1.The phrase ‘I will flash you’ is no longer appropriate wording! (In Malawi it is the phrase used for miss calling someone on their mobile phone).
2.It is no rongel applopliate to intelchange the rettels ‘l’ and ‘r’ in wolds!
3.It is no longer acceptable to walk around the streets with no shoes on.
4.You can no longer buy any type of medication over the counter; prescriptions are needed for the harder drugs!
5.Azungu is no longer an acceptable word for a white person, they are just people.
6.You should no longer assume nurses will write out x-ray forms, blood forms, and put drips on patients – this is now a DOCTORS job!
7.No one will understand you if you say Zikomo, or Muli Bwanji?!
8.You cannot barter for a better price of tomatoes or onions!
9.It will no longer be acceptable to pray out loud for the patient about to undergo an operation or on the ward round.
10.On calls at night will consist of more than being able to sleep soundly in your bed without being disturbed because the nurses know what they are doing and only call the doctors for the real emergencies. It will be back to the days of ‘doctor? Shall I wake up the patient to give him his sleeping tablet?!’
11.People will understand you when you say Ta, eh up me duck, and nowt!
12.The thrice weekly scramble for the matches and candles at the 6pm power cuts will be put behind you.
13.The daily ritual of putting a tentative toe under the freezing shower before getting up the courage to stick your head under will also be put behind you.
14.Praying before even the shortest journey on public transport will no longer consist of ‘please get us there alive’ instead it will be more along the lines of ‘please get us there on time’!
15.You can no longer bribe a policeman with a bottle of water or a newspaper!
16.It is no longer acceptable to call your consultant boss by his first name.
17.It is no longer acceptable to sing worship and praise songs at the top of your lungs in theatre when operating; instead revered silence is insisted upon.
18.Reusing scrub gowns, and gloves will, from now, on get you killed by the infection control nurses.
19.On sending a patient to x-ray you no longer have time for a cup of tea and reading the paper whilst the radiographer develops the film by hand.
20.Showing your knees will no longer be the height of indecency, but showing your breasts will be!
21.Shrugging your shoulders and saying ‘TIA’ (This is Africa) is no longer an appropriate answer to why things are going wrong.
22.Shirts will no longer be lovingly washed by hand and ironed so well since the washing machine is not named Alfred and the owner of her shirts hates ironing!
23.Kids in clinic will no longer be petrified of the Azungu white doctor because he is told by villagers Azungu’s steal souls and doctors give big nasty injections!
24.Journeys on public transport will be free of chickens, goats, dried fish, and at least 5 people to every seat, oh and there is now NEVER room for one more!
25.Using the right hand indicator on the car as a warning for the car behind not to overtake as there is an oncoming car is no longer appropriate – it is used for telling people you are turning right only.
26.Not knowing that there is a dip function on your headlights and blinding every incoming car with full beams is now hugely impolite and quite frankly dangerous!
27.Stopping at a zebra crossing when there is a pedestrian on it is now law and not just an act of kindness.
28.They are now called traffic lights and not robots, and they will not be turned off at night to save power, and obeying them is NOT optional!
29.When the kettle leaks get a new one, do not just tape it up with gaffa tape and hope it will last another 3 months!
30.England is not Malawi and I will miss it :-(
Tuesday 21 December 2010
Friday 17 December 2010
2 and a half weeks to go!
Hi all!
Merry Christmas :-)
It still seems weird that Christmas is upon us, and here in Malawi we have 25-30 degree heat! I know, I know, I mustn't rub it in ;-)
I remain busy, although this next week there will be no theatre running unless it is an emergency, but clinics will continue till Christmas eve.
I have finally submitted my surgical application form on line, and will await the verdict in January as to whether I have interviews for them or not. I am told I am virtually guaranteed an interview to my top two choices of deanery (area of UK to work in) providing I have filled the forms in satisfactorily. I do however remain undecided on whether to also apply for emergency medicine - as the more jobs I apply for the more chance I have of actually getting one. I wouldn't necessarily want a job in emergency medicine however, and it would only be a stop gap in applying for surgery again the following year, which would look better on further applications than locum (supply) jobs.
I am finding it difficult to hear God and what He wants me to do, and I only have 3 days left to get an application in if that is in fact what I am going to do. Please pray urgently for this dilemma, that I will hear God very clearly over the next day or so and have the courage to do what is right in His eyes. I am certain that God wants me to follow a career in Orthopaedic surgery, and if that is so then surgery is the way forward and the only way. Pray I will have the little faith necessary to fully rely on God.
I am very much looking forward to wrapping up my job and work here to go home, and eagerly await the turn of the new year for the next chapter in my life. I have fully enjoyed being here in Malawi and would love to return one day, either to visit new found friends or to work at CURE hospital. Thank you all for your love and support and most of all you faithful prayers that have kept me going through the enjoyable and tough times. God has been so faithful to me here and shown me so much of His love and grace through the kids in the hospital. He has shown me His heart for the disabled kids of Malawi and has broken mine for them. I am certain He has said to me this is what you are made for, to help the sick and disabled of this world, I pray that this comes in to reality and His will be done.
Merry Christmas to all,
And to all a good night!
H xx
Sunday 12 December 2010
Putting your trust in God
Sorry for the long delay in another blog! Over the past few weeks since you last heard from me I have been terribly stressed and busy. Mainly because my computer packed up working and needed to be restored from scratch. It's amazing how much I rely on the thing - all my surgical applications are on line, which means if I don't have access to a computer I have no job, it's my only source of communication with people outside of Malawi, and it's what I rely on for my work including preparing presentations and working on my project!
However it is now working beautifully thanks to Simon who is a guy at CURE in charge of the new building wing for the private patients.
My daily reading the other day came at just the right time (it's funny how God does that isn't it?!) It was about Moses and when he was weary, he took a stone and sat on it! Reminding us that God will never give us too much and that He will provide rest when we need it, and that we should trust Him. And this is what today has been. I am currently writing this sat in the McGrath's dining room smelling the dinner that is cooking (something to do with chicken nuggets - made from scratch!). Today has been really relaxing - got up late, went round to the McGrath's for breakfast of croissants, bacon, and poached eggs with copious amounts of coffee :-)
I then started my application forms for surgical training and was surprisingly calm about the whole thing - I think the surroundings helped! We then took a trip to Spices for lunch of masala chips (chips covered in tika masala sauce - scrumptious!) The application site is currently crashed now and awaiting maintainence which is frustrating but yet I am still calm - God is in control and gives me a peace that passes all understanding :-)
Last weekend was another trip to the Mulanje Massif - 3rd highest peak in Southern Africa and I got to the top! Yep that's right we climbed right to the highest peak! Sapitwa the highest peak (which means 'don't go there!') was tough. We stayed at the base of the peak on the plateau the first night and then went up and down the peak the next day staying at the same hut then going down to the base on the third day. It was definitely an amazing achievement. Especially as the weather wasn't brilliant. It rained the first day in the afternoon just as we were about 1.5 hours away from the hut, and did it pour! The stream I remember from last time 5 minutes from the hut became a raging river which we crossed as a big group holding hands so as not to get washed away - a very scary experience! Then on the second day as we were coming down the peak it hailed which was extremely painful, and the rock face we had climbed up using our hands as well as our feet was a water slide on the way down - we had to go on our bums most of the way - which created a few holes in my shorts - needless to say they were rags by the time I got down and now reside in the bin!
Anyway - It's now only 3 weeks till I get back to England :-S I'm looking forward to returning but also sad to leave, but there is Christmas first to look forward to. I heard my first Christmas carol the other day - on one of the patients radios :-)
I'll leave you with some awesome lyrics from my favourite band Kutless, I can't remember if I've already shared them but here they are anyway :-) Very apt for my current feelings and situations:
When every step is so hard to take
And all of my hope is fading away
When life is a mountain that I can not climb
You carry me, Jesus carry me.
You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need
When every moment is more than I can take
And all of my strength is slipping away
When every breath gets harder to breathe
You carry me, Jesus carry me
However it is now working beautifully thanks to Simon who is a guy at CURE in charge of the new building wing for the private patients.
My daily reading the other day came at just the right time (it's funny how God does that isn't it?!) It was about Moses and when he was weary, he took a stone and sat on it! Reminding us that God will never give us too much and that He will provide rest when we need it, and that we should trust Him. And this is what today has been. I am currently writing this sat in the McGrath's dining room smelling the dinner that is cooking (something to do with chicken nuggets - made from scratch!). Today has been really relaxing - got up late, went round to the McGrath's for breakfast of croissants, bacon, and poached eggs with copious amounts of coffee :-)
I then started my application forms for surgical training and was surprisingly calm about the whole thing - I think the surroundings helped! We then took a trip to Spices for lunch of masala chips (chips covered in tika masala sauce - scrumptious!) The application site is currently crashed now and awaiting maintainence which is frustrating but yet I am still calm - God is in control and gives me a peace that passes all understanding :-)
Last weekend was another trip to the Mulanje Massif - 3rd highest peak in Southern Africa and I got to the top! Yep that's right we climbed right to the highest peak! Sapitwa the highest peak (which means 'don't go there!') was tough. We stayed at the base of the peak on the plateau the first night and then went up and down the peak the next day staying at the same hut then going down to the base on the third day. It was definitely an amazing achievement. Especially as the weather wasn't brilliant. It rained the first day in the afternoon just as we were about 1.5 hours away from the hut, and did it pour! The stream I remember from last time 5 minutes from the hut became a raging river which we crossed as a big group holding hands so as not to get washed away - a very scary experience! Then on the second day as we were coming down the peak it hailed which was extremely painful, and the rock face we had climbed up using our hands as well as our feet was a water slide on the way down - we had to go on our bums most of the way - which created a few holes in my shorts - needless to say they were rags by the time I got down and now reside in the bin!
Anyway - It's now only 3 weeks till I get back to England :-S I'm looking forward to returning but also sad to leave, but there is Christmas first to look forward to. I heard my first Christmas carol the other day - on one of the patients radios :-)
I'll leave you with some awesome lyrics from my favourite band Kutless, I can't remember if I've already shared them but here they are anyway :-) Very apt for my current feelings and situations:
When every step is so hard to take
And all of my hope is fading away
When life is a mountain that I can not climb
You carry me, Jesus carry me.
You Are strength in my weakness
You are the refuge I seek
You are everything in my time of need
You are everything, You are everything I need
When every moment is more than I can take
And all of my strength is slipping away
When every breath gets harder to breathe
You carry me, Jesus carry me
Wednesday 24 November 2010
Busy, busy, busy!
Oooops, not updated in a while, sorry!
My excuse is that I have been terribly busy over the last few weeks. So what have I been up to? I think you last heard from me when I had malaria and was feeling pretty rubbish, well, you'll be glad to hear, I'm fully recovered and raring to go!
Vic visited last week, which was awesome. We went to Senga bay on the west of Lake Malawi, which was beautiful. A tropical paradise. We didn't do anything too strenuous, apart from a lazy swim and a gentle stroll up the beach for lunch one day. It was lovely to sit and natter which a cold soda and catch up on our lives. We also played plenty of rummy which I am champion :-) Hehe! Our travel there was typically African, the minibus took ages to Salima and then our pick up truck hitching ride was extremely packed, even to the point of the Africans saying there was no more room! We got to Senga bay at sundown and then hiked 3 km in the dark to our accomodation, scary and daunting at times but we made it. The next day we saw the beauty of God's creation around the lake, it was stunning :-)
We had an easier time travelling down from Senga bay to Blantyre though it did take about 9 hours in total. Tuesday was spent seeing the sights of Blantyre including most importantly La Caverna which is a cafe in gorgeous gardens and provides very good coffee and passion fruit cake. Wednesday we took advantage of the fact Phil and Aaron were up Zomba mountain doing repairs on the McGrath's chalet and travelled to the base of the mountain by minibus and caught a lift up in their car. We hiked around Zomba all day seeing the William's falls and Dam, we even saw a troop of baboons with babies which was cute. Thursday was the coffee shop trip out past Limbe market where we bought lots of beans and ground coffee and sat and tasted a new blend of coffee, I also showed Vic the hopsital and clubfoot clinic to show her what I get up to at work. Vic had an unexpected extra day on friday as the bus left in the evening to Lilongwe rather than the morning so we went into town again and found the material shop and the wood market and then went to spices for lunch.
