Wiki moja (Kiswahili for Week 1)

 Wiki Moja-  I hope to post 3 weeks of Dakatari Life for the first time back online for the first time since, well, a long time ago.  

    We are so blessed to have this opportunity to be back in Kenya serving at Tenwek Mission Hospital again.  Daktari was allowed to bring a UT medicine resident for an away rotation.  Kenya has general elections in August and it is recommended that visitors make their way out beforehand, so we are only able to work in the hospital for a week.  Therefore, he hit the ground running at 7 a.m. for ICU rounds on Friday and is covering call for the medical ward this weekend.

    Here is a very dry little take on the medicine rounds so far:

ICU patient 1- Rheumatic Heart Disease, atrial fabulation, history of stroke.

patient 2- Lady with probable Lupus, very sick, respiratory failure, on vasopressor, chest tube for fluid on lungs.  She coded Sunday morning.

patient 3- Old mad with diabetes, hypertension, DKA, new renal failure, needs dialysis.

patient 4-  heart failure, getting a little better.

Medical ward, 40 patients to see, a noticeable lack of HIV this time.  There's more non-communicable diseases and a handful of Covid patients (which is a communicable disease) in a cohort isolation unit.

Highlights: There are now 2 Kenyan full-time doctors on the ward.  One was a med student in our 1st year here, then he was an intern in our 2nd year, and now he is the consultant on staff!  The other is a Kenyan medical officer and affords the consultant a partner in the work.  These are major developments from 2014 and a big reason for doing what we do.

Another highlight: teaching at rounds and patient bedside with the team of medical staff. Teaching them about rate control for RHD, ID concepts on diagnosis and treatment of neutropenic fever (which is like the guards of the immune system all going on leave of absence at once).

There is an overwhelming volume of very sick people but it is a little bit like "Cheers" in that everybody knows his name, and they're always glad he came.  Lots of happy, warm welcomes in the community so we are encouraged.  That is the daktari update wiki moja, part 1.

The Great Rift Valley is still there. 

 In 2019 we witnessed its rifting in an earth splitting fracture of the  road.

Typical town along the 3 hour journey from Nairobi to Tenwek.  

The roads are remarkably smooth these days!

The most beautiful tree along the way

Oh, wow, that's a big pointer finger.

Our friend, Gideon is completing his 6 years of medical school now. Pray for his exam on Monday!

How to tame your dragon/ Great Dane

We get to dog sit for 3 different missionary dogs this week!

The day Josiah prayed for friends to play with, a 13 yr old named Josiah appeared and remembered him from summer camp at the gaga ball pit.  They got to rematch on the trampoline this time. God had planned to answer that prayer before it was even prayed I do believe!

The "Place of Songs": Tenwek 

Our little friend's 2nd birthday party