Continuing tales from PNG

Today is the third day of April, and again I, "ask where is the time?" It is hard to fathom how quickly each month flies by! We have six weeks remaining for our time in PNG!

We are doing well and enjoying our stay here and are beginning the process of signing up for a return of three months next year. It will probably be February through April.

A typical day for Scot, has him walking up the road to the hospital at 8 a.m. He sees inpatients on the wards and then goes to the outpatient clinic to see patients. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, he tries to schedule any surgeries he will be performing. Of course, emergency C-sections or other procedures are added to the schedule as needed. He comes back to the house for lunch and then returns to the hospital for afternoon clinics. He is typically finished by 4:30 or 5:00. He is on call for C-sections or other gynecologic emergencies on a three day on and one day off rotation. This allows the permanent physicians to have a break. So far it hasn't been too bad. He frequently comments on the non-sterile hospital setting and the low level of nursing skills. Patients are usually given large doses of antibiotics and they appear to get along well with the PNG system. The Nazarene Hospital in Kudjip is considered the superior hospital in the country!  Scot says he receives patients frequently that have walked away from other hospitals in the country. They had been in the hospital for several days and were never treated and so they come to Kudjip.

The following is directly from Scot:

Hello again from Papua New Guinea,

Hope you are all healthy and holding down the ship in the good old USA. Tyronza is busy in the store room, teaching, cooking and doing laundry.

I continue to be busy. Here is a list of activities for the first four weeks:

                vaginal deliveries                                             10 (2 V-BAC's/vaginal birth after C section)      Most vaginal deliveries are performed by nurses.

                Cesarean section deliveries                          12

                Ectopic pregnancy surgeries                        6

                pelvic mass surgeries                                      5 (2 tumors were over 10 pounds/2 malignant & 3 benign)

                abdominal hysterectomies                          6

                clinic consultations                                          200-250

                hospital consultations                                   6

                ER minor surgeries                                           3

                D&C                                                                       6 (2 molar pregnancies)

                tubals                                                                   3

Two of the ectopics had over 2500cc blood loss. There are many deliveries that happen in the bush (the villages). Five times I have had to remove a placenta left in from a bush delivery. Once a beer bottle was hanging from the cord and another time a banana frond was hanging from the cord. On the latter case the woman had lost so much blood that she was arrested on arrival at the clinic. I worked on her for 45 minutes, but in the end I could not find blood fast enough to save her.

 On the brighter side, I told you last week of a young mother 28 weeks pregnant with rupture of membranes. We kept her pregnant for nine days beyond rupture. I gave her steroids and when she delivered a 1300 gram baby it required no ventilator and no extra oxygen, which is good since we have none! The baby seems to be perfect. Thank you Jesus!

Be safe and God Bless You, (Papa God bai blesim yu.)

Dr.P

From Tyronza:  On Monday, I will begin a new experience. I will be working in the mornings at the mission school. This is the school for the children of the missionaries. I have committed for 3 hours in the morning and will be teaching reading and phonics for 1st and 2nd grade.  I have also been doing some typing at the Nursing School. They need to have a manual transferred to the computer, so I go over and type for a couple of hours as my time permits. I am enjoying cooking and have experimented with many new vegetables and fruits. I made a dessert from tree tomatoes - strange, but edible. We've cooked and eaten many new types of greens, new types of kaukau (yams) and some of the best pineapple we've ever had.

I went for a wakbot (a hike) yesterday, the countryside is beautiful. It's been rainy lately, so it was rather muddy - but fun. Papua New Guinea is a beautiful country and the people friendly (at least to us.) There is plenty of work and projects to do, but it is a slower pace. I am enjoying my time here. As a I prepare to post this entry, I am sitting on the back porch of one of the missionary families (their internet service is working) and I am looking across a small valley to the hillsides. I can hear the river in the valley and the various birds singing. It is lovely and I am thankful to the God of creation for all the colors and diversity He created.

Praying God's blessings and Spirit on each of you,

Scot & Tyronza

for pictures go to:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=19428&id=100001961413037&l=a20582723c