Saturday I watched the Scotland South Africa game amongst many South African's at a friends house and gloated when the Scots won :-) Bring on this weeks match England v SA!
This week has been spent getting back into work. I have a lot of things to do including finishing up my project, staring a case presentation on metabolic bone disease, and writing a letter to world vision to ask them to fund my project. Please pray that I will have the wisdom to orgainise what I need to do when and the motivation to complete everything.
This weekend I hope to go to Club Mak which is a venue on the south part of the Lake. Some friends are taking part in the 'club Mak mile' which is a swimming race in the lake. We'll also hopefully watch the rugby match up there :-)
TTFN
H xx
My excuse is that I have been terribly busy over the last few weeks. So what have I been up to? I think you last heard from me when I had malaria and was feeling pretty rubbish, well, you'll be glad to hear, I'm fully recovered and raring to go!
Vic visited last week, which was awesome. We went to Senga bay on the west of Lake Malawi, which was beautiful. A tropical paradise. We didn't do anything too strenuous, apart from a lazy swim and a gentle stroll up the beach for lunch one day. It was lovely to sit and natter which a cold soda and catch up on our lives. We also played plenty of rummy which I am champion :-) Hehe! Our travel there was typically African, the minibus took ages to Salima and then our pick up truck hitching ride was extremely packed, even to the point of the Africans saying there was no more room! We got to Senga bay at sundown and then hiked 3 km in the dark to our accomodation, scary and daunting at times but we made it. The next day we saw the beauty of God's creation around the lake, it was stunning :-)
We had an easier time travelling down from Senga bay to Blantyre though it did take about 9 hours in total. Tuesday was spent seeing the sights of Blantyre including most importantly La Caverna which is a cafe in gorgeous gardens and provides very good coffee and passion fruit cake. Wednesday we took advantage of the fact Phil and Aaron were up Zomba mountain doing repairs on the McGrath's chalet and travelled to the base of the mountain by minibus and caught a lift up in their car. We hiked around Zomba all day seeing the William's falls and Dam, we even saw a troop of baboons with babies which was cute. Thursday was the coffee shop trip out past Limbe market where we bought lots of beans and ground coffee and sat and tasted a new blend of coffee, I also showed Vic the hopsital and clubfoot clinic to show her what I get up to at work. Vic had an unexpected extra day on friday as the bus left in the evening to Lilongwe rather than the morning so we went into town again and found the material shop and the wood market and then went to spices for lunch.
Saturday I watched the Scotland South Africa game amongst many South African's at a friends house and gloated when the Scots won :-) Bring on this weeks match England v SA!
This week has been spent getting back into work. I have a lot of things to do including finishing up my project, staring a case presentation on metabolic bone disease, and writing a letter to world vision to ask them to fund my project. Please pray that I will have the wisdom to orgainise what I need to do when and the motivation to complete everything.
This weekend I hope to go to Club Mak which is a venue on the south part of the Lake. Some friends are taking part in the 'club Mak mile' which is a swimming race in the lake. We'll also hopefully watch the rugby match up there :-)
TTFN
H xx
Monday 8 November 2010
Malaria and Mozambique
Hope you all had a happy Guy Fawkes night!
Unfortunately this last week I have been ill with malaria, but am now well on the way to recovery and getting more energy back each day. Thanks for all you prayers for a quick recovery – they worked well :-)
Well, it seems like ages away already but Mozambique was AMAZING! I had the most lovely relaxing week, lying on the beach, swimming in the very warm water, and even attempting to waterski – which I did manage for approximately 2 metres :-) we also did ‘tubing’ which is being pulled very fast along behind the speed boat on a rubber dingy ring! That was FUN :-)
We (Me, Phil, and Martyn) travelled up from Blantyre to the Mozambique border last Thursday and stayed the night at the Cowley’s (a mission family just the other side of the border in the Mozambique town of Mandimba). We then with the Cowley’s and their 4 kids travelled to Lichinga where we met with about 4 other families going to the ski camp and headed out to the lake near Meponda. The scenery was stunning and the water extremely clear. We piched our tents right next to the beach, and spent all of the 3 days in the water! We even went crocodile hunting in the evenings, we saw some crocs but they wern’t longer than a metre, it was actually more crocodile sight-seeing as we didn’t catch them! On the way back we stayed another night at the Cowley’s before travelling back on Tuesday to get back in time for lentil curry and bible study :-)
Well it is only 4 days until Vic gets here which I am massively looking forward to, it is really strange to think I’ve not seen any of my family or friends for 3 months now. We are planning to go to the Malawi side of the lake for the weekend and then travel back down to Blantyre to show her the sights and meet my Malawian family and friends! Please therefore pray for my health and hers that we will enjoy our time together. Also pray for our safe travels especially my coach travel up to Lilongwe to meet Vic, and for Vic’s long flight via Ethiopia and that her connections go well.
I enjoyed helping out with the McGrath youth group on Friday despite the malaria, especially since they had fireworks and sparklers! It was very strange having fireworks night on a hot evening, I miss the cold and frosty, hat and scarf wearing night that usually accompanies Guy Fawkes night, I’ll even got to have a sparkler without wearing my gloves – the shock!
The last thing I would like prayer for is the fact that specialty applications for NHS training have now started up. I have this month of November to refine my CV and portfolio and decide which applications to go for to start work in August 2011. I need to decide whether to apply for general surgery for 2 years then go into orthopaedics for the 6 years following that or a straight 8 years of orthopaedics. At the beginning of December i have to submit my various applications ready for shortlisting and interviews when I am back in the UK in January. The prayer would be for wisdom in what to apply for and that God would clearly show me the way He has planned.
H xx
Unfortunately this last week I have been ill with malaria, but am now well on the way to recovery and getting more energy back each day. Thanks for all you prayers for a quick recovery – they worked well :-)
Well, it seems like ages away already but Mozambique was AMAZING! I had the most lovely relaxing week, lying on the beach, swimming in the very warm water, and even attempting to waterski – which I did manage for approximately 2 metres :-) we also did ‘tubing’ which is being pulled very fast along behind the speed boat on a rubber dingy ring! That was FUN :-)
We (Me, Phil, and Martyn) travelled up from Blantyre to the Mozambique border last Thursday and stayed the night at the Cowley’s (a mission family just the other side of the border in the Mozambique town of Mandimba). We then with the Cowley’s and their 4 kids travelled to Lichinga where we met with about 4 other families going to the ski camp and headed out to the lake near Meponda. The scenery was stunning and the water extremely clear. We piched our tents right next to the beach, and spent all of the 3 days in the water! We even went crocodile hunting in the evenings, we saw some crocs but they wern’t longer than a metre, it was actually more crocodile sight-seeing as we didn’t catch them! On the way back we stayed another night at the Cowley’s before travelling back on Tuesday to get back in time for lentil curry and bible study :-)
Well it is only 4 days until Vic gets here which I am massively looking forward to, it is really strange to think I’ve not seen any of my family or friends for 3 months now. We are planning to go to the Malawi side of the lake for the weekend and then travel back down to Blantyre to show her the sights and meet my Malawian family and friends! Please therefore pray for my health and hers that we will enjoy our time together. Also pray for our safe travels especially my coach travel up to Lilongwe to meet Vic, and for Vic’s long flight via Ethiopia and that her connections go well.
I enjoyed helping out with the McGrath youth group on Friday despite the malaria, especially since they had fireworks and sparklers! It was very strange having fireworks night on a hot evening, I miss the cold and frosty, hat and scarf wearing night that usually accompanies Guy Fawkes night, I’ll even got to have a sparkler without wearing my gloves – the shock!
The last thing I would like prayer for is the fact that specialty applications for NHS training have now started up. I have this month of November to refine my CV and portfolio and decide which applications to go for to start work in August 2011. I need to decide whether to apply for general surgery for 2 years then go into orthopaedics for the 6 years following that or a straight 8 years of orthopaedics. At the beginning of December i have to submit my various applications ready for shortlisting and interviews when I am back in the UK in January. The prayer would be for wisdom in what to apply for and that God would clearly show me the way He has planned.
H xx
Thursday 28 October 2010
I know I am not but I know I AM!
I guess to start with I'll have to explain this title! It's a play on words which most of you know I generally suck at understanding because I'm a little slow when it comes to knowledge about the english language. I Am is one of the many names God goes by in the Old Testament - remember what He says to Moses when he asks what to say to the Hebrews? 'Tell them I AM sent you.' So, I know I'm not (meaning I'm not able to do everything), but I know I AM (but I know God, and who He is) - cool eh?!
I first learnt this when I went to Soul In The City (London a few years ago was overrun by young Christians for 2 weeks doing social work like running sports/childrens clubs, painting swings, cleanin alleyways and gardens etc). The speaker at our morning meetings explained this phrase and it has slowly been forgotten until this week!
I have been constantly amazed by how much God has blessed me with his presence, comfort, and guidance whilst I have been here. Even yesterday at our weekly bible meeting with everyone in the hospital, God spoke through the visiting pastor like I was the only one there! He spoke about the encourgement God gives us even through the harder times when we feel discouraged, and even mentioned Psalm 91 (see my earlier blog!)
Today was a tad crazy - I got a visa for Mozambique :-) and arranged to go TOMORROW for a week. I have been worrying about having to pay $200 for a temporary residence permit at the end of this month as I'll have been here 3 months on my tourist visa which is the maximum, however in leaving the country then returning next week I can be on a tourist visa again for my remaining 2 months. I wasn't sure yesterday whether I would make it over the border as I had n o plans in place. But I was asked by a friend whether 'I would like to go waterskiing in Mozambique? And by the way we're leaving in 36 hours!' Um OK! SO this morning I got up early went into town after phoning my boss and a fellow junior doctor (who kindly will be doing my Sunday on call) to ask whether I could go and got a visa, everything worked out smoothly and well, Praise God :-)
So tomorrow I go to Mozambique...there are 3 of us travelling in the car tomorrow to get over the border and then stopping the night at friends of the McGraths (the Cowley's), we then meet others and travel to the Mozambique side of Lake Malawi for a weeks worth of camping and watersport - the camp is for kids over 10yrs and I think I'll be helping run the camp with the Cowley's and Phil (who is driving tomorrow). Please pray for safe travelling, energy and strength for those driving and helping run the camp, and that everyine keeps safe and enjoys their time.
That's all for now folks.
p.s. As I'm travelling this week I don't think I'll have any access to phones/email, I'll let you know I'm back on Tuesday! :-)
H xxxxxxxxxxx
Monday 18 October 2010
Sunday 17 October 2010
God’s Peace That Passes All Understanding
I simply love that phrase, I always have, every time it is said as a blessing at the end of a service, I smile to myself and feel especially loved by God at that precise moment. Over the past few days I realise God has blessed me with this peace, the type that passes all understanding, or, as I interpret it – a peace that conquers all doubts. The last two Thursday bible studies have been focusing on two Psalms – 107 and 118, and what it is to trust God. We talked in the first study about Psalm 118 and a scenario about the man who tightrope walks across a waterfall (as we are in Africa we said Victoria falls!) and can we believe him when he says he can walk across? ‘Maybe,’ we say, and then he proves it. He then asks whether we believe he can do it pushing a wheelbarrow, and he does it with ease. ‘OK’ he says, ‘do you believe I can push a person across in the wheelbarrow?’ ‘Well yes I think you can’. ‘OK, hop in!’................
