Sorry it's been so long...

It's been a long week... in a few ways...

First of all, this may be TMI (too much information) for some of you, but those who know me well know that I don't hold much back so here it is... I have had a week of dysentery.  Monday through Saturday I spent a lot of time running back and forth to the bathroom.  I did not share this experience alone as there are many of the ship that had the pleasure of bearing this burden together.  The port our ship is docked in is quite polluted... the water has been tested for very high levels of e-coli.  Of course this testing was performed after the water was used to spray down the dock the same day that we had a fire drill in which all crew members assemble on the dock.  The GI issues being shared by so many have been traced back to this event as the probable cause.  Saturday night I reached a pinnacle of discomfort, using the bathroom 8 times in 45 minutes and finally took the one time dose of Azithromycin that my doctor sent along with me for extreme diarrhea.  I woke up Sunday morning as a new person!  :)

As far as the ship and the screening... Surgery has begun today.  Prior to the ship arriving in Sierra Leone a team from Mercy Ship had gone to the northern part of the country and screened patients in need of help.  They have been able to bring those patients to the ship to begin surgery this week while the continue to sort out how to further screen those in Freetown after the tragedies of last Monday.  Last week they spent some time in the city talking to locals to gain their perspective on what happened.  The majority, if not all, they spoke to expressed deep regret, shame, and embarrassment.  They are afraid that Mercy Ship will not want to help them because of they way their people acted.  Mercy Ship is committed to helping the people here, no matter what it takes but they are committed to safety and not allowing any further injury or pain to come from the effort to help.  My first shift as a nurse was yesterday.  It was good, though it is a learning process for me as it is definitely a different kind of nursing than I am used to!  :)

Life on the ship has been an adjustment for me.  In all honesty, this has been probably the most difficult transition... I actually feel more at peace today than I have and I recognize that change is often hard and takes time, so I am thankful and waiting... trying to wait patiently, but I am not always patient ;)

Saturday a rather large group of us from the ship shared an adventure!  Imagine the classic 70s VW style van... these are called "boda bodas" and are a very common mode of transportation.  Not all are VW, but look the same.  The interiors have been stripped and most have four hard benches inside.  Well we VERY cozily placed 22 people in one boda boda and 21 in another and took a two hour ride together.  This ride was not on paved highway, though sections were rather smooth compared to a large portion of the trip that was over roads undergoing construction with rather large bumps and potholes.  And what was our final destination????  A BEAUTIFUL beach!  River No. 2 Beach... if you google image there may be pictures (I still cannot upload pictures but will have plenty to show/post in May :)  We spent three hours there and I think the four hours round trip in the boda boda was worth it!  :)  It was nice to get away, it was wonderful to see different areas of the country, even if through a van window.  I have mainly been in the city, but we drove past villages and through some amazing country side.  The topography of Sierra Leone is stunning.

Lunchtime :)  I best be going...  I work again tomorrow and then three night shifts this week!  I have never worked more than one night shift in a row, so all my SICU night buddies... think of me and send along any words of advice!  :)