All the interesting events here seem to involve the animal kingdom. The dead bug count is now at four scorpions, two wasps, one centipede, two spiders that exceeded their size limit and two bugs that I couldn’t identify but looked scary enough to deserve a pre-emptive strike. Shock-and-awe was used effectively against a pack of dogs that decided to form a fight-club outside my window at two o’clock in the morning. And one unfortunate armadillo was turned into a tasty meal by the local tuk-tuk driver. No, I didn’t eat any. 
Yesterday, in our new clinic at Tzununa, I saw a nine year-old boy with a case of the scabies that makes the Harborview ER look sanitary. He was nearly covered with itchy sores. We gave his whole family Ivermectin but it’ll be nearly impossible for them to clean all of their clothes and linens. We saw the normal amount of patients with parasitic infections and a handful of gut problems that were probably due to rotavirus. And, locally, a boy was bitten by a dog without vaccinations. For me this place sheds a whole new light on our relationship with the natural world.
I’ve been given an interesting case to follow, a woman in her 40s who had the misfortune of developing viral pericarditis several months ago. Since then she’s lost about 40 pounds and is quite malnourished. We’re trying to get her nutrition back on track but her weakness, cardiovascular state and a recent bout of diarrhea have complicated things. Part of the reason she’s in such bad shape is because a local curandero convinced her family to pay him a significant amount of cash to take care
of her. For the most part I have no problem with traditional healers but he really took them for a ride, leaving her health in a pretty precarious state. But, with daily visits and encouragement, she’s been showing some improvement. We also have a bit of a mystery case on our hands, a young boy with bleeding gums/lips and petechiae. Likely von Wildebrand’s but we’ll know for sure when he visits a hematologist in Guatemala City next week.
Well, that’s enough med-speak to make everyone think I’ve been working hard. Yesterday I took a hike up to El Mirador, one of the little peaks overlooking Santa Cruz. It took about 2 ½ hours to get to the top but the view was worth every bit of the soreness I’m feeling this morning. I’ve also been meeting some interesting people here. There’s an odd mix of locals, ex-pats and travelers, all drawn here by the beauty of the lake and a different pace of life. Some come from strange, far-away lands like Italy, Australia and Alabama. One of the ex-pats rents out kayaks and has a 9’ Sunfish he said he’d let me take out when the wind is right, maybe today.
Yesterday, in our new clinic at Tzununa, I saw a nine year-old boy with a case of the scabies that makes the Harborview ER look sanitary. He was nearly covered with itchy sores. We gave his whole family Ivermectin but it’ll be nearly impossible for them to clean all of their clothes and linens. We saw the normal amount of patients with parasitic infections and a handful of gut problems that were probably due to rotavirus. And, locally, a boy was bitten by a dog without vaccinations. For me this place sheds a whole new light on our relationship with the natural world.
I’ve been given an interesting case to follow, a woman in her 40s who had the misfortune of developing viral pericarditis several months ago. Since then she’s lost about 40 pounds and is quite malnourished. We’re trying to get her nutrition back on track but her weakness, cardiovascular state and a recent bout of diarrhea have complicated things. Part of the reason she’s in such bad shape is because a local curandero convinced her family to pay him a significant amount of cash to take care
of her. For the most part I have no problem with traditional healers but he really took them for a ride, leaving her health in a pretty precarious state. But, with daily visits and encouragement, she’s been showing some improvement. We also have a bit of a mystery case on our hands, a young boy with bleeding gums/lips and petechiae. Likely von Wildebrand’s but we’ll know for sure when he visits a hematologist in Guatemala City next week.Well, that’s enough med-speak to make everyone think I’ve been working hard. Yesterday I took a hike up to El Mirador, one of the little peaks overlooking Santa Cruz. It took about 2 ½ hours to get to the top but the view was worth every bit of the soreness I’m feeling this morning. I’ve also been meeting some interesting people here. There’s an odd mix of locals, ex-pats and travelers, all drawn here by the beauty of the lake and a different pace of life. Some come from strange, far-away lands like Italy, Australia and Alabama. One of the ex-pats rents out kayaks and has a 9’ Sunfish he said he’d let me take out when the wind is right, maybe today.
1 comment:
My God, this is so beautiful. I can only image how spectacular it must have been in real life. Thanks for the window into Santa Cruz!
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