I've seen this word many, many times. I figured out the meaning of this word because I saw it so many times. It is quite common. You can find a clinic just about anywhere. The problem is that you do not know the quality of care, the training of the "doctors", or if the medications are real.
Today, we found ourselves in need of a clinic (that's what they call it here, so I'll use that term). We stayed in the city after the wedding last night and this morning Tyler woke up with a fever. He didn't complain of any other symptoms, so we went to church at Victory Living Word and kept an eye on him. I was trying to determine in mind what was the best course of action. As we sat in church, I looked over at Tyler many times and he was gradually getting worse. The Lord brought a memory to my mind and it would not pass.
As you recall, we spent our first few weeks in Uganda in a hotel. One day we were in the car with Davis and another mzungu was walking down the road ahead of us. Davis knew her, so he rolled down the window. She came to the hotel to visit with her and I met him that day. She told me about her ministry and gave me her cell phone number, in case I ever needed anything. She also told me about a clinic just down the road from our hotel. She is on the board there and she told me to come there if we ever needed any medical help. So, today, I told Floyd we should go there.
Now, if you are curious about Uganda hospitals, read on. If not, just scroll down past the last picture to see how God has shown himself in this situation.
Since we were going back home today, we had Oliver with us (she was here for the wedding also and needed to go back for teaching tomorrow). We arrived at the clinic and I told the lady our situation. Fortunately, she spoke English (although Oliver could have interpreted for me if needed). We went up a few flights of stairs to a consultation room.
She asked about his symptoms and Tyler just tried to stay awake. I told her he had a fever, so she took the temp. As soon as she saw it, she was a bit surprised. It came out in Celsius, but converted to 102.8 F.
As you can see, Tyler was not excited about the pills they asked him to take (the kind of pill that starts to dissolve when it gets wet and leaves that nasty taste). These were for pain relief (malaria is similar to flu, in that you have a lot of body aches, muscle pain, and headache). I had always heard about the method of care in Uganda. The patient has to have someone at the clinic to provide for them because the hospital doesn't provide things. Floyd had to go buy a bottle of water from a local place and bring it back for Tyler to take the pills. :/
Raegan and Oliver patiently waited outside the consultation room. Floyd had gone to move the car and taken Troy with him.
The results for Tyler finally came and he was positive. Apparently, the tests give plus signs to indicate the strength of the malaria (they say more plus signs means more parasites). One plus means you have it but it is a normal case. Two plus signs means that you have a stronger infection and more aggressive treatment is necessary. Three plus signs is the worst and means you have severe malaria. Tyler's result came back with 2 plus signs. We thought he would take some medication for a few days, like Raegan had done back in 2013 but we were wrong. The doctor said that injections were needed due to the strength of his infection. I admit, I was totally shocked!
That would also mean that we would have to stay in town longer, so Floyd went back to secure lodging at the hotel.
Tyler needed an IV. The nurse could not get the vein on his left hand. Fortunately, she was successful pretty quickly on the right hand. It was very painful to watch!
Also, notice the lack of gloves. Floyd and I questioned her about this. Apparently she doesn't use them on these minor things unless there is a concern of HIV. Yikes!!
I had noticed for a few days now that Raegan had been sleeping a lot. Many people say that's normal for a teen, but it seemed a bit more. She's had malaria before (in 2013) and the symptoms were more obvious, but I wondered if her immunity is stronger now. We decided to have her checked since we were at the clinic anyway. She got her finger pricked as well. Her results came back positive but with only one plus sign. She'll have the same treatment that she had back in 2013. The doctor said that I was correct, she had built up some immunity.
Tyler got his first injection, which was interesting. They gave him a fever reducer first, and then the malaria medication. The nurse put the syringe on and pushed in a little fluid, then she stopped to let it sit. Then she'd push in a little more and rest again. She said that the medication needs to be given slowly.
Davis, our friend and the driver from the hotel, came to get Floyd and took him for a few errands. They went to take Oliver to catch a taxi back to the property, to get money from the ATM, and to get food for all of us (we had not eaten since breakfast). Since it was late afternoon, traffic is bad and Davis can get around the city much faster than Floyd.
The lady I told you about at the beginning showed up. The nurse asked me how I knew to come there and I told her that I met Harriet. She knew exactly who I was referring to. A bit later the nurse told us Harriet was there. She came in and visited with us, then she prayed a mighty prayer over Tyler. I tell you, this was a woman who is a powerful prayer warrior. She was just as excited as I was to realize how the Lord had gone before us in allowing me to meet her so many weeks ago.
