Busy, busy, busy
Dr. Zimudzi and Mrs. Mereki with Dr. Kajese behind at going away lunch
Dr. Zimudzi and Mr. Mereki
Dr. Zimudzi, Mr. and Mrs. Mereki
Foundation for addition to Pediatric Unit
Morning devotions at outpatientsThis has been a very busy past 2 weeks. I am sitting here in the dark writing this, as ZESA just went out! It was on from 10:30 p.m. last night (Friday) until 6 p.m. tonight so can’t complain too much.
Last week everything seemed to go wrong! Monday was in Harare on Monday to get car parts for 2 of our vehicles that were down. One of our doctors was on off days with one of our working cars and my vehicle was the only one working—so off he went to get parts in Harare. Left at 4 a.m. and back at 11 p.m. He got the parts and then we left at 4 a.m. again for Harare to interview a new doctor for Chidamoyo. I drove so Major could rest. We did the interview and hired a new doctor—Andrew Kabanje who will join us mid-Sept or so. Major then went off to sort out more things and buy for the hospital, so I got beds made up in the flat for a team of 9 people arriving 2 days later going to work at one of our orphanages in the southern part of the country.
Thursday Major left at 12:50 p.m. again running to Harare to make in time by 5 p.m. to buy a new pump for the borehole. We were down to no boreholes working—no water—so he ran off to get a new pump. He got back by 12 midnight. The next day they got the borehole up and running and water again—yeah!
Friday I left with Major and his family at 3 p.m. to Harare so that on Saturday we could proceed to a funeral of a dear friend and one of our elderly states man of our church, Kenneth Makusha, who had died that week. He was the principle of our Bible College for several years until he retired about 6 or 7 years ago. His funeral was in Masvingo so we went as far as Harare and spent the night in the flat and by 6 a.m. we were “on the road again” to drive the 3 hours south to Masvingo for the funeral. Major and I shared the driving as he was beat after 4 days in and out of Harare—not an easy trip! The funeral went well and the church was packed to overflowing with over 700 people there. After the burial I got to have lunch with friends Ben and Karen Pennington, missionaries in Masvingo, and their guest Walt Chamberlin visiting from Oregon. Then we headed for Harare—getting in about 8 p.m.
The next morning we took Michael (Major’s son) to the school bus as he was off on a week’s trip to Chimanimani with his geography class. Carolyn, his daughter we left to start school on Tuesday and then we headed home.
All trucks and boreholes are working and Major only went to Harare once this week! That is a good week. I keep him plied with a thermos of coffee to keep him going for those early/late trips to Harare!
Last week everything seemed to go wrong! Monday was in Harare on Monday to get car parts for 2 of our vehicles that were down. One of our doctors was on off days with one of our working cars and my vehicle was the only one working—so off he went to get parts in Harare. Left at 4 a.m. and back at 11 p.m. He got the parts and then we left at 4 a.m. again for Harare to interview a new doctor for Chidamoyo. I drove so Major could rest. We did the interview and hired a new doctor—Andrew Kabanje who will join us mid-Sept or so. Major then went off to sort out more things and buy for the hospital, so I got beds made up in the flat for a team of 9 people arriving 2 days later going to work at one of our orphanages in the southern part of the country.
Thursday Major left at 12:50 p.m. again running to Harare to make in time by 5 p.m. to buy a new pump for the borehole. We were down to no boreholes working—no water—so he ran off to get a new pump. He got back by 12 midnight. The next day they got the borehole up and running and water again—yeah!
Friday I left with Major and his family at 3 p.m. to Harare so that on Saturday we could proceed to a funeral of a dear friend and one of our elderly states man of our church, Kenneth Makusha, who had died that week. He was the principle of our Bible College for several years until he retired about 6 or 7 years ago. His funeral was in Masvingo so we went as far as Harare and spent the night in the flat and by 6 a.m. we were “on the road again” to drive the 3 hours south to Masvingo for the funeral. Major and I shared the driving as he was beat after 4 days in and out of Harare—not an easy trip! The funeral went well and the church was packed to overflowing with over 700 people there. After the burial I got to have lunch with friends Ben and Karen Pennington, missionaries in Masvingo, and their guest Walt Chamberlin visiting from Oregon. Then we headed for Harare—getting in about 8 p.m.
The next morning we took Michael (Major’s son) to the school bus as he was off on a week’s trip to Chimanimani with his geography class. Carolyn, his daughter we left to start school on Tuesday and then we headed home.
