It was a good weekend all around.

I apologize for the possible multiple posts today. I am sick, very tired and keep inadvertently posting instead of saving to draft. Here is the real post…

The weekend was a good all around. Despite the fact that many of us have been sick. The mood was definitely lighter as it was the 3rd day of no hartals and for now the hospital as well as the city is bustling with activity.

We are falling into a routine. We get up, get ready, and eat breakfast. We then pile into 3 vans and all hold our breath on the drive to the hospital. I have never seen crazier drivers. On the road are buses, vans, cars, rickshaws, motorcycles, bikes, people and the occasional animal. The rule of the road seems to be you better get out of the way if someone bigger is coming through because they are NOT going to stop. How we haven’t hit something or been hit by something I’ll never know.

Our morning precession through the hospital wards to the operating rooms is met with smiling faces, waving hands and many photographs. The security details and staff are growing accustomed to us being here and aren’t as wary as they first were. Some are even trying out a little English as we attempt to learn words in Bangala. I’ve got the numbers down but that’s about it. Communication continues to remains the biggest obstacle.

This is the open ward that most of our patients are on.

During the day surgeries are performed. 2 kids at the same time are in one room. Patients that are post op are discharged and pre op patients are seen. We continue to have walk ins, that randomly show up. They have to be seen by all disciplines and approved for surgery. There were another 8 surgeries done today bring our total up to 40!

Pics of the amazing OR team.

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PACU in action.

After all the patients are tucked in for the night, we pile back in our vans and return to the hotel, visit for a bit with each other, eat dinner and go to bed most of us exhausted.

It hasn’t been all work. We were able to go shopping on Friday. We all loaded up on gifts and mementos. (I may be in big trouble on my return baggage weight limit.) It was the first time we were able to get out of the hotel and the local Rotarians took us out to lunch.

We also got the unexpected opportunity to have drinks and appetizers at the home of the Charge D’Affairs and COO of the US embassy John Danilwicz. The US Ambassador Dan Mozena came by and hung out with us. Our hosts were gracious and everyone was glad for the distraction.

It is our understanding that the Hartels will start up again tomorrow. Who knows what the week will hold. But as for the weekend… It was good all around.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

rul

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AMAZING isn’t it.