What do you do?!
This week we talked about Psalm 107, when the redeemed are in trouble, cry out to God and he will rescue you. I couldn’t help but think about my situation a year and a half ago (was it really that long ago?!) when I was faced with the fact I might not progress to my second year of being a doctor. My clinical supervisor had decided for some reason or another I wasn’t good enough and shouldn’t progress to being an FY2, and that in not signing me off I would have to repeat my FY1 year with heavy supervision. Never mind the fact my other supervisors thought I was a very good junior doctor and had no problems and was competent. Anyway, as the Psalm says – ‘I was at my wits end, so I cried out to God.’ And this is what I did, and He was Good, He blessed me and the situation, and not only did I progress to my second year, My new supervisor after telling her said she had not heard from her predecessor and would make her own mind up about me and whether I was competent or not, thank you very much!! On hearing I was going to have to repeat the year I was at rock bottom, I had nowhere else to turn but to God, so I cried out and He listened. The rest of the study we talked about whether it was easier to trust God in the harder times or the easy times. What I thought was that it was easier in the harder times. I look back at my life and realise when things are easy, I ignore God, we only run to him when things get bad, don’t we? And then things go pear shaped, and then we remember Him, we run to our Dad’s arms for comfort and a solution to our problem. Since a year and a half ago though, I realise I have trusted God much more, although I could still be much better (I think we all can, can’t we?!) I have started to know He is in EVERYTHING, the good and the bad.
These two bible studies have come just when I need them most, and certainly Psalm 107 echoes God’s word to me a few weeks ago (Psalm 91). As we finished the study on Thursday, Noel (a pastor from SA staying for a few weeks) finished with the blessing: ‘God’s peace that passes all understanding,’ it was then I was overwhelmed with His peace. It was indescribable, I knew it was going to be OK, because God said so, end of story. No buts’, or what if’s – It’s OK full stop
I was struck today by how many people were in this world. I was sat at a minibus stop waiting for a bus to Zomba, and was watching all the people go about their business, there were thousands of people, all ages, and I was suddenly struck by the magnitude of people, and God loves each one, WOW! He knows the number of every hair on each of their heads – DOUBLE WOW! And I was reminded of a song written by the band Kutless (an American Christian band):
Sometimes my life it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow you still find the time for me
It's then You show me Your love
And In Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine
How many billions of people are there in the world and God still finds the time for me! AMAZING :-)
‘Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.’ Ps 107:43.
I hope you don’t mind my musings on life and God and that there is something there for each of you too. I always seem to find that God speaks through other peoples situations to me and I pray that you find this too, and my musings become a blessing to you. Having said that, I shall quickly tell you what's been happening here since last week:
1. Work – continues in clinics and theatre. Clinics are extremely stuffy and hot in this heat and I feel like falling asleep in them, in theatres however we are blessed with air con.
2. Hollie is returning to UK after 6 weeks as a student here, please pray for her safe travels and that she won’t miss us all too much!
3. Andy (a postgrad student) and Jackie (a pharmacist) have arrived here in the last week, please pray for their quick settling in and that their work here is a blessing to everyone.
4. I went curio shopping over the weekend and bought some really cool wooden souveniers and paintings, and postcards – I promise to try and post some this next week.
5. A new supply of marmite and hot chocolate arrived last Monday – thanks Vic, Tim, and Katie :-) Please pray that the other various parcels that I’m expecting arrive safely.
6. Please pray for my friends Seth, Tim, and Phil who had tyres from their 3 cars stolen on Friday night. (They all live in the same house and somehow the tyres were stolen off the cars whilst they were locked up in their house compound). Praise God that the house wasn’t broken into and their lives weren’t in danger – which could have easily happened, burgleries are commonplace here in Blantyre and there seems to be a spate of them recently.
TTFN
Harriet xxxxx
What do you do?!
This week we talked about Psalm 107, when the redeemed are in trouble, cry out to God and he will rescue you. I couldn’t help but think about my situation a year and a half ago (was it really that long ago?!) when I was faced with the fact I might not progress to my second year of being a doctor. My clinical supervisor had decided for some reason or another I wasn’t good enough and shouldn’t progress to being an FY2, and that in not signing me off I would have to repeat my FY1 year with heavy supervision. Never mind the fact my other supervisors thought I was a very good junior doctor and had no problems and was competent. Anyway, as the Psalm says – ‘I was at my wits end, so I cried out to God.’ And this is what I did, and He was Good, He blessed me and the situation, and not only did I progress to my second year, My new supervisor after telling her said she had not heard from her predecessor and would make her own mind up about me and whether I was competent or not, thank you very much!! On hearing I was going to have to repeat the year I was at rock bottom, I had nowhere else to turn but to God, so I cried out and He listened. The rest of the study we talked about whether it was easier to trust God in the harder times or the easy times. What I thought was that it was easier in the harder times. I look back at my life and realise when things are easy, I ignore God, we only run to him when things get bad, don’t we? And then things go pear shaped, and then we remember Him, we run to our Dad’s arms for comfort and a solution to our problem. Since a year and a half ago though, I realise I have trusted God much more, although I could still be much better (I think we all can, can’t we?!) I have started to know He is in EVERYTHING, the good and the bad.
These two bible studies have come just when I need them most, and certainly Psalm 107 echoes God’s word to me a few weeks ago (Psalm 91). As we finished the study on Thursday, Noel (a pastor from SA staying for a few weeks) finished with the blessing: ‘God’s peace that passes all understanding,’ it was then I was overwhelmed with His peace. It was indescribable, I knew it was going to be OK, because God said so, end of story. No buts’, or what if’s – It’s OK full stop
I was struck today by how many people were in this world. I was sat at a minibus stop waiting for a bus to Zomba, and was watching all the people go about their business, there were thousands of people, all ages, and I was suddenly struck by the magnitude of people, and God loves each one, WOW! He knows the number of every hair on each of their heads – DOUBLE WOW! And I was reminded of a song written by the band Kutless (an American Christian band):
Sometimes my life it feels so trivial
Immersed in the greatness of space
Yet somehow you still find the time for me
It's then You show me Your love
And In Your eyes I can see
And in Your arms I will be
I am not just a man, vastly lost in this world
Lost in a Sea of Faces
Your body's the bread, Your blood is the wine
Because you traded Your life for mine
How many billions of people are there in the world and God still finds the time for me! AMAZING :-)
‘Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord.’ Ps 107:43.
I hope you don’t mind my musings on life and God and that there is something there for each of you too. I always seem to find that God speaks through other peoples situations to me and I pray that you find this too, and my musings become a blessing to you. Having said that, I shall quickly tell you what's been happening here since last week:
1. Work – continues in clinics and theatre. Clinics are extremely stuffy and hot in this heat and I feel like falling asleep in them, in theatres however we are blessed with air con.
2. Hollie is returning to UK after 6 weeks as a student here, please pray for her safe travels and that she won’t miss us all too much!
3. Andy (a postgrad student) and Jackie (a pharmacist) have arrived here in the last week, please pray for their quick settling in and that their work here is a blessing to everyone.
4. I went curio shopping over the weekend and bought some really cool wooden souveniers and paintings, and postcards – I promise to try and post some this next week.
5. A new supply of marmite and hot chocolate arrived last Monday – thanks Vic, Tim, and Katie :-) Please pray that the other various parcels that I’m expecting arrive safely.
6. Please pray for my friends Seth, Tim, and Phil who had tyres from their 3 cars stolen on Friday night. (They all live in the same house and somehow the tyres were stolen off the cars whilst they were locked up in their house compound). Praise God that the house wasn’t broken into and their lives weren’t in danger – which could have easily happened, burgleries are commonplace here in Blantyre and there seems to be a spate of them recently.
TTFN
Harriet xxxxx
Tuesday 12 October 2010
Melting in the heat!
Hi all :-)
Well I had an awesome weekend cycling around Zomba mountain. There were about 20 of us in the group (not all cycled, some were hiking). We had an early start on Saturday and got to Zomba which is about 70Km from Blantyre at about 10am. Some of us then cycled from halfway up the mountain to the top camp site which took about 2 hours. It was extremely rocky though the gradient of the track wasn't too harsh. My bike however was not at it's best! I had borrowed the very rickety looking mountain bike from the guest house which had 18 gears (after I fixed them up) and a bent steering axle which made the steering very stiff - not good for avoiding rocks! This meant although I had good intentions of cycling up to the camp site I had to walk halfway :-( Anyway I made it despite a few bruises from falling off the bike due to colliding with aforementioned rocks. I can't remember the last time I fell off a bike - no that's not true I remember now: I was about 14 and on my paper round and a bee flew around my face so I took one hand off the handlebars to waft it away, as this attempt failed I took my OTHER hand off which succeeded in getting rid of the bee and also causing me to fall off - DOH!
Anyway after getting to the camp site I met several other people including young families and we went on a hike up to Chingwe's Hole. The myth about this hole at the top of the mountain is that it is so deep it reaches to the bottom of the Shire river (approx 2000m) and a past president of Malawi used to throw his enemies down the hole! I don't know how deep it is but I couldn't hear the stones I threw down there reach the bottom! We had a Braai in the evening and watched out for the rumoured meteor shower (it didn't appear unfortunately). On the Sunday we went for a cycle ride up to Chingwe's hole and then further around the plateau to Queens view (unfortunately very hazy due to the very dry dusty heat), and then continued down back to the hotel where we started Saturdays bike ride. This time I had used one of the extra bikes someone had brought instead of the guest house bike - which was in perfect condition and rode beautifully making it very easy to climb the mountain. I definitely want to cycle around Zomba again, it was beautiful although hot (approx 36 degree heat).
Today in Blantyre we are all melting in the oven - it's in the high 30's! The hospital is extremely stuffy and there is a slight relieving breeze occasionally outside. I'm sitting writing this waiting for my last MORNING patient to have her X-ray (it's now 3pm!) This has happened as when I sent her she was at the back of the queue and when it was her turn it became lunchtime for the x-ray technician, when he returned from lunch there were private patients from the afternoon clinic waiting to be x-rayed. Therefore as she is a poor 2yr old with no money we are treating for free she has to wait until the paying patients are done. This is not hospital policy but apparently 'the way things are done'. It's weird to see the prejudice between rich and poor and even the colour of skin still, it doesn't seem to be intentional but I've noticed in clinics that more explanations are given to those who understand English (and are therefore 'better educated') and to those who are in the private paying clinics. Anyway I better disappear downstairs and see whether the child has had her x-ray yet, then I can get on and book her in for her much needed operation.
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxxx
Well I had an awesome weekend cycling around Zomba mountain. There were about 20 of us in the group (not all cycled, some were hiking). We had an early start on Saturday and got to Zomba which is about 70Km from Blantyre at about 10am. Some of us then cycled from halfway up the mountain to the top camp site which took about 2 hours. It was extremely rocky though the gradient of the track wasn't too harsh. My bike however was not at it's best! I had borrowed the very rickety looking mountain bike from the guest house which had 18 gears (after I fixed them up) and a bent steering axle which made the steering very stiff - not good for avoiding rocks! This meant although I had good intentions of cycling up to the camp site I had to walk halfway :-( Anyway I made it despite a few bruises from falling off the bike due to colliding with aforementioned rocks. I can't remember the last time I fell off a bike - no that's not true I remember now: I was about 14 and on my paper round and a bee flew around my face so I took one hand off the handlebars to waft it away, as this attempt failed I took my OTHER hand off which succeeded in getting rid of the bee and also causing me to fall off - DOH!
