Day 3

Peds rounds continued today with the normal Malaria, Pneumonia, TB, GI, and Malnutrition but I also was able to see and examine a sickle cell patient which was very interesting, especially listening to her heart. Similarly, a little boy with a defective left artery was in the ward so I was able to listen to his heart as well and learn about the symptoms and medication. When I asked if surgery was an option, the doctor laughed; They didn't have the resources and if they did, they were not going to waste them on a young child. I was taught how to read x-rays for TB and Pneumonia which I found pretty interesting and by the end of the rounds I was reciting the information to the doctors.
A 2 year old patient was admitted to the ward today with a hernia, a very treatable condition in the developed world, however, 45 minutes later she was dead, lying in her fathers arms, eyes open and glassed over. He had no idea what was happening but had tried to get the attention of doctors but failed so he brought the limp body to one of my friends.
An equally sad and disturbing story--two of my friends are working in the labor ward and shared this with us: a woman was giving birth and the baby's head was unable to exit for the mothers pelvis was too small. A c section was not an option for it was too high risk for the mother who was anemic. They proceeded with a natural birth but that baby got stuck in the mothers vagina and died. In order to remove the dead baby, the doctors cracked its skull open and yanked it out. The dead baby was placed on a table next to the bed (brains visible and all).
I think its safe to say that a lot is done differently here than it is at home.