Helping Samuel with Surgery

        Well I have one day of outreach left I just finished my last day at the clinic!! It has been a pretty fun last few weeks so that is good. I have tried to make the best of everyday, even the long hot rough days, so it has been good!

How outreach works:
        Each day we go to a different place. In each place we go to, there is a coordinator who advertises and then gathers the people and gets everything all organized and set up before we get there. The coordinator checks in the patients by writing their name, age, basic symptoms and what not down on these little papers we provide. Afterwards they go to the first station which is visual acuity. At visual acuity we use the E chart to check their eyesight from 6 meters away. We write down the results on their paper and hand it back to them. Next they go see the doctor. The doctor talks to the patient about what is wrong, other symptoms they face and any needed background information (whether there was trauma to the eye or something). The doctor checks for glaucoma, pterygium, conjunctivitis, general eye conditions, cataracts, presbyopia, and a few other things. If they need reading glasses or glasses for sight, he checks what prescription they need. Then he writes the medication for us to prescribe to them. Then they go to the data person where we enter all their information into the computer.

Data and dispensing station. When someone gets reading
Glasses, we hand them a same bible to see if it clear.

Finally, they go to the dispensing table which we work at. We look at their papers and then give them the medicine (anywhere from 2-25 Cedis) and glasses they need (3-7 Cedis) and teach them how to use it. We make sure they understand when to take it and how often to take it and all that good stuff. And then they leave. But if they need surgery then they set it up with the coordinator before they leave so that they can get in the van that goes to the clinic on Thursdays full of patients from the areas we are in that week. And that is an outreach day! In the downtime, we play with the kids of course. Visual acuity is always my favorite job because you finish early and it's easiest and it gives the most time to talk to people and play with kids. But we switch off everyday. Anyway, it's really fun! I love it!

How Clinic Works:
        Clinic is once a week and it is where we observe surgeries. We get picked up and brought to clinic. Before we get there, patients get checked in, they get a piece of tape on their forehead on the side that will be worked on. They get these packet things with all their info and they get their blood pressure and sugar level checked. They also get local anesthesia to numb their eye so that they don't feel the surgery. Right before surgery they get a little ball taped to their eye for pressure to make the eye soft. Around noon we start watching surgeries two at a time and we watch for a couple hours. We write the time finished and sign for each surgery we observe. Then after surgery they get taped up and then sleep at the clinic for one night so they can get checked in the morning and then they go home!

Best day with Samuel:
        The last day of clinic was so much fun! So before I went into surgery I went downstairs and talked to the patients for a while and I met a man who was so cute. His name is Samuel and he is 70 years old. Samuel was a little nervous and he asked me to pray for him. Before I left to go into surgery, I asked to take a picture with him and he happily agreed. He said "wait let me put my glasses on and my hat on so that I look good!" It was so cute haha. Then I headed into surgery and watched for a few hours. When I came out he still hasn't started so I went and ate dinner. When I went down to check how many people were left, I didn't see my friend so I check right inside the theater room and saw Samuel going into surgery next. He asked me if I would go with him, so I put my face mask back on and lead him into surgery. He looked at me and said "I remember you. It will be okay. God is with us."

        I was able to watch his whole cataract surgery through the microscope which was truly incredible then I put the iodine drops in his eye, taped him up and lead him back out. Then I talked to him for a little while longer and he told me about how he was in the military and how he went to Egypt a few times. He told me he has met other people from the US when he was in the military and he laughed and joked with them and that it was so cool. Then I asked to take another picture with him and he said "no way, not with one eye. I feel like I'm in the military again and have to close one eye to shoot a gun" and he used his cane as a pretend gun haha. Well before I left he said "now when you go back on Saturday, don't you forget me, okay? Always remember me. Maybe you can pray for me sometimes" and then he told me he wanted to bring me something on Saturday before I leave but of course it's not possible so that was sad. I love that cute old man though. I will forever remember him.

Meet John! 

Crystal staff:
        Well I didn't get to spend too much time with the crystal staff which I'm pretty sad about but whatever. They are so awesome. They are all pretty young and energetic. There are three doctors but one took off for school for two months. Earnest and Jarome are the main doctors and they are really good at what they do. John and Bismark are the other staff members that are drivers and they help with dispensing and visual acuity. Some of them are kinda flirty but it's funny. They taught us how to check eyes so that was cool. I enjoyed the two weeks I got with them!

Ward party:
        The YSA ward threw us a ward party this week and so that was fun and cute! They fed us jollof and chicken with a little bit of vegetables! It was yummy. Then we had a dance party, and one of the guys sang and played his guitar for us and we all just hung out. It was so cute of them to do for us :)
        I am planning to have one last blog post to sum up my experience here but words cannot even describe the amazing experience it has been to be here. Ghana is crazy! But I sure do love Ghana.

Patients waiting to go into surgery with their tennis balls on their eyes. 

Watching surgery though the microscope thing 

Taping up Samuel after his surgery! 

Samuel after surgery! 

Just another eye surgery picture. This week I saw some eyes get stitched up too (not this picture). 

Peter! He wanted to take a picture with us haha 

Visual acuity  

 Seeing the doctor 

"Jarome will you watch while I check her eye so that I don't get too close and poke her eye out."

"Ya sure, of course!"

*i start looking into her eye and he gets on his phone.* thanks for watching Jarome hahaha 

The crew :) Bismark, Jarome, and earnest 

This is a terrible picture but this cute kid kept inching his way closer to me until he was sitting right next to me. He started about 10 feet away and by the end he was handing me papers haha His name is Jessey

This is Earnest and Bismark! 

This lady was so funny. We met her before her surgery as well and then watched hers! 

This girl was so cute and fun to play with 

Doing what we do best, getting lost in heaps of children that attack you. I love it :)