The doctor came in and explained that if Tyler did not get down enough fluids, she'd have to put him on an IV drip. He had water, but wasn't getting very far. She asked if he liked any juice or anything besides soda. We figured out that he needed juice and Raegan needs something with more fat for taking with her pills (like milk, broth, oil, etc). Now, again I was reminded of how care is provided in Uganda. The doctor told me where I could go to get juice. She gave me directions, which I was somewhat familiar with and Raegan and I headed out by foot. We walked to the main road and found a fuel station. There we got juice, yogurt, more bottled water, a few apples, and I bought 3 plastic cups to drink the juice from.
During our walk, Floyd called to tell me some good news. One of the ladies from the hotel would be bringing some beef samosas to the clinic for us. This is a small food (one of our favorites!!!) and it would hold us over until Floyd could get back with a meal. Sure enough, when Raegan and I arrived back at the clinic, the lady from the hotel was sitting with Tyler and he was already eating his second samosa. The medicines were doing their job and he was feeling better already (no fever and not so much pain).
By the time Floyd returned, the doctor had given us permission to take Tyler to the hotel. He will rest here until time for his next injection, Since he got the first at 4pm, we have to be at the clinic at 3:45 am. The guard at the hotel has already told us that he'll walk us there when it is time (this area is not safe for us to be walking on the streets after dark). After getting his injection and being monitored for a few hours, he can come back to the hotel. Then we'll go for his 3rd injection at 4 pm. If all goes well, it will be the last. He will then take the same medication that Raegan is taking. He'll do the full 3 day treatment of that one and then should be finished. The doctor also gave me some information on what we can do to build up immunity and told me a pharmacy where I can go to purchase what we need.
I just want to point out how God has so generously provided in this situation. From the hotel sending the snack for us, Davis coming with the hotel van to help Floyd do what he needed, the doctor helping us know where to go for juice and such, how God gave me advanced knowledge of a safe clinic that we could come to when the situation arrived, and Harriet coming to pray with us at the hospital. I attribute the quick improvement from medication to the Lord as well. He is already answering prayer and we trust him to continue the progress to complete healing.
On a related side note, the total cost for all of the medication (including the injections) and the hospital care was about $51 US ($5.19 for Raegan, $46.71 for Tyler)! We knew that God has already provided for our financial needs through our amazing support team, but we had no idea what to expect at the hospital, especially when it came to injections instead of tablets. Treatment is so much less than we expected. Unfortunately, it is a sad reminder of the situation here. This disease is the number one killer and it costs so little to treat. It's a sad reality and an example of the need here.
Today, we found ourselves in need of a clinic (that's what they call it here, so I'll use that term). We stayed in the city after the wedding last night and this morning Tyler woke up with a fever. He didn't complain of any other symptoms, so we went to church at Victory Living Word and kept an eye on him. I was trying to determine in mind what was the best course of action. As we sat in church, I looked over at Tyler many times and he was gradually getting worse. The Lord brought a memory to my mind and it would not pass.
As you recall, we spent our first few weeks in Uganda in a hotel. One day we were in the car with Davis and another mzungu was walking down the road ahead of us. Davis knew her, so he rolled down the window. She came to the hotel to visit with her and I met him that day. She told me about her ministry and gave me her cell phone number, in case I ever needed anything. She also told me about a clinic just down the road from our hotel. She is on the board there and she told me to come there if we ever needed any medical help. So, today, I told Floyd we should go there.
Now, if you are curious about Uganda hospitals, read on. If not, just scroll down past the last picture to see how God has shown himself in this situation.
Since we were going back home today, we had Oliver with us (she was here for the wedding also and needed to go back for teaching tomorrow). We arrived at the clinic and I told the lady our situation. Fortunately, she spoke English (although Oliver could have interpreted for me if needed). We went up a few flights of stairs to a consultation room.
She asked about his symptoms and Tyler just tried to stay awake. I told her he had a fever, so she took the temp. As soon as she saw it, she was a bit surprised. It came out in Celsius, but converted to 102.8 F.
We went in this room and they pricked his finger for a blood sample. It would be a 30 minute wait for the results of the Malaria test. They were going to check him for Typhoid, but since he has been immunized for that, we just started with malaria.
The results for Tyler finally came and he was positive. Apparently, the tests give plus signs to indicate the strength of the malaria (they say more plus signs means more parasites). One plus means you have it but it is a normal case. Two plus signs means that you have a stronger infection and more aggressive treatment is necessary. Three plus signs is the worst and means you have severe malaria. Tyler's result came back with 2 plus signs. We thought he would take some medication for a few days, like Raegan had done back in 2013 but we were wrong. The doctor said that injections were needed due to the strength of his infection. I admit, I was totally shocked!
