This morning was ‘adult day’ at the clinic. As our main priority are children and pregnant woman throughout the week we only have the ability to see non-pregnant adults on Saturdays (another reason to have more docs and more translators! This will hopefully become a reality in the future). Today was relatively slow as Dr.’s Sean and Sarah had to make a trip into Cap Haitien to speak with a local Haitian OB-GYN who runs a clinic near here; we only saw 13 patients. The last was a couple who had brought their children in earlier this week for care. The father had cut his hand I was told and was unable to work so we were going to give him some of the rice a local Pastor donated to us…when he sat down I noticed he had the most amazingly calm, soothing eyes I had ever seen, as well as what appeared to be a stiff left hand. He and his lovely wife sat down and we began the consult, they had come for her and so I listened as she told me of her symptoms. The entire time I could not push the desire to know what happened to her husband’s hand out of my mind as it seemed to just ‘sit there’ on his lap. I finished my exam with her and we got her on the road to optimal health, then I turned my attention to her husband’s hand. I wanted to make sure there were no signs of infection as it appeared to have two visible 3-4 inch healing lesions on the dorsum of the hand. They looked well taken care of and as I turned the hand over gently I asked what had happened.
Rule number one in medical school, the poker face is hands down one of the most important tools.
I am glad mine has been perfected by many hours of clinical practice because the palm of this man’s hand appeared as if a dog had taken a bite out of it. The thumb was contracted medially and there was a hole large enough to put the tip of a pencil in, directly in the middle of the palm. The skin was pink and tender with some of the previously exposed deep structures now healing. Apparently the machine he works with caught his hand and pulled it through a series of gears. I asked where he had it surgically fixed and he told the translator he had not had it fixed.
Wait, what!?! You had your hand severely mutilated on the job and never saw anyone for it; this is what my inside voice was screaming while outside I asked politely if he had any cream for it and then proceeded to get him some ointment when the answer was no.
I try not to be shocked and horrified by things like this as I should be thankful that this kind man is doing so well, he may not have full use of his hand back but at least he still has his hand. This is a stark contrast to a woman we saw last week whom I had to tell that her fingertip was gangrenous and needed to be removed asap if she wanted to save the finger; all this from washing some clothes with bleach, stream water and a probable open sore.
I cannot begin to count my blessings and be thankful for my health and for the health of my loved ones. I know there are some things that are inevitable however I refuse to believe that going without care because you cannot afford it is one of those inevitabilities, regardless of where you live. I am also thankful for MBH and the other doctors I work with who are here working to facilitate health and healing here in Haiti. Without their visions and hard work there would be no clinic. Without a clinic people would not receive care. I like to think I am doing my part in taking the initiative to help others, as I would hope others would do for me.
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