Anyway after getting to the camp site I met several other people including young families and we went on a hike up to Chingwe's Hole. The myth about this hole at the top of the mountain is that it is so deep it reaches to the bottom of the Shire river (approx 2000m) and a past president of Malawi used to throw his enemies down the hole! I don't know how deep it is but I couldn't hear the stones I threw down there reach the bottom! We had a Braai in the evening and watched out for the rumoured meteor shower (it didn't appear unfortunately). On the Sunday we went for a cycle ride up to Chingwe's hole and then further around the plateau to Queens view (unfortunately very hazy due to the very dry dusty heat), and then continued down back to the hotel where we started Saturdays bike ride. This time I had used one of the extra bikes someone had brought instead of the guest house bike - which was in perfect condition and rode beautifully making it very easy to climb the mountain. I definitely want to cycle around Zomba again, it was beautiful although hot (approx 36 degree heat).
Today in Blantyre we are all melting in the oven - it's in the high 30's! The hospital is extremely stuffy and there is a slight relieving breeze occasionally outside. I'm sitting writing this waiting for my last MORNING patient to have her X-ray (it's now 3pm!) This has happened as when I sent her she was at the back of the queue and when it was her turn it became lunchtime for the x-ray technician, when he returned from lunch there were private patients from the afternoon clinic waiting to be x-rayed. Therefore as she is a poor 2yr old with no money we are treating for free she has to wait until the paying patients are done. This is not hospital policy but apparently 'the way things are done'. It's weird to see the prejudice between rich and poor and even the colour of skin still, it doesn't seem to be intentional but I've noticed in clinics that more explanations are given to those who understand English (and are therefore 'better educated') and to those who are in the private paying clinics. Anyway I better disappear downstairs and see whether the child has had her x-ray yet, then I can get on and book her in for her much needed operation.
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxxx
Monday 4 October 2010
Ambassadors for Christ
Today's sermon at church was about being ambassadors for Christ. To spread the word of God with the talents you already have (not to seek those you do not possess) and where you currently are, not striving to be in a place God does not want you. Thank you all so much for your emails and messages of encouragement about my previous blog - God is amazing. I know God has an incredible plan for my life but unfortunately I get so impatient at times and Satan then seizes his chance and does his worst. But as you can see from today's sermon God is continuing to talk to me and encourage me. I am feeling so much more upbeat this past week and have really enjoyed a busy 7 days. Although we didn't have any theatre operations till the Thursday I was still busy with a Monday children's clinic in the morning - the Children come from all over Malawi, and sometimes surrounding countries like Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Mozambique. It still hits me every time I see a new patient the poverty and problems these people endure. It breaks my heart EVERY time and I can't get over how resilient they are.
On Wednesday 6 people from England arrived in 2 Toyota Land Cruisers that had been converted for ambulance use here in Malawi. They had driven all the way here from England through Europe, the middle east and down into Africa which took them 2 months. They had raised the money for the trip and the trucks, and extra for medical equipment to donate to the hospital. The Charity is called AMECA and the lady who runs the charity is also funding the new extension to the private wing being built onto the hospital so we can bring in more money operating on adults so more can be done for the children (who are treated free of charge). It was interesting to see their reactions when shown around the hospital. The private wing here is very much like the English side rooms of the NHS - one or two beds per room with a TV! The children's ward however holds around 60 beds in an open plan huge room and is split into 6 bays of 10 beds each. The guys looking round had tears pouring down their faces whilst walking around the ward. The children were laughing and playing as usual whizzing around in the wheelchairs, on the donated toy trucks, or on the specially designed wooden tricycle that you pedal with your hands (it also has a trailer attached that several patients are towed around in!), even though they have bad deformities of their legs or arms with plaster casts or metal external fixators around various limbs to correct them they still have enormous amounts of fun as children should.
So on Wednesday night I went out for dinner and drinks with the AMECA guys and some people from the hospital to celebrate. Thursday was spent continuing my project here. I'm designing a video on powerpoint to teach student midwives how to recognise common birth defects like cleft lip/palate and clubfoot plus many others so they can refer the patients to get the right treatment early. The main problem in this part of the world is lack of knowledge about these very treatable defects, which means the child grows up without them corrected and faces a lifetime of abuse and rejection. One of CURE's hopes is to teach the relevant people that these deformities can be treated very successfully and the child can live a normal life.
Friday afternoon me and Hollie learnt how to play golf on the 9 hole Blantyre golf course with Aaron, Nathan and Tim (3 of the guys from bible study). It was actually quite fun. We then went back to the McGrath's to help out at youth group (approximately 100 secondary school age kids!) We then went to the food Court (AKA Spices) for fried chicken and chips with ice cream and sodas - very Malawian!! p.s I also thrashed Tim and Martyn at the air hockey in the games room :-) They weren't impressed a girl beat them! We didn't start watching a film Knight and Day till about midnight so went to bed very late. It's weird how out here I've got used to going to bed at the very latest 10pm (which is basically Malawian midnight) NOBODY stays up past this time, so going to bed at 3am was knackering. Yesterday was spent at Aaron's having a Braai (Afrikaans style BBQ), very yummy - steak, hotdogs, and potatoes, washed down with lots of sodas. We also played football and a bit of hockey, and Mario Kart on Nintendo Wii :-) We were all really boiled after running around we jumped in the McGrath's pool to cool off then had coffee and chocolate cake! Today has been much more sedate. We went to the McGrath's church for the first time (previously I've been going to the pentecostal type church which Bianca had introduced me to which is nice but it didn't really feel like home. But the church today was lovely, it very much reminds me of Thorpe Acre back home but on a smaller scale (about half the number). I think I will continue to go there, and I know a lot of people there already from Tuesday and Thursday bible study, whereas at the other church I only knew the few people from work there. I am on call again today as no one else could do it but hopefully that means I won't have to do another Sunday till November :-) It's nothing like NHS on calls anyway - only had to clerk a few patients!
Please continue to pray that God keeps encouraging and speaking through others to me, and also that the various parcels you have all posted get here safely!
H xxxxxxxxxxx
Sunday 26 September 2010
My God is an Awesome God and He Reigns on High!
Wow this is difficult. I am going to share with you all what I’ve not shared before – my doubts and struggles, which I know everyone else has but most times it seems like I’m alone in this struggle. I know however that that is just the Devil trying to stamp me down and doubt the existence of God in my life. Somehow I feel I have the courage to out this on my blog – weird how it feels easier to post this to a web page yet I couldn’t share it at house group this week or in the past with the closest of friends. God is really working hard in my heart at the moment! Please bear with me and pray for me as you read the following. I have been sitting for the past hour trying to decide whether to press the upload button or delete it all, but I am going to be brave and do it!
Over the past half a week or so, I’ve really been struggling with God’s purpose in my life. Which is strange, because for a good 5 years now I’ve been certain He wants me to be a medical missionary in Africa. I think this is still true, but the magnitude of it all has suddenly hit me. I’ve been asking myself (and God) – what am I doing here? Past thoughts and dreams have come to haunt me – I just want to settle down into a nice comfortable job in the NHS, have a family, and grow old in the comfort of England. With the work that God seems to have laid out before me – a life of travelling in strange countries providing medical care to those who need it most – am I ever going to have what I so desperately want, a family?
Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind – I have a plan for you, a plan to prosper and not to harm you. I really do believe this, but it is so hard when God’s plan doesn’t seem to coincide with what I want, especially when what I want is not sin, but everyday life for other Christians.
On Wednesday evening Psalm 91 popped into my head – I have no idea why apart from the fact it must have been from God. I had no idea what Psalm 91 said I couldn’t even remember whether I’d read that one before. I have never heard from God in this way before, the word was so clear in the midst of a prayer. What did I do? Yes I ignored it – I didn’t believe it was from God, so I went to bed still in turmoil. The next morning I got up late and missed the daily morning worship the hospital has but instead sat down with my own daily devotion (The Doctors Life Support 2). I don’t remember exactly what the days thought was about but God spoke again – Psalm 91. This time I read it:
He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’....
.... ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’
WOW! God in one paragraph renewed my strength. I still don’t understand why God wants me, and why He loves me so much, but with all my strength and the little faith I have I WILL TRUST HIM, I know He only has good things for me and His way is the best. It is still hard to grasp this, even though I’ve been a Christian for 11 years now.
God is still speaking to me now (I know He always is, but don’t you think sometimes He just shouts at you because you are so thick not to hear His whisper?!) I am listening to Kathryn Scott’s live worship album, the current song is:
Found freedom from my sin
And still the road is narrow
Sometimes I fall and bad thoughts are on the way
But I know your grace is strong
And your mercy new each morning
So I’ll stay the course until the race is run
Jesus I will follow
Follow anywhere you lead
No turning back
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen
That you are like no other
You reached beyond my sin and rescued me
So forgetting what’s behind
Remembering your great mercy
I choose to run until I win the prize
Amen! :-)
Over the past half a week or so, I’ve really been struggling with God’s purpose in my life. Which is strange, because for a good 5 years now I’ve been certain He wants me to be a medical missionary in Africa. I think this is still true, but the magnitude of it all has suddenly hit me. I’ve been asking myself (and God) – what am I doing here? Past thoughts and dreams have come to haunt me – I just want to settle down into a nice comfortable job in the NHS, have a family, and grow old in the comfort of England. With the work that God seems to have laid out before me – a life of travelling in strange countries providing medical care to those who need it most – am I ever going to have what I so desperately want, a family?
Jeremiah 29:11 comes to mind – I have a plan for you, a plan to prosper and not to harm you. I really do believe this, but it is so hard when God’s plan doesn’t seem to coincide with what I want, especially when what I want is not sin, but everyday life for other Christians.
On Wednesday evening Psalm 91 popped into my head – I have no idea why apart from the fact it must have been from God. I had no idea what Psalm 91 said I couldn’t even remember whether I’d read that one before. I have never heard from God in this way before, the word was so clear in the midst of a prayer. What did I do? Yes I ignored it – I didn’t believe it was from God, so I went to bed still in turmoil. The next morning I got up late and missed the daily morning worship the hospital has but instead sat down with my own daily devotion (The Doctors Life Support 2). I don’t remember exactly what the days thought was about but God spoke again – Psalm 91. This time I read it:
He who dwells in the shelter of the most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty
I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’....
.... ‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’
WOW! God in one paragraph renewed my strength. I still don’t understand why God wants me, and why He loves me so much, but with all my strength and the little faith I have I WILL TRUST HIM, I know He only has good things for me and His way is the best. It is still hard to grasp this, even though I’ve been a Christian for 11 years now.
God is still speaking to me now (I know He always is, but don’t you think sometimes He just shouts at you because you are so thick not to hear His whisper?!) I am listening to Kathryn Scott’s live worship album, the current song is:
Found freedom from my sin
And still the road is narrow
Sometimes I fall and bad thoughts are on the way
But I know your grace is strong
And your mercy new each morning
So I’ll stay the course until the race is run
Jesus I will follow
Follow anywhere you lead
No turning back
I’ve tasted and I’ve seen
That you are like no other
You reached beyond my sin and rescued me
So forgetting what’s behind
Remembering your great mercy
I choose to run until I win the prize
Amen! :-)
Wednesday 22 September 2010
Mount Mulanje Madness!
Another week gone - eeek! I've been here 6 and a half weeks now! In some ways it feels like years, and in others it seems like a few days. The photo that will hopefully appear above after my dinosaur of a computer and the slowness of African internet combined decides they have enough strength to upload it. Unfortunately it has already failed in uploading the pictures to Facebook. I will try the whole FB photos again but it will probably be limited to 2-3 at a time. I really want to show you all some photos as the views on the top of the mountain were amazing and Hollie took some good ones of me operating last week. Also I think photos help you all know who I'm talking about! (Hence the photo above - back row: Nathan McGrath, Hollie Sapsford, Tim Jones, Seth Miller; middle row: Phil Grunder, Stephanie, Me; front row: Martyn McGrath, Camilla McGrath, Sharon Miller)
Well I went up Mulanje again :-) It was awesome fun, more than last time because I knew I could make it and I went with a big group of people (10 in all). I went with my Tuesday Bible study group + 2 younger siblings of the group, and a friend of the McGrath family. We went a different way to last time and stopped 2 nights, the first night after we climbed up to the plateau and then the second night after we had hiked across the plateau, and then the third day we trekked down and had pizza at a restaurant at the foot of the mountain - very yummy! Surprisingly my muscles don't ache in the slightest, but I do have some blisters on the feet and rather bad sunburn :-( I put cream on when I was still wearing my t-shirt and didn't think to add cream to shoulders and back when I took it off and wore my vest top instead - DOH! Please pray for it's quick healing as I'm struggling to sleep with the pain at the moment.
