No Land To Be Seen

Sunday 3/6

Back on the fantail---lots of white caps, we are cruising far out to sea, no land to be seen.  Later this afternoon, they are clearing the flight deck for us (we call it the steel beach) and they are taking a photo of the ship crew (which includes us) that will be nice...then I can hang out there for awhile before showering (again) and getting to work.

I'm starting to round with the doctors on the AM rounds...I am getting a better picture of all the patients and their maladies since we don't see the same things, necessarily, in ICU, and we certainly don't see the children (except for our one baby...very very sick).

I'm going to go down to the wards more and help out there.  The children are magnificent and resilient.  Three little boys 6, 8, and 11 all came in on the same day for inguinal hernia repairs.  They were so funny looking out for each other, and watching as one went and one came back from surgery, wide eyed and fearful at first, then comforted.  By evening they were playing together, wearing nurse scrub tops, and peeking underneath them and giggling hysterically.

Our little burn boy has us amazed.  Pre-tsunami he had been badly burned, especially his legs, which became deformed from the burn contractures.  He had little frog legs, and was unable to walk,  After his surgeries aboard ship, and lots of PT, he hobbles around the ward pushing the EKG cart!  Resilient, resilient, resilient.

The families here have had to change their lifestyle dramatically--as they have continually since 12/26/04.  There is always someone on board with the patient, sometimes several family members.

We've learned that we need to let the families know we will feed their loved one.  They panic at first at the thought of the patient being away from the family, and from their care...because the hospitals here do not provide food for the patients.  Food and bathing is a responsibility of the family.  So there has been a lot of adjusting from both perspectives. 

I'm trying to get a clearer understanding of the RN role in the hosptial.  A local physician from University Hospital came through on a tour, and I explained the neurologic and orthopedic condition of my patient.  Later our MD came back and thanked me for spending time with her and answering her questions.  Apparently she was amazed that nurses would do so much and know so much about a complicated case.  Interesting insight.

That's all from the Mercy at this time ...more to come.

Thank goodness for our translators, they have been a god send.  They are mostly from Jakarta, and berth with us.  They are smart, funny, caring, and extremely busy!