barnen här går i skolan även på lördagarna, upptäckte jag igår, när jag såg dem ute och gå i sina skoluniformer. Alla barn är fantastiskt söta, svarta i hyn och stora bruna ögon och krulligt , jättekort hår, gissa om de tittar på mig, som är så olik deras mammor, som någon kan vara.
Imorgon ska jag gå med Tom till sjukhuset och hälsa på doktorerna, prata med chefen och sen kanske inte mer imorgon, men jag har planer, vi får se hur länge det dröjer innan jag kan sätta dem i verket.
Ha det bra mina änglar, jag ber aftonbön för er varje kväll.
Kram från Farmor

bloggant 20100828

Nu är det lördag. En mycket livlig natt med hundar tjutande och skällanderunt huset. Jag gick en hemsändningsrond på avd med syster Timothy. Vi fick hem ett antal rel. Friska barn. En del av dom exempelvis en tidigare suppurerande (varande) sannolik benröta hos en femur (överbens-) fractur. Han skall ju enligt vår mening äta sitt antibioticum i fleramånader. Det lilla som kom nu luktade inte illa , så han kan säkert avsluta sin beh polikliniskt. Jag poängterade mycket noggrant hur viktigt det var att han verkligen åt sina piller.(menandes att de inte skulle sälja dem när de kom ut).
När jag kom ”hem” hade Maria och Jan försvunnit till Ndola. Jag tillbringade en stund på locket och försökte sedan att laga ett läckande varmvattenrör med silvertejp, utan framgång.

20100828

20100828 by Tom

We have had a very noisy night. The wild and the other dogs have been howling and barking and kept us awake most part of the night. There was other animals awake too: Maria found their traces in the bread and on the potatoes. It must have been rats or some other form of gnarling animals. Well dr Jan was to leave at 0900 and Maria was thinking of taking the opportunity to go to Ndola. Dennis said it was all right so when I returned from my rount to the children´s ward she was gone.

The round was quiet and “sister” Timoty followed me although he was seemingly very tired.

We sent some patients home one because her mother wished it, and the child was not too sick.

One very seldom see osteo-myelitis in fractures in children, bur we have one with an old fracture of the femur, supposedly healed, that had started to produce suppuration. After two weeks of antibiotics (cloxacillin p.o.) it had almost dried up and there was no more foul smell. He must according to western standards go on eating his pills for at least two months to avoid recurrence, so I pointed out very clearly how important it was that he took his pills as prescribed (meaning not to sell them outside the hospital). If they did not follow prescription he would very soon be back in hospital and back to square one, if not worse. We also sent home some diarrheas without loose stools and other uncomplicated cases tha did not qualify for the ward. A severely burnt hand was redressed by Timoty and I do not think it has any future as the fingers are to severely burnt and the child is olding the wrist in 90 degrees angel to ease the pain. If he gets stiff with the hand in this position he will be unable to use it for any purpose. We try to keep the wrist straight with a bandage with specula as support but some of the personell hav not gotten the idea straigt, so the try to put the speculas aling the fingers instead.

When I got “home” I tried to fix a leaking warm water pipe with silvertape but failed, so it will go on dripping until you change the pipe which could take months. I expect to have lunc when Maria returns from Ndola.

20100827

20100827
Soon has the first day in Mpongwe come to an end.
On my part it has been a very lazy day, trying tocatch up with the lack of sleep the day before.
I have got to know Angela , our maid a little,
She is a delightful ,young lady of 29 years, well dressed and speaks good English.
She cooks, washes and cleans the house and looks after the two gardenboys, who as far as I can see not stress themselves to death.
Mpongwe is a small village with the hospital the church several schools a big market where You can buy, food especially, tiny fishes which are fried and eaten with chima, the traditional maizeporridge.
We were served chima yesterday when we came together with beans.
Maybe not the most thrilling eatingexperience in my life.
This afternoon Angela took me to the local market, I needed eggs, which I got, tomatoes also avaible, but no fruit and no tape.
Till barnbarnen:
Efter en väldigt jobbig resa är vi alla fall på plats och huset är tre ihopbyggda hyddor, runda med traditionellt halmtak. Det är fint inrett och våra sängar har fyra stolpar så moskitnätet hänger på utsidan från dem och det gör att man slipper få moskitnätet i ansiktet på natten.
De här halmtaken håller tydligen inte tätt när det regnar mycket, för vi har jättestora fuktfläckar i taket i vårt sovrum.
När vi kom igår fick vi den traditionella majsgröten med bönor till till middag, gissa om farfar och jag var förvånade, den smakade absolut ingenting, men var väl ingen höjdare direkt.
I kväll ska vi bjuda den svenske läkaren som farfar avlöser nu, på middag och då ska vi äta ordentligt kött och potatis och jag ska göra god sallad till.
Det håller på att bli kväll nu och solen håller på att gå ner, snart är det kolsvart ute och cikadorna spelar, Afrika är coolt, på avstånd hör man trummorna från marknaden och lite röster som pratar ett obegripligt språk.
Puss och kram till från Farmor