That would also mean that we would have to stay in town longer, so Floyd went back to secure lodging at the hotel.
Tyler needed an IV. The nurse could not get the vein on his left hand. Fortunately, she was successful pretty quickly on the right hand. It was very painful to watch!
Also, notice the lack of gloves. Floyd and I questioned her about this. Apparently she doesn't use them on these minor things unless there is a concern of HIV. Yikes!!
I had noticed for a few days now that Raegan had been sleeping a lot. Many people say that's normal for a teen, but it seemed a bit more. She's had malaria before (in 2013) and the symptoms were more obvious, but I wondered if her immunity is stronger now. We decided to have her checked since we were at the clinic anyway. She got her finger pricked as well. Her results came back positive but with only one plus sign. She'll have the same treatment that she had back in 2013. The doctor said that I was correct, she had built up some immunity.
Tyler got his first injection, which was interesting. They gave him a fever reducer first, and then the malaria medication. The nurse put the syringe on and pushed in a little fluid, then she stopped to let it sit. Then she'd push in a little more and rest again. She said that the medication needs to be given slowly.
Davis, our friend and the driver from the hotel, came to get Floyd and took him for a few errands. They went to take Oliver to catch a taxi back to the property, to get money from the ATM, and to get food for all of us (we had not eaten since breakfast). Since it was late afternoon, traffic is bad and Davis can get around the city much faster than Floyd.
The lady I told you about at the beginning showed up. The nurse asked me how I knew to come there and I told her that I met Harriet. She knew exactly who I was referring to. A bit later the nurse told us Harriet was there. She came in and visited with us, then she prayed a mighty prayer over Tyler. I tell you, this was a woman who is a powerful prayer warrior. She was just as excited as I was to realize how the Lord had gone before us in allowing me to meet her so many weeks ago.
The doctor came in and explained that if Tyler did not get down enough fluids, she'd have to put him on an IV drip. He had water, but wasn't getting very far. She asked if he liked any juice or anything besides soda. We figured out that he needed juice and Raegan needs something with more fat for taking with her pills (like milk, broth, oil, etc). Now, again I was reminded of how care is provided in Uganda. The doctor told me where I could go to get juice. She gave me directions, which I was somewhat familiar with and Raegan and I headed out by foot. We walked to the main road and found a fuel station. There we got juice, yogurt, more bottled water, a few apples, and I bought 3 plastic cups to drink the juice from.
During our walk, Floyd called to tell me some good news. One of the ladies from the hotel would be bringing some beef samosas to the clinic for us. This is a small food (one of our favorites!!!) and it would hold us over until Floyd could get back with a meal. Sure enough, when Raegan and I arrived back at the clinic, the lady from the hotel was sitting with Tyler and he was already eating his second samosa. The medicines were doing their job and he was feeling better already (no fever and not so much pain).
By the time Floyd returned, the doctor had given us permission to take Tyler to the hotel. He will rest here until time for his next injection, Since he got the first at 4pm, we have to be at the clinic at 3:45 am. The guard at the hotel has already told us that he'll walk us there when it is time (this area is not safe for us to be walking on the streets after dark). After getting his injection and being monitored for a few hours, he can come back to the hotel. Then we'll go for his 3rd injection at 4 pm. If all goes well, it will be the last. He will then take the same medication that Raegan is taking. He'll do the full 3 day treatment of that one and then should be finished. The doctor also gave me some information on what we can do to build up immunity and told me a pharmacy where I can go to purchase what we need.
I just want to point out how God has so generously provided in this situation. From the hotel sending the snack for us, Davis coming with the hotel van to help Floyd do what he needed, the doctor helping us know where to go for juice and such, how God gave me advanced knowledge of a safe clinic that we could come to when the situation arrived, and Harriet coming to pray with us at the hospital. I attribute the quick improvement from medication to the Lord as well. He is already answering prayer and we trust him to continue the progress to complete healing.
On a related side note, the total cost for all of the medication (including the injections) and the hospital care was about $51 US ($5.19 for Raegan, $46.71 for Tyler)! We knew that God has already provided for our financial needs through our amazing support team, but we had no idea what to expect at the hospital, especially when it came to injections instead of tablets. Treatment is so much less than we expected. Unfortunately, it is a sad reminder of the situation here. This disease is the number one killer and it costs so little to treat. It's a sad reality and an example of the need here.
That is an amazing journey with all the events described. I know your faith is strong and can only imagine how this has increased it all the more. I love the miracles, big and small. They definitely remind me of our God's hand and how He is concerned with our smallest details as well. Love you guys!
ReplyDeleteLove to be reminded of how God is always with us. Cherish this wonderful life adventure along with many more that are in store for you all.
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