I am really blessed with a good group of friends (see above picture) and thank God that I am now calling the place I live in home. It even looks like home now as I have put photos and hangings up on the walls in my room and have my Ugandan throw over my bed. It is still strange sometimes though and the realisation that I'm in Africa only hits me when I see a strange orthopaedic condition in the hospital or ride in one of the minibus taxis that are packed to the roof with passengers and chickens or when there is a power cut just when someone comes round in the evening for dinner!
I am on call again this coming Sunday so no exciting trips around Malawi - but maybe a browse around a coffee and book shop not far from the guest house and some shopping at the local market for vegetables.
I'm hoping to be able to go on one of the many outreach clinics the hospital does all around the country soon, maybe in a couple of weeks to Dowa which is in central Malawi.
That's all for now folks....!
H xxxxxxxx
Wednesday 15 September 2010
Miss (well nearly!) Miller, MBChB, Lead surgeon!
In the past week now I've been allowed to be lead surgeon operating on some of the children, still only simple things like excising extra digits on hands and feet (polydactyly), debriding ulcers and infected wounds, and putting in/taking out K wires and such like. But it's still really cool to see my name on the top of the operating notes: Lead Surgeon - Dr. Miller! AWESOME :-)
So as you can see things at work are going well. I had another nice relaxing weekend just gone, we went to a really nice coffee/gift shop, where me and Hollie had lunch and mused around all the cool hand-crafts and suchlike. We then had a film night at Aysha's (the lead physio here) where we watched Harry Potter 5. Sunday involved going to church in the morning then lunch in town at the food court, (where they have the most amazing Bakery shop), and then there was a women's bible study group in the afternoon at someone's house.
Last Wednesday evening went well too - which was Bianca's leaving party and also my on call night. I didn't get any calls and loads of people turned up to the party. We unfortunately didn't have any power, but we had planned for that and had cooked the chilli (yes Vic and Katie - it was silly chilli!!) and potato wedges and rice all before the power went off at 6pm and kept it warm in the oven till guests arrived at 7ish.
I have played hockey a couple of times with some girls at the local sports complex in the past week and will definitely continue going as it's fun (despite automatically kicking the ball with my feet still - I usually play goalkeeper but have been playing outfield!) - yesterday I also got hit just under the jaw with a stick - which hurts :-( Please pray for quick healing.
This weekend we have planned to go up Mulanje with the Tuesday bible study group. There will be about 8 of us which is going to be awesome. We are going up early Saturday morning and then staying 2 nights on the mountain and then be back in Blantyre Monday evening in time to go to the local cinema to watch inception. Please pray we are all kept safe this weekend, both travelling on the roads and up the mountain, and that we will all have fun and be fit enough to do the whole trek!
Thanks to my Mam for help sorting my bank card. There wasn't a problem in the end, just a random ATM that refused my card - apparently they do that sometimes in Malawi. And thanks to Vic too - mmmmmmmmmmmmm Haribo :-) loved the card too. Thanks to everyone else too who is regularly emailing/messaging - love you loads :-) You are all making it easier to be here knowing you are thinking and praying for me.
Much love to you all,
H xxxxxxxxxxx
So as you can see things at work are going well. I had another nice relaxing weekend just gone, we went to a really nice coffee/gift shop, where me and Hollie had lunch and mused around all the cool hand-crafts and suchlike. We then had a film night at Aysha's (the lead physio here) where we watched Harry Potter 5. Sunday involved going to church in the morning then lunch in town at the food court, (where they have the most amazing Bakery shop), and then there was a women's bible study group in the afternoon at someone's house.
Last Wednesday evening went well too - which was Bianca's leaving party and also my on call night. I didn't get any calls and loads of people turned up to the party. We unfortunately didn't have any power, but we had planned for that and had cooked the chilli (yes Vic and Katie - it was silly chilli!!) and potato wedges and rice all before the power went off at 6pm and kept it warm in the oven till guests arrived at 7ish.
I have played hockey a couple of times with some girls at the local sports complex in the past week and will definitely continue going as it's fun (despite automatically kicking the ball with my feet still - I usually play goalkeeper but have been playing outfield!) - yesterday I also got hit just under the jaw with a stick - which hurts :-( Please pray for quick healing.
This weekend we have planned to go up Mulanje with the Tuesday bible study group. There will be about 8 of us which is going to be awesome. We are going up early Saturday morning and then staying 2 nights on the mountain and then be back in Blantyre Monday evening in time to go to the local cinema to watch inception. Please pray we are all kept safe this weekend, both travelling on the roads and up the mountain, and that we will all have fun and be fit enough to do the whole trek!
Thanks to my Mam for help sorting my bank card. There wasn't a problem in the end, just a random ATM that refused my card - apparently they do that sometimes in Malawi. And thanks to Vic too - mmmmmmmmmmmmm Haribo :-) loved the card too. Thanks to everyone else too who is regularly emailing/messaging - love you loads :-) You are all making it easier to be here knowing you are thinking and praying for me.
Much love to you all,
H xxxxxxxxxxx
Tuesday 7 September 2010
Home Sweet Home
So, I've been here a month now - eeek it's totally flown by! But I really feel at home here now :-)
Didn't go anywhere exciting this weekend as I needed to renew my visa which happened successfully and with no trouble at all though I had to pay £20 for the privilege. I tried to pick up some post that has arrived for me - very exciting :-) but couldn't as it was shut at the weekends. Will hopefully get there tomorrow.
It's a good job I didn't go anywhere really because apparently I was on call on Sunday and only found out when a guard came to fetch me (they couldn't get hold of me on my mobile as it was switched off from being in church in the morning!) African organisation!! Oh well, it was OK and there wasn't an emergency - just all the kids needed clerking for the coming weeks surgeries. By the time I'd got to the kids ward the consultant doing surgery on the Monday was already there doing his ward round, he didn't seem to mind too much that I hadn't clerked any of his patients!! If I was in the UK I would have been sacked - never mind nobody had told me I was supposed to be on call! Anyway all is well and I have now tracked down the on call schedule for this month and am on call this coming Wednesday night and on the 20th. Please pray whatever (if anything) I get called about I will be able to deal with confidently and well. I continue to be amazed by the patients here - they cope with so much. Any child with a deformity, even as small as a clubfoot, will have less in life than 'normal' children. Their families may reject them, they have less education, less job prospects, and even less prospect of marrying! It breaks my heart. Yet we are constantly rewarded by the huge smiles on their faces when they see that their limb is fixed/no longer in pain, or even when we tell them we can do something to help. I manipulated (pulled into it's correct position) a fractured forearm today in a 10yr old boy who had ONLY been given paracetamol and ibuprofen 30 minutes beforehand! He didn't even shed a tear, yet in the UK we would spend hundreds of pounds doing it in theatre when the child is anaesthetised. By the way this was a western kid who has lived here for 6 years as his parents are missionaries.
Sheila has now left :-( but I am getting on extremely well with Hollie the new med student. Dr Cashman is really nice and is very approachable and is good at teaching. I hope to get a project started soon with him on neglected lateral condyle fractures and how we should be treating them.
Bianca (the German student) leaves this Friday :-( I have also gotten on really well with her and will be sad to see her go. We are having a party around ours on Wednesday.
I have even found a hockey team at the medical school who I can train with and am going tomorrow - they have a goalie kit I can use (who knows what state it is in though!) I am really looking forward to it.
That's about it really for this week, ooooh the upload of a photo of me and Sheila up the mountain worked :-) YAY - see it above.
Much love
H xxxxxxxxx
Thursday 2 September 2010
Climbing Mountains!
So, I made it up Mount Mulanje! I got about a 1/3 of the way up on the Saturday and was sore;y tempted to turn around and go back. Sheila however, urged me on! 7 hours later after stepping off the minibus in Mulanje town we had made it to the plateau and rested for the night in one of the 10 huts situated there. We met some others also staying at the hut who were Malawian and were planning a trip there with school children to teach them orienteering and other scout like activities. They told us of some of the myths local Malawians believe about the mountain.
The highest peak - Sapwita - which means 'Don't go there' makes Mulanje the 3rd highest mountain in Africa. It is called don't go there because the locals believe witchcraft is on the mountain because people go up there and never return....!
We climbed down a different way on the Sunday which took equally long and by the end my feet were killing me - we had a well deserved soda at the small supermarket in Likumbula which is 6Km from Mulanje town round the side of the mountain. The views were stunning and we could even see Mozambique peering at us from below the clouds! I tried to upload some pictures for you but internet is snail pace here and it wasn't working :-( I'll try next time.
Work continues and is going well. Dr Cashman is back tomorrow, he is the other consultant doctor on the team I work with. This hopefully means I will get to help out with some elective joint replacements on the private patients which I have not yet done as Dr Sam mostly works with the children and minor fractures. A medical student arrived today for her elective, which means I have a travelling buddy for the next 7 weeks - she wants to go to Mulanje, I told her she'd have to wait at least a few weeks for my muscles to recover! I hope that she wants to visit the lake too.
bible study at the McGrath's was amazing - especially the roast chicken dinner beforehand :-) I'm looking forward to the same tomorrow evening. We are going to go to the local Chinese restaurant on Friday for Sheila's leaving meal - she goes on Saturday, please pray for safe travel and for her week in South Africa sightseeing before she returns to the US.
Thank you for your prayers about my stomach - my pain has completely gone :-) I'm now sure it was just a doxycycline side-effect as it is listed in the BNF. Please pray for this Saturday - I'm staying at home this week as I need to renew my visa. Please pray that it will be quick and easy with no complications and that they won't charge me too much.
The highest peak - Sapwita - which means 'Don't go there' makes Mulanje the 3rd highest mountain in Africa. It is called don't go there because the locals believe witchcraft is on the mountain because people go up there and never return....!
We climbed down a different way on the Sunday which took equally long and by the end my feet were killing me - we had a well deserved soda at the small supermarket in Likumbula which is 6Km from Mulanje town round the side of the mountain. The views were stunning and we could even see Mozambique peering at us from below the clouds! I tried to upload some pictures for you but internet is snail pace here and it wasn't working :-( I'll try next time.
Work continues and is going well. Dr Cashman is back tomorrow, he is the other consultant doctor on the team I work with. This hopefully means I will get to help out with some elective joint replacements on the private patients which I have not yet done as Dr Sam mostly works with the children and minor fractures. A medical student arrived today for her elective, which means I have a travelling buddy for the next 7 weeks - she wants to go to Mulanje, I told her she'd have to wait at least a few weeks for my muscles to recover! I hope that she wants to visit the lake too.
bible study at the McGrath's was amazing - especially the roast chicken dinner beforehand :-) I'm looking forward to the same tomorrow evening. We are going to go to the local Chinese restaurant on Friday for Sheila's leaving meal - she goes on Saturday, please pray for safe travel and for her week in South Africa sightseeing before she returns to the US.
Thank you for your prayers about my stomach - my pain has completely gone :-) I'm now sure it was just a doxycycline side-effect as it is listed in the BNF. Please pray for this Saturday - I'm staying at home this week as I need to renew my visa. Please pray that it will be quick and easy with no complications and that they won't charge me too much.
Wednesday 25 August 2010
Being like Daniel....
