Cameroon #28 Shanksteps

Cameroon #28 2-18-06
Oh Im glad your back! We had just been on a couple
days of relaxation before Dr. Hamza leaves for good.
We had spent a few days in Rumsiki, an expensive,
beautiful tourist spot a couple hours by motorcycle
from here. Dr. Hamza came by to get me. The power
was out but someone had come in with a stab wound to
the right abdomen with intestines hanging out. He
needed to be operated on. So I grabbed my flashlight
and headed for the hospital. We still have no way to
start the generator and wait for our container for a
possible solution, so it would be done again by
flashlight. At least it’s better at night because my
eyes adjust to the darkness and then the flashlight in
the surgery seems bright. If it’s during the day it
seems very dim as some light enteres the windows of
the operating room but leaves the insides of the
patient to dark to operate. When I examined the
patient, I found a hole in his right side and large
intestine sticking out. He had fought with someone
over a girl and was drunk with millet wine. Drunks
are hard to operate on generally. They either take
very little anesthesia or a WHOLE LOT! He was as most
in the WHOLE LOT group. We gave him the Ketamine and
Valium and gave more and more then finally we were
able to start. Fortunately our electricity had not
been out so long that our water was gone, so I was
able to scrub properly. I operated with the help of
Dr. Hamza. We found a near transection of the large
intestine and seven other holes. The small intestine
also had a couple holes to fix. It took us 5 hours
with hand suturing each hole. Then we brought out a
proximal ostomy (an area where the intestinal contents
empty out on the abdomen). This is my first ostomy
here. I don’t know how it will be received overall.
They will not be able to afford ostomy bags for three
months while I wait to repair this with another
surgery. So he will have to devise some other method
of dealing with constant drainage on his abdomen. We
also have a very limited supply of these anyway. Not
something we can buy, only something that was donated
a long time ago. So about 4AM we finished. He is
stable so far. I am praying he doesn’t have any
problems with the repair that I did.
As I mentioned above the other doctor who has helped
us is leaving now. Today was his last day. We will
greatly miss him. He has great patient care and
interactions with the hospital workers. He is moved
by the government to another place for payback for his
education for 10 years. We will then be on our own.
24/7/365. Please pray for our stamina and also that
we are able to teach the workers as to be able to
leave them for a day or two with good results so we
can have a break at times. We know we are where God
wants us to be and also that He will give us the
stamina to work. Please continue to keep us in your
prayers. Also I again want to thank you who are
donating to the Hospital. We are in the process of
getting a dermatome that will help with skin grafting
the burn patients. Hopefully we will get this out to
us soon. Thank you all!
In His Service, Shanks