Sore throats, skin rashes, stomach aches, and headaches…

At the schools the majority of complaints that Dr. Karla and I see are sore throats, skin rashes, stomach aches, and headaches. The directors of the schools prepare a list of the sick kids in the school that we see that day and then when class is dismissed we always get some others that wander in. With all the sick kids and programs that Dr. Karla and I have been doing, we have not progressed very much with the annual physical check-ups. Little by little they will be done though.

This week have continued to teach the hygiene class at other schools and completed many clinical histories for the special needs kids. From my experience, many people do not know their family medical history (esp. not on the father’s side of the family) and some do not even know their birthdays. Dying is a part of life and receiving quality health care to prevent death when old age comes around is not as common. People don’t often know what their family members died of. They will say “died of an infection,” “died from bleeding a lot.” This is a very interesting trend and I imagine it is even more prevalent in the more rural areas. Genetics is definitely not big topic here.

We had a meeting with some of the parents and have found many specialists in the area that are willing to give a 50% discount for office visits for our patients. Having a strong referral network is important to be able to provide for whatever the needs may be for the patient.

The financial struggles the parents have are almost imaginable. More than half the population on Nicaragua lives on 1 dollar a day or less. Mothers have many children and the father often leaves the picture when the woman can no longer “serve him.” I spoke with a woman yesterday that has 7 children and the father of her most recent child beat her during the pregnancy….even in the abdomen. The woman was scared and did not want the man to leave her. But he did and left her with 7 children, the youngest one with special needs most likely due to the physical stress the mother was experiencing during the pregnancy. Marriage is a different thing here. Many times there will not be an official ceremony or even papers signed. The couple lives together and then decides they are “married.” This leaves the man without any legal financial or physical obligations and when a woman gets pregnant or old the man leaves her for someone else. The women tolerate it and the men keep doing it. This situation leaves mothers and their children very close. Siblings are close too…but not the father.

Well, for today, I am going to be helping with some consults this morning and then have some more fun this afternoon. Dr. Karla and I are going to split up. She is going to some neurologist and lung specialist appointments with some of the kids. I am going to go room shopping with Heysi’s (the 16 yr old girl with cancer that I have been writing about) sister for a new comforter, a small bedside table and room decorations. She has been receiving chemo at the hospital and will be coming home tomorrow hopefully. While she has been in the hospital, we have done a lot to her house to make it a more infection-free and happy environment. Dr. Karla’s husband has been doing most of this project and done a fabulous job! We re-did the floor, from cement/dirt to pretty tile. Painted the walls a happy green color and made solid divider between Heysi’s room and her parents. We got her a few fish to take care of and hope the paint flowers/something fun on the walls with Heysi’s help. It should be a fun day!

Love,
Ayla Landry

"Your worst days are never so bad that you're beyond the reach of God's grace. And your best days are never so good that you're beyond the need of God's grace." --Jerry Bridges