I love working in a Christian hospital. There is a half hour of worship and prayers every morning, we pray without shame for the patients whilst on the ward and before we anaesthetise them in theatre, there is no fear of our seniors, we can question them about anything and we will be answered with respect and gentle encouragement. There is laughter and singing in theatre, and sometimes even dancing! Today in theatre we all sang along (quite loudly!) to Delirious' tune of over the mountains and the sea :-) whilst operating on the patient.
This month in the morning bible time we are looking at 'excellence' especially on Tuesdays where both bible groups (theatre and ward) get together. Excellence is one of the hospitals core values and is displayed over the front door - saying:
'Excellence in Orthopaedic Care'
Last week we looked at the verse in Colossians - work as you are working for the Lord and not for men. This week we are looking at Daniel - an example of excellence. Daniel was chosen for 'showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace.' The King wanted to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The idea is that we should be like Daniel and want to learn and to always better ourselves and strive for excellence.
Or as I have just thought - the army's motto - Be the Best!
This got me thinking about me being impatient at times with the length of training I need to do to be an Orthopaedic surgeon, but to be the best I can be I need to go through that training, otherwise I will not be able to help patients in the best way possible. God is definitely reminding me to be PATIENT!
On a learning note I saw a very interesting case today - osteogenesis imperfecta - I now need to go and read all about it so I can be quizzed on it tomorrow! We put a nail down his femur that was fractured due to his brittle bones. Unfortunately because his bones are so brittle we caused another femur fracture slightly lower down as we tried to place the nail, this too was fixed in place by the same nail once we had got it directly down the centre of the bone and it is holding well - it means however the patient will be in a hip spica plaster cast for 6 weeks to aid healing, whereas he wouldn't have needed it if the other fracture didn't happen.
We did make it to Zomba at the weekend - it was awesome :-) Very hot and scenic, hopefully we are going to Mulangje for this weekend and hike up an even bigger mountain. We bought fresh raspberries and strawberries on Zomba - very yummy.
Thank you again for all your continued prayers. And I ask another one of you - since Tuesday I have had upper abdominal pain every time I swallow either food or drink - nothing seems to help apart from not eating!! I am concerned it might be an ulcer, but that is probably just a medic being paranoid. Please pray that the pain will go as it is very frustrating even if it is nothing serious.
Bianca (one of the German gap year girls staying at the guest house and works as a play therapist for the children in the hospital) invited me on Tuesday evening to the bible study group she goes to. It was held at the McGrath's house. The McGrath's are 'mzungus' (white people!) in Blantyre and EVERYBODY knows them! They have 5 children and a huge house, and have been here for years as missionaries. They are extremely hospitable and their house is always open to anyone and everyone! I really enjoyed the bible study group - there were 6 of us all 'mzungu' who are here either permanently or for a short while. Ann McGrath (the mum!) has invited both me and Bianca over for dinner tonight before another bible study group - Bianca also goes to this one and the group apparently has 'older people in it'! The one I went to on Tuesday Bianca said was a 'youth' one - I like the fact I was counted as youth! I think I was the oldest one there but not by much :-)
Bye for now
H xx
This month in the morning bible time we are looking at 'excellence' especially on Tuesdays where both bible groups (theatre and ward) get together. Excellence is one of the hospitals core values and is displayed over the front door - saying:
'Excellence in Orthopaedic Care'
Last week we looked at the verse in Colossians - work as you are working for the Lord and not for men. This week we are looking at Daniel - an example of excellence. Daniel was chosen for 'showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king's palace.' The King wanted to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians. The idea is that we should be like Daniel and want to learn and to always better ourselves and strive for excellence.
Or as I have just thought - the army's motto - Be the Best!
This got me thinking about me being impatient at times with the length of training I need to do to be an Orthopaedic surgeon, but to be the best I can be I need to go through that training, otherwise I will not be able to help patients in the best way possible. God is definitely reminding me to be PATIENT!
On a learning note I saw a very interesting case today - osteogenesis imperfecta - I now need to go and read all about it so I can be quizzed on it tomorrow! We put a nail down his femur that was fractured due to his brittle bones. Unfortunately because his bones are so brittle we caused another femur fracture slightly lower down as we tried to place the nail, this too was fixed in place by the same nail once we had got it directly down the centre of the bone and it is holding well - it means however the patient will be in a hip spica plaster cast for 6 weeks to aid healing, whereas he wouldn't have needed it if the other fracture didn't happen.
We did make it to Zomba at the weekend - it was awesome :-) Very hot and scenic, hopefully we are going to Mulangje for this weekend and hike up an even bigger mountain. We bought fresh raspberries and strawberries on Zomba - very yummy.
Thank you again for all your continued prayers. And I ask another one of you - since Tuesday I have had upper abdominal pain every time I swallow either food or drink - nothing seems to help apart from not eating!! I am concerned it might be an ulcer, but that is probably just a medic being paranoid. Please pray that the pain will go as it is very frustrating even if it is nothing serious.
Bianca (one of the German gap year girls staying at the guest house and works as a play therapist for the children in the hospital) invited me on Tuesday evening to the bible study group she goes to. It was held at the McGrath's house. The McGrath's are 'mzungus' (white people!) in Blantyre and EVERYBODY knows them! They have 5 children and a huge house, and have been here for years as missionaries. They are extremely hospitable and their house is always open to anyone and everyone! I really enjoyed the bible study group - there were 6 of us all 'mzungu' who are here either permanently or for a short while. Ann McGrath (the mum!) has invited both me and Bianca over for dinner tonight before another bible study group - Bianca also goes to this one and the group apparently has 'older people in it'! The one I went to on Tuesday Bianca said was a 'youth' one - I like the fact I was counted as youth! I think I was the oldest one there but not by much :-)
Bye for now
H xx
Friday 20 August 2010
Pancakes and Students!
Hi guys!
I apologise if there are any spelling mistakes in this as I am typing this in the dark as the porch is the only place in the guesthouse to get internet signal and it is 6pm!
Well work is going well - Dr Sam is slowly letting me do more and more stuff in surgery - He is impressed with my suturing - he states it is very neat and I would make a good plastic surgeon :-)
I have also managed to put in K wires and reduce a dislocated shoulder under anaesthetic.
Tomorrow I have to start a series of 5 teaching sesions for the 3rd year medical students at the nearby university! I was only told this morning - eeek! It shouldn't be too bad - I have to teach them the basics of examining a hip joint and there are only 17 of them. Please pray that they will learn something from my teaching session tomorrow. I will be teaching them again next friday for their second session on X-rays. I actually quite like teaching but generally speaking only of there are 4-5 of them!
2 nights ago we made pancakes - both English and American and Emma bought marshmellows and chocolate - yummy!
Not too much else to say as yet apart from I've found a place to live in Liverpool for when I do the diploma in February - Yay!
I should sign off before I get bitten to pieces in the dark by mossies!
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxx
I apologise if there are any spelling mistakes in this as I am typing this in the dark as the porch is the only place in the guesthouse to get internet signal and it is 6pm!
Well work is going well - Dr Sam is slowly letting me do more and more stuff in surgery - He is impressed with my suturing - he states it is very neat and I would make a good plastic surgeon :-)
I have also managed to put in K wires and reduce a dislocated shoulder under anaesthetic.
Tomorrow I have to start a series of 5 teaching sesions for the 3rd year medical students at the nearby university! I was only told this morning - eeek! It shouldn't be too bad - I have to teach them the basics of examining a hip joint and there are only 17 of them. Please pray that they will learn something from my teaching session tomorrow. I will be teaching them again next friday for their second session on X-rays. I actually quite like teaching but generally speaking only of there are 4-5 of them!
2 nights ago we made pancakes - both English and American and Emma bought marshmellows and chocolate - yummy!
Not too much else to say as yet apart from I've found a place to live in Liverpool for when I do the diploma in February - Yay!
I should sign off before I get bitten to pieces in the dark by mossies!
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxx
Monday 16 August 2010
Sun and Cherry Plum Sodas!
Sunday 15th August 2010
So, I’ve been here a week now! In some ways it seems much longer, as over the past few days I have really settled in. In the end we didn’t go to Zomba plateau hiking yesterday as Sheila is feeling ill, with a fever on Friday, and another today, although none yesterday. She had a negative test for malaria yesterday morning but her symptoms do seem to suggest malaria. Please pray that she recovers quickly and that a further blood film tomorrow will confirm either way what the problem is so she can be treated effectively.
We did however manage to get into Blantyre city for a short wonder, which was fun. On the way into Blantyre there is an art gallery and cafe run by one of Sheila’s physio patients, so we stopped there for a light lunch and a look around – I am definitely going back there probably several times for food, proper coffee and to buy lots of local art and craft work – it’s the kind of place I could spend hours in! When we got into town we went to the fruit and veg market and also further on there is a wood craft market. The sellers tried very hard to swindle us out of extortionate ampounts of money but we bargained quite well for a few things. We plan to go to Zomba next Saturday instead – pray for good weather, good health and safe travel :-)
Last night we went to Emma and Becky's house for food and film! Emma is a physio who did her elective at Beit CURE and has now finished her university degree. Her parents are Salvation army missionaries here. Becky is her older sister who is a 4th year medical studant at Leicester Uni who was here for a few weeks and went back earlier today – hence the dinner party last night. We made fajitas and had cherry plum floats for pudding! (this is icecream spooned into a glass with the fizzy pop poured over – we used the unique ‘cherry plum soda’ that you can only get here – it is a fizzy drink flavoured with – you guessed it – cherry and plum! Yummy) I’m reckoning you could get a similar effect with cherry coke :-)
Friday at work was quite tame – a short ward round where we discharged most of our patients who had surgery on the Tuesday and then teaching – which consisted of Dr Maina (Sam the Kenyhan doctor) and Dr Harrison (the big boss) quizzing me and Dr Leonard Banza (a Malawian resident) on various X-rays. I did alright but would have much preferred the case Leonard was quizzed about as I knew all the answers! It was constructive quizzing and much nicer than I’ve had in the past!
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxxxx
So, I’ve been here a week now! In some ways it seems much longer, as over the past few days I have really settled in. In the end we didn’t go to Zomba plateau hiking yesterday as Sheila is feeling ill, with a fever on Friday, and another today, although none yesterday. She had a negative test for malaria yesterday morning but her symptoms do seem to suggest malaria. Please pray that she recovers quickly and that a further blood film tomorrow will confirm either way what the problem is so she can be treated effectively.
We did however manage to get into Blantyre city for a short wonder, which was fun. On the way into Blantyre there is an art gallery and cafe run by one of Sheila’s physio patients, so we stopped there for a light lunch and a look around – I am definitely going back there probably several times for food, proper coffee and to buy lots of local art and craft work – it’s the kind of place I could spend hours in! When we got into town we went to the fruit and veg market and also further on there is a wood craft market. The sellers tried very hard to swindle us out of extortionate ampounts of money but we bargained quite well for a few things. We plan to go to Zomba next Saturday instead – pray for good weather, good health and safe travel :-)
Last night we went to Emma and Becky's house for food and film! Emma is a physio who did her elective at Beit CURE and has now finished her university degree. Her parents are Salvation army missionaries here. Becky is her older sister who is a 4th year medical studant at Leicester Uni who was here for a few weeks and went back earlier today – hence the dinner party last night. We made fajitas and had cherry plum floats for pudding! (this is icecream spooned into a glass with the fizzy pop poured over – we used the unique ‘cherry plum soda’ that you can only get here – it is a fizzy drink flavoured with – you guessed it – cherry and plum! Yummy) I’m reckoning you could get a similar effect with cherry coke :-)
Friday at work was quite tame – a short ward round where we discharged most of our patients who had surgery on the Tuesday and then teaching – which consisted of Dr Maina (Sam the Kenyhan doctor) and Dr Harrison (the big boss) quizzing me and Dr Leonard Banza (a Malawian resident) on various X-rays. I did alright but would have much preferred the case Leonard was quizzed about as I knew all the answers! It was constructive quizzing and much nicer than I’ve had in the past!
