Update

OK I confess.....sun, sand and surf sound pretty good right now as does one of those fancy drinks in a coconut with an umbrella served by a tanned cabana boy. I feel like a weeny saying that given the years some folks have devoted to being here but 2 weeks is enough for me. If our flight left tomorrow I would only be sad to leave some incredible people behind but the dirt and smells have worn me out in a way no other mission/service trip has.   Sleep comes with difficulty as the earwigs drop from the mosquito netting.  No matter how thorough the sweep I do before tucking in there always seem to be several that manage to land on your head just before you drift off. Then you're left lying awake wondering if there are more or whether it's safe to finally close your eyes.  If there are earwigs in Istanbul I'll be on the next flight home.


I went to the weekly open market on Wednesday with a seasoned market shopper but food and spices that are sold from mats on the ground I just couldn't make appeal to me no matter how tired I might be of bland food or how much i crave fruit or veggies.  All I could think about was the woman with the tape worm hanging from her anus to her knees and in the end after hand-over-hand removal ended up to be 6 feet long.....at least her bowel obstruction treated several weeks ago was now finally gone...... Or the cases of typhoid and cholera, round worms or any other of a multitude of illnesses associated with dirt and/or feces which here are pretty much a standard mixture.    Oh the many simple things of life at home that are truly blessings taken for granted on a daily basis.


Yesterday was spent putting together a "code cart" or trolly as carts here are called.  Given the diseases that most folks suffer from CPR is not really a helpful option and I've yet to see a single EKG done here, in fact haven't even seen the machine.   The code trolly is do r airway support.  After chasing the 3" spiders from the cart and hosing it down I found a couple of Ambu bags some face masks that could be resurrected and pharmacy had a couple of OPAs and NPAs that I was able to include as well.  With the cart stocked with a few other things the nurses were given a little in-service on how and when to use the equipment   Not earth shattering but they do see asthma and smoke inhalation and had no idea how to use any of the equipment.   Considering that I've seen more than one roadside Petrol seller lying on a mat under his table, old liquor bottles filled with petrol, Smoking a cigarette I suspect at some point the cart will come in handy.  In the meantime I hear stories from Liz about patients from the clinics (the emergency department is open only when clinic is not so 1-3 and between 6pm and 8am) and dinner conversation is not for the weak of stomach but it's how we all process the experience of each day.

Hugs and blessings to you all.  May you find something each day to be grateful for,
Laurie