All trucks and boreholes are working and Major only went to Harare once this week! That is a good week. I keep him plied with a thermos of coffee to keep him going for those early/late trips to Harare!
The addition of the Pediatric unit is up to foundation unit as well as the Trauma/ nurses room. they should start on the walls this week. We have ordered 20 tons of cement!
Work was very busy this week and Thursday was CD4 count day which is always busy. We see over an extra 100 patients we draw blood from, run their blood and then start or adjust medicine based on their meds. I started 19 new people on ART and had 5 come back on Friday and 4 on Saturday to get everyone started! I usually am at the hospital by 6:30 a.m. on Thursday and don’t come home until 6:30 p.m. When I got home at 6:30 p.m. I had to make 5 cakes by the next day. No cake mixes here! Just as I started the electricity went off—typical! So used a gas stove with oven I have in my video room. I was so tired I got 4 done and did the 5th one and all the frosting (no such thing as frosting in a tin here) the next day. That is when you miss a store you can run to and buy dessert!
Friday we had a special lunch for all the staff as a farewell to one of our doctors, Irvin Zimudzi. He left today for a new job in Namibia. We had a big lunch with rice, cole slaw, chicken and beef and cake—the 5 cakes I made! It was a great party and finally at 4 p.m. went back to finish work which took until 6 p.m. Came home ready to go to bed—but Friday night we have prayer time at 7 p.m. Decided to cancel the movie we usually have afterwards and go to bed by 9 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m.!! that felt good.
Today work was busy and had to help in theater to give anesthesia for a myositic abcess (muscle abscess) which we needed to open and drained—got 4 liters of pus out of it! She should feel better! The hospital she went to in town said she had a painful leg and did nothing about it!
Finally got home about 2 p.m. and ate lunch and took another hour nap! Wow, that felt good! Summer is here and enjoying a fan when the electricity is on. Got up to 117 today, but down to 72 as I am writing this at 7 p.m. Took off my second blanket off my bed today—so summer is officially here!
I am hoping for a slower week next week but already we have a meeting in Harare on Friday morning—so up to leave by 4 a.m. and back late—of those 1 day trips are killers for me! With only one doctor here now until the other one joins us it will be busy and I will need to help him see out-patients to get through in time as well as my patients, so I don’t think it will slow down much—we can only hope
Work was very busy this week and Thursday was CD4 count day which is always busy. We see over an extra 100 patients we draw blood from, run their blood and then start or adjust medicine based on their meds. I started 19 new people on ART and had 5 come back on Friday and 4 on Saturday to get everyone started! I usually am at the hospital by 6:30 a.m. on Thursday and don’t come home until 6:30 p.m. When I got home at 6:30 p.m. I had to make 5 cakes by the next day. No cake mixes here! Just as I started the electricity went off—typical! So used a gas stove with oven I have in my video room. I was so tired I got 4 done and did the 5th one and all the frosting (no such thing as frosting in a tin here) the next day. That is when you miss a store you can run to and buy dessert!
Friday we had a special lunch for all the staff as a farewell to one of our doctors, Irvin Zimudzi. He left today for a new job in Namibia. We had a big lunch with rice, cole slaw, chicken and beef and cake—the 5 cakes I made! It was a great party and finally at 4 p.m. went back to finish work which took until 6 p.m. Came home ready to go to bed—but Friday night we have prayer time at 7 p.m. Decided to cancel the movie we usually have afterwards and go to bed by 9 p.m. and slept until 7 a.m.!! that felt good.
Today work was busy and had to help in theater to give anesthesia for a myositic abcess (muscle abscess) which we needed to open and drained—got 4 liters of pus out of it! She should feel better! The hospital she went to in town said she had a painful leg and did nothing about it!
Finally got home about 2 p.m. and ate lunch and took another hour nap! Wow, that felt good! Summer is here and enjoying a fan when the electricity is on. Got up to 117 today, but down to 72 as I am writing this at 7 p.m. Took off my second blanket off my bed today—so summer is officially here!
I am hoping for a slower week next week but already we have a meeting in Harare on Friday morning—so up to leave by 4 a.m. and back late—of those 1 day trips are killers for me! With only one doctor here now until the other one joins us it will be busy and I will need to help him see out-patients to get through in time as well as my patients, so I don’t think it will slow down much—we can only hope
Comments
Post a Comment