Unfortunately my patient with tetanus didn't make it. He died this morning. It's tough man-not the fact that he died, but it's the way that he died that gets to me. This was an otherwise young and healthy kid who could very well and should very well be alive right now. All because he didn't get a tetanus shot. The nurse said he was writhing all night and was very uncomfortable. I don't want to dwell on it, but I just pray that he's in a better place now where he doesn't have to worry about all that stuff...
The OR today was exceptionally hot!! Usually there is an air conditioner that runs, but today for whatever reason it just wasn't cutting it! I was drenched in there! Fortunately the first case today went rather quickly, but the second one took longer so it was like a sauna in there by the time we got finished. It was a cool case though (iliac crest bone grafting and plating of a tibial nonunion with fibular osteotomy for those who care...). Remember how I said there's an ebb and flow to the surgical cases here?? Friday is going to be on and poppin'!! I have 6 cases booked as of now! It may be a long day...
This afternoon I met some new friends through one of the volunteer coordinators and was invited to their home for dinner. The house was gorgeous. Some of these homes are so unassuming-you'll be driving through dirt roads lined with trash and then all of a sudden you come up to a gated concrete wall and once you pass through it there's this amazing home; it's an interesting dynamic. They were very welcoming and actually knew Justin very well. They had a cook and server and all that stuff-it felt a bit awkward at first to be honest, but I just rolled with the flow. I'm sure I'll be seeing them again-they invited me back to hang out anytime.
I'm going to cut this one short because I just got in and am pretty tired. No pictures tonite-don't have time to wait for them to load.
Good night.
"Discipline is just choosing between what you want now and what you want most."
Sorry to hear of the passing of the young man with tetanus but a prayer of gratitude that his suffering is over. We can see how blessed we are compared to the patients you're seeing.
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