May 5, 2008

Let's be honest, I am scared to death.

The pretty part of the hospital... very deceiving.

Families waiting... and waiting.

Yes, that's right. Stem-cell research. Hooray!

Comida, te amo.

DISCLAIMER: I will post more pictures of the hospital and patients later.

Today was my first day in the hospital. There are different classes of hospitals and we are at what would be equivalent in the US to the County Hospital... in other words, really crappy. It was very hot, smelly, humid and sad. I was in the ICU and burn unit. The nurse in the ICU did not like me at all, and I couldn't understand more than a few words she spoke. She talked really fast and had a bad speech impediment. Luckily, there was a PA from Yale who spoke perfect English. She helped us along.

The burn unit was really sad. A guy caught on fire driving a taxi. He got out to run the fire off and was hit by a car (not really a big surprise). He lost a leg and burned his entire lower body. The OR was completely unsterile and they we taking pictures of his burnt penis being wrapped while he was under anesthesia. When he came to he was shaking terribly (the room was way too cold for a burn victim... they can't regulate their temperature). He couldn't speak but had tears rolling down his face. They don't believe in pain management here. They believe the people will become addicts.

The families have to pay for all the treatment and procedures and materials before the patients can receive them. Consequently, even in the ICU the prescriptions have to be re-written daily. It is heartbreaking seeing patients not receive treatment d/t a lack of accessible funds. There is very little "emergency reserve" so even patients who have a heart attack can't receive treatment without money upfront. The families are responsible for acquiring and bringing the materials and medicines to the hospital. Families camp out around the outside of the hospital all day and night long. It is a very different world.

The ER is so packed you would never believe it! The room is probably 20 x 30 and there are beds so tightly together you can't reach the head of the patient. When someone dies on a gurney it is a puzzle to get them out of the sea of people. The people scream and cry when someone dies but the grieving only lasts about 30 seconds before they remove their bodies and carry them to the morgue. Today a lady came in with a broken tibia and died from a fat embolism that traveled to her lungs. Totally a treatable complication in the US. But here she received no suero (IV) or heparin. It was shocking.

Today I experienced running in the city of Guayaquil. You wouldn’t believe the looks we got. First of all, I don’t run. I am a great walker however. But, I did it to support my buddies.

Tonight we went to David C.'s mom's restaurant and I got Pollo Ama-something. It was like fried chicken and rice. I still don't like the food here. Let's be honest... it is nearly impossible to find something that isn't raw, has worms, contains stomach, marrow or intestines. Thank goodness for the suitcase of food I packed.