TTFN
H xxxxxxxxxxxx
Friday 13 August 2010
Black and decker drills and chocolate cake...
Thursday 12th August
Thank you all for your kind prayers, I have felt much better since the other evening. Every morning I feel God is talking directly to me through the morning worship sessions. Yesterday we looked at Colossians where it says ‘work as you are working for the Lord and not for men.’ And todays was Jeremiah 29:11 ‘I have plans for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you.’ These are probably two my most favourite verses in the Bible and God has used them just at the right time – AMAZING!
I am still getting used to the Malawi way of things, I seem to be finished each day between 2-3pm! Which seems really strange and I have to keep asking – ‘is there anything else that needs doing?!’ They say, no, go home, relax! So I do! Apparently it can be much busier and in addition I will hopefully get stuck into some research in the next few weeks, so I will be grateful for the free time to look at that. Also I’m not on the on call rota until September as they had already written it for August before I arrived.
The past 2 days it has been much like an English September/October with strong gusting winds and rain, today the theatre staff mede me laugh by putting on anywhere between 2 and 5 (yes 5!) layers of scrubs because they were so cold. They offered me more because I only had one layer on I told them it wasn’t as cold as England and that they should come back with me in January to see what cold really is, they declined! I really like the theatre staff, they are all really jokey and friendly and like singing in theatre, very different to the UK; once the laughter subsided we got to work.
I got a bit of a shock in the first case. It is always a joke that Orthopods use black and decker drills, well today it was truth! They did actually use a black and decker drill for inserting some K wires (metal wires that are slightly flexible and about 0.5-5mm in diameter depending on which bone you are fixing) into a toe. The black and decker drill, as it is not sterile, was carefully placed into a sterile coat made from cloth which looked specially made for its occasion! In the UK we use special drills that do look similar but are stainless steel and much lighter and you can put them into the sterilisers, so there is no need for a special coat.
The next case we did was a young chap who had a car accident, which is sadly all too common here. He had an unusaul fracture of his femur (thigh bone) it was broken in 2 places – at the neck in the hip and half way down, which presented an intersting problem of how to fix it. Usually to fix the higher fracture a nail is used that reaches to about mid thigh (just where the other fracture in this chap was!) So we had to use a much longer nail with locking screws near the knee and ones further up which were angled onto the hip to stop the fractures rotating on the nail, pretty cool stuff especially since it is in Africa – we did have an intraoperative xray machine though which always helps. This type of surgery is ALWAYS done with xray guidance in the UK, in Afrcia it seems to be optional!
It was really cool to be able to pray over the patient in theatre before we anaesthetised them, no where else I thought.
Me and Sheila (the physio student) have made a plan to go to Zomba on Saturday which is a small town about an hours drive fom Blantyre, there is the Zomba plateau to walk up and hike around, so hopefully the weather perks up and I’ll get some photos of the surrounding landscape. 2 nights ago I went with Sheila to Aisha’s house. Aisha is the lead physio here, she is an American with 2 kids who lives as she call it the Beverly hills of Blantyre (i.e. the poshest row of houses EVER in Africa). Her house was posh even to British standards. We went round there to make chocolate cake and other yummy things like bana cake, and ‘caramel corn’ which in Englush is toffee popcorn! I got confused with measuring stuff out in ‘cups’ I mean how exactly are you supposed to measure margarine out in a cup? Aisha agreed it was difficult and told me 1 cup is equal to approx 250g which again confused me as I cook in ounces because that’s what my Mam taught me! We also made Reeces peanut butter cups – which I think are a gross misconduct to chocolate – why smother peanut butter in chocolate? The HORROR (I don’t like peanuts, did you guess?!)
Please pray I continue to settle in and do not become homesick again, and also pray for safe travel on Saturday (and good weather)
H xxxxxxxx
Thank you all for your kind prayers, I have felt much better since the other evening. Every morning I feel God is talking directly to me through the morning worship sessions. Yesterday we looked at Colossians where it says ‘work as you are working for the Lord and not for men.’ And todays was Jeremiah 29:11 ‘I have plans for you, plans to prosper and not to harm you.’ These are probably two my most favourite verses in the Bible and God has used them just at the right time – AMAZING!
I am still getting used to the Malawi way of things, I seem to be finished each day between 2-3pm! Which seems really strange and I have to keep asking – ‘is there anything else that needs doing?!’ They say, no, go home, relax! So I do! Apparently it can be much busier and in addition I will hopefully get stuck into some research in the next few weeks, so I will be grateful for the free time to look at that. Also I’m not on the on call rota until September as they had already written it for August before I arrived.
The past 2 days it has been much like an English September/October with strong gusting winds and rain, today the theatre staff mede me laugh by putting on anywhere between 2 and 5 (yes 5!) layers of scrubs because they were so cold. They offered me more because I only had one layer on I told them it wasn’t as cold as England and that they should come back with me in January to see what cold really is, they declined! I really like the theatre staff, they are all really jokey and friendly and like singing in theatre, very different to the UK; once the laughter subsided we got to work.
I got a bit of a shock in the first case. It is always a joke that Orthopods use black and decker drills, well today it was truth! They did actually use a black and decker drill for inserting some K wires (metal wires that are slightly flexible and about 0.5-5mm in diameter depending on which bone you are fixing) into a toe. The black and decker drill, as it is not sterile, was carefully placed into a sterile coat made from cloth which looked specially made for its occasion! In the UK we use special drills that do look similar but are stainless steel and much lighter and you can put them into the sterilisers, so there is no need for a special coat.
The next case we did was a young chap who had a car accident, which is sadly all too common here. He had an unusaul fracture of his femur (thigh bone) it was broken in 2 places – at the neck in the hip and half way down, which presented an intersting problem of how to fix it. Usually to fix the higher fracture a nail is used that reaches to about mid thigh (just where the other fracture in this chap was!) So we had to use a much longer nail with locking screws near the knee and ones further up which were angled onto the hip to stop the fractures rotating on the nail, pretty cool stuff especially since it is in Africa – we did have an intraoperative xray machine though which always helps. This type of surgery is ALWAYS done with xray guidance in the UK, in Afrcia it seems to be optional!
It was really cool to be able to pray over the patient in theatre before we anaesthetised them, no where else I thought.
Me and Sheila (the physio student) have made a plan to go to Zomba on Saturday which is a small town about an hours drive fom Blantyre, there is the Zomba plateau to walk up and hike around, so hopefully the weather perks up and I’ll get some photos of the surrounding landscape. 2 nights ago I went with Sheila to Aisha’s house. Aisha is the lead physio here, she is an American with 2 kids who lives as she call it the Beverly hills of Blantyre (i.e. the poshest row of houses EVER in Africa). Her house was posh even to British standards. We went round there to make chocolate cake and other yummy things like bana cake, and ‘caramel corn’ which in Englush is toffee popcorn! I got confused with measuring stuff out in ‘cups’ I mean how exactly are you supposed to measure margarine out in a cup? Aisha agreed it was difficult and told me 1 cup is equal to approx 250g which again confused me as I cook in ounces because that’s what my Mam taught me! We also made Reeces peanut butter cups – which I think are a gross misconduct to chocolate – why smother peanut butter in chocolate? The HORROR (I don’t like peanuts, did you guess?!)
Please pray I continue to settle in and do not become homesick again, and also pray for safe travel on Saturday (and good weather)
H xxxxxxxx
Wednesday 11 August 2010
Sunday 8th August 2010
...We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4:16.
This was the verse for my daily reading a few days ago. The writer of the study for that day tells of his time when he went back to his home country in Africa to finish his internship (FY1 or to non medics – 1st year of being a doctor):
‘At one point I thought, ‘Was God really right to tell me to complete my internship here?’ Perhaps I had been wrong to think so. Yet despite my doubts, deep down I knew that I had heard Him right. Does that sound familiar?’
Umm, yes that sounds VERY familiar! God really does speak to us doesn’t he?! As I’ll explain later I was slightly freaking out yesterday on the way here, however God has just gently reminded me of this reading I read a few days ago, saying ‘hang on a minute, didn’t I just reassure you a few days ago?’ Yes God you did, and thank you for reassuring me again, I think you’re going to have to do that a lot these next 5 months!
Anyway so, here I am, I’ve made it!
The weather, which is the first thing all you Brits will want to know about, is much the same as it is at home – about 20-25 degrees, and today it is about 20! I am actually wearing a hoodie ‘cos it is cool inside the house. This is the end of the Malawian winter – roll on summer :-)
I have to confess whilst I was on the plane on the way I was absolutely terrified – of what I am doing not the fact I was in a plane – although that is quite scary, I don’t understand the physics, but being thousands of metres up in the sky in a tin can is WEIRD! Anyway back to being terrified of what the next 5 months hold...
I can’t quite believe I have decided to up and leave the comfort of England and an NHS job where I know everyone and what is expected of me and come to Malawi, where I don’t know anyone, and I actually have no idea what I will be up to. Anyway, as soon as I was picked up at Blantyre airport and was being driven to the hospital and the guest house, all of that disappeared! I was back in Africa and I knew I was going to love it :-) Please pray I’ll settle in quickly.
Once I arrived, I was greeted by a current occupant of the Guest house, Sheila, who is a physio student from California (USA). She has another month here. Apparently I have just missed 2 Medical students from Newcastle – they left yesterday morning a few hours before I arrived.
The house is one storey – like most African houses. It has a tin roof on which the pied crows were fighting on this morning and made one hell of a racket! There is a nice big lounge and dining room, with a TV and DVD player. The kitchen is compact but has everything useful – though why the cooker is electric and not gas is beyond me (African electricity boards have what they call share loading, which means parts of the city takes it in turns to have blackouts at random times during the day!) There are 4 rooms with 2-3 beds in each. I am currently sharing with Sheila. There is running HOT water (usually anyway) which means no freezing wash in the morning to wake me up (that was a delight in Uganda!)
Yesterday I got invited out in the afternoon with Sheila by one of her many family friends (Rose). Her Dad grew up in Zambia and therefore seems to know a lot of the Indian families in Zambia and Malawi. Rose took us on a drive down the hills outside Blantyre to the river and back which was beautiful. She then took us back to her house which was full of her Grandkids and fed us very spicy chicken samosas and doughnut type bread which was yummy.
Today Sheila showed me the local supermarket which wasn’t huge but big by African standards. She lent me some local money – Kwacha, as I have not yet managed to change mine. The guest house is self catered, although I get lunch at the hospital on working days. I found the usual African goodies of Blue band margarine, mixed fruit jam in a tin can, and ‘sodas’ of all flavours (pineapple or blackcurrant fanta anyone? – I wish the UK would sell them!) Tomorrow I will adventure to the local market and pick up small bananas, tomatoes, and aubergines all totalling about Mk 150 which is equivalent to $1 – brilliant :-)
I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow but I’ll turn up at the hospital worship before rounds at 7ish and meet the other doctors there and work out my timetable and on-calls and stuff. It would be nice to have tomorrow off to venture into the centre of Blantyre to change money and get a phone etc before being launched straight into work, but I’ll go with the flow! Please pray for my first working day – I always get scared about first days of new rotations, even back in the UK, I think it’s mostly the not knowing about stuff which scares me, such as where to be at what time and each hospital even within the NHS has different ways of doing things, and I hate getting things wrong.
That’s about it for now, just to say I am writing this in a word document and then will up load it onto my blog – which won’t happen till at least tomorrow hence I’ll continue to put the date at the top of each entry so I try not to confuse people.
P.S. I’ve just heard an ice cream van go past – surreal! Its tune was teddy bears picnic!
H xxxxx
Tuesday 10th August 2010
Well today has been much better than yesterday! I actually felt homesick yesterday afternoon. Feel much better today. Yesterday consisted of a short ward round with Dr Sam and then his clinic which I just sat in on. I was told by Sama that Jim (the boss) would come and find me to chat about schedules and stuff but he never did. Today I went to the early worship meeting – the singing was amazing, I love the African sound, and the message was just right for how I was feeling. We looked at Psalm 100 and how we should always praise the Lord no matter what, Allelujah! It was then time for theatre and we operated on the kids who we saw on yesterdays ward round. I helped with a tibialis anterior tendon transfer to correct club foot, excision of osteochondroma, and release of burn contractures on a teenagers fingers with full thickness skin grafts. I still need to get hold a mobile and change the rest of my money, as have not managed to do that yet. I am hoping to catch jim this afternoon after his clinic to sort out what I’m actually expeted to be doing and my on call schedule as well.
Please pray that the homesickness will stay away and that I will settle in more and more.
Bye for now!
H xxxxxxxx
...We know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. 1 John 4:16.
This was the verse for my daily reading a few days ago. The writer of the study for that day tells of his time when he went back to his home country in Africa to finish his internship (FY1 or to non medics – 1st year of being a doctor):
‘At one point I thought, ‘Was God really right to tell me to complete my internship here?’ Perhaps I had been wrong to think so. Yet despite my doubts, deep down I knew that I had heard Him right. Does that sound familiar?’
Umm, yes that sounds VERY familiar! God really does speak to us doesn’t he?! As I’ll explain later I was slightly freaking out yesterday on the way here, however God has just gently reminded me of this reading I read a few days ago, saying ‘hang on a minute, didn’t I just reassure you a few days ago?’ Yes God you did, and thank you for reassuring me again, I think you’re going to have to do that a lot these next 5 months!
Anyway so, here I am, I’ve made it!
The weather, which is the first thing all you Brits will want to know about, is much the same as it is at home – about 20-25 degrees, and today it is about 20! I am actually wearing a hoodie ‘cos it is cool inside the house. This is the end of the Malawian winter – roll on summer :-)
I have to confess whilst I was on the plane on the way I was absolutely terrified – of what I am doing not the fact I was in a plane – although that is quite scary, I don’t understand the physics, but being thousands of metres up in the sky in a tin can is WEIRD! Anyway back to being terrified of what the next 5 months hold...
I can’t quite believe I have decided to up and leave the comfort of England and an NHS job where I know everyone and what is expected of me and come to Malawi, where I don’t know anyone, and I actually have no idea what I will be up to. Anyway, as soon as I was picked up at Blantyre airport and was being driven to the hospital and the guest house, all of that disappeared! I was back in Africa and I knew I was going to love it :-) Please pray I’ll settle in quickly.
Once I arrived, I was greeted by a current occupant of the Guest house, Sheila, who is a physio student from California (USA). She has another month here. Apparently I have just missed 2 Medical students from Newcastle – they left yesterday morning a few hours before I arrived.
The house is one storey – like most African houses. It has a tin roof on which the pied crows were fighting on this morning and made one hell of a racket! There is a nice big lounge and dining room, with a TV and DVD player. The kitchen is compact but has everything useful – though why the cooker is electric and not gas is beyond me (African electricity boards have what they call share loading, which means parts of the city takes it in turns to have blackouts at random times during the day!) There are 4 rooms with 2-3 beds in each. I am currently sharing with Sheila. There is running HOT water (usually anyway) which means no freezing wash in the morning to wake me up (that was a delight in Uganda!)
Yesterday I got invited out in the afternoon with Sheila by one of her many family friends (Rose). Her Dad grew up in Zambia and therefore seems to know a lot of the Indian families in Zambia and Malawi. Rose took us on a drive down the hills outside Blantyre to the river and back which was beautiful. She then took us back to her house which was full of her Grandkids and fed us very spicy chicken samosas and doughnut type bread which was yummy.
Today Sheila showed me the local supermarket which wasn’t huge but big by African standards. She lent me some local money – Kwacha, as I have not yet managed to change mine. The guest house is self catered, although I get lunch at the hospital on working days. I found the usual African goodies of Blue band margarine, mixed fruit jam in a tin can, and ‘sodas’ of all flavours (pineapple or blackcurrant fanta anyone? – I wish the UK would sell them!) Tomorrow I will adventure to the local market and pick up small bananas, tomatoes, and aubergines all totalling about Mk 150 which is equivalent to $1 – brilliant :-)
I’m not sure what’s going to happen tomorrow but I’ll turn up at the hospital worship before rounds at 7ish and meet the other doctors there and work out my timetable and on-calls and stuff. It would be nice to have tomorrow off to venture into the centre of Blantyre to change money and get a phone etc before being launched straight into work, but I’ll go with the flow! Please pray for my first working day – I always get scared about first days of new rotations, even back in the UK, I think it’s mostly the not knowing about stuff which scares me, such as where to be at what time and each hospital even within the NHS has different ways of doing things, and I hate getting things wrong.
That’s about it for now, just to say I am writing this in a word document and then will up load it onto my blog – which won’t happen till at least tomorrow hence I’ll continue to put the date at the top of each entry so I try not to confuse people.
P.S. I’ve just heard an ice cream van go past – surreal! Its tune was teddy bears picnic!
H xxxxx
Tuesday 10th August 2010
Well today has been much better than yesterday! I actually felt homesick yesterday afternoon. Feel much better today. Yesterday consisted of a short ward round with Dr Sam and then his clinic which I just sat in on. I was told by Sama that Jim (the boss) would come and find me to chat about schedules and stuff but he never did. Today I went to the early worship meeting – the singing was amazing, I love the African sound, and the message was just right for how I was feeling. We looked at Psalm 100 and how we should always praise the Lord no matter what, Allelujah! It was then time for theatre and we operated on the kids who we saw on yesterdays ward round. I helped with a tibialis anterior tendon transfer to correct club foot, excision of osteochondroma, and release of burn contractures on a teenagers fingers with full thickness skin grafts. I still need to get hold a mobile and change the rest of my money, as have not managed to do that yet. I am hoping to catch jim this afternoon after his clinic to sort out what I’m actually expeted to be doing and my on call schedule as well.
Please pray that the homesickness will stay away and that I will settle in more and more.
Bye for now!
H xxxxxxxx
Saturday 7 August 2010
Hairy moments already!
So I've made it to the Departure lounge in Terminal 1 of Heathrow :-)
Had too much weight for my checked in baggage so had to pay excess which my Mam very kindly paid - Thanks Mam you're a star xxx
Then the lady asked about my visa - I was told several times by the hospital - no problem get one at Blantyre airport for 3 months (which is the max) then you can renew it monthly after that at £20 per month. The lady at the desk wasn't sure about this - PLEASE PRAY THAT IT'LL BE OK AND I'LL GET THROUGH AT BLANTYRE.
So that all over I then forgot to take my hiking boots off before walking through security and set the alarms off :-S OOOOPS - So they then searched me and made me get in the new fangled body scanner do-dah - which is quite claustrophobic but is only for like 5 seconds. I passed you'll be pleased to know, although thinking about it I probably wouldn't be writing this if I hadn't!!
Anyways, much love to everyone, and thanks for all your prayers so far - they have been very much appreciated :-)
H xxxxxxxxx
Thursday 5 August 2010
This is not just M&S roast beef, this is Mam's roast beef!
Thanks for all the kind messages I have had from friends and family :) I have now made it back to Loughborough and have stored all my stuff (that did make it into boxes!!) at my Grandmother's house. I have a fun packed day ahead tomorrow - My Nana from Lincoln and Auntie Sandra (who is currently over from Australia) are coming over tomorrow to say hello before I start my travels. Also my Mam is going to cook a big roast dinner for 9 people (the 6 of us, 2 grandparents and and an aunt) tomorrow night for my last night on English soil - Roast beef to boot - very English! I am especially looking forward to the plum bread and butter pudding afterwards :-)
Several of you have asked about my address whilst I am out there so here it is:
The Guest House
Beit CURE International Hospital
PO Box 31236
Blantyre 3
MALAWI
Feel free to send me snail mail - Haribo would always be appreciated! ;-)
Sunday 1 August 2010
This time next week....!
Well I think I'm now pretty much set for Malawi! I have packed and repacked my bags - still can't get it under 22Kg though (South African Airlines unfortunately only give you 20Kg). I'm hoping they won't charge me extra baggage! I now have to try and pack everything else up in the flat for Tuesday which is moving day. There is currently a lot of stuff and a lot of boxes, but not much of stuff actually in boxes :/
It's kind of an end of an era - me and Vic P have been house-mates since 2nd year of University (7 years!) She is off to her swanky new flat in Birmingham with her 5 corner seat leather sofa, and I'm off to mosquitoes and drop toilets!
I'm now feeling rather nostalgic and have really loved every minute of living in Worcester and working at the hospital, it is so much nicer that Heartlands and the Children's. Everyone is really friendly and fun to work with, I will miss you all. On a similar note, I got everything signed off by my supervisor that I needed to without any fuss - he was actually in a really good mood (a rarity!)
Now for the big news:
I passed my driving test - one minor only :) Another maniac let loose on the road - but no I won't be driving in Malawi - I'm not that crazy!
I think that's all for now, apart from to say eeeeeeeeeeeek 5 days to go... and as The Doctor says: Allons-y!!
H x
Thursday 10 June 2010
58 Days to go...!
Eeeek! Malawi is getting ever closer! I'm getting so excited now :o)
Unfortunately this means I'm getting ever more frustrated and annoyed in my current job and just want it all to be over so I can go. It is hard to stop and think to remember that patience is needed and that I should always rely on God. There is still reason for me to be on the Vascular ward for the next month and a half, and I should embrace everyday and learning opportunity.
My daily reading yesterday spoke of praying the Lord's Prayer everyday and that we should really think about the words - we are to be praying that God's Will should be done each day. What does that mean - God's Will? Well in relation to my work I believe that means being patient and taking every opportunity to show his love as there is a reason I am in that moment, even though I don't necessarily realise why.
On the other hand I almost wish I have more time - I need to complete my E-Portfolio for this second year - a complete farce but I have to jump through the hoops and get signed off to prove I am up to acceptable second year standard. Quite how E-Portfolio proves this is beyond most junior doctors! Oh for the old days where your Consultant had the final say and made the way for you with his/her colleagues for your preferred job if he/she thought you were worthy enough!
On more practical non working things I need to:
1. Visit the dentist - Urghhhhhh :o( the mere though of the drills makes me shudder!
2. Get a hair cut - arranged for the day before I leave back in Loughborough - thanks Mam :o)
3. Get my ISA sorted - they closed it 'cos I hadn't put enough money in it, Doh!
4. Buy the odd thing more for Malawi like insect repellent!
5. Get an appointment with GP nurse for vaccinations - they promised they would phone, but haven't, grrr!
6. Errrrrrr...nope can't actually think of anything more
Sorry about the list - lists help me think in a more ordered way, and since I'm pretty sure I'm the only one reading my blog it doesn't matter anyway! I know it's not necessarily the point of blogs to treat them like a diary but for some reason I'm having more success at actually writing something down every now and then when I never seem to be able to do the same with a diary. I'll be advertising this blog to friends nearer the time for going to Malawi so people can see what I'm up to and be able to pray if and when they would like to.
As a parting comment I got 76% in my Surgical exam back in April - got the official letter the other day :o) I did much better than I thought as the pass rate was 63%. Roll on Part B I'm gonna be a surgeon - wooooooo! I bet God's laughing at that last comment as when I forst went to medical school I was certain I wanted to do A&E medicine, nothing else would cut it! Dad always said I watched too much Casualty and ER - I think he was right but that is what helped me pass 5th year exams hehe!
Bye for now.
Monday 31 May 2010
Plodding along!
Well, yet agin it's been ages! Oh well.
First things first - exciting news:
- I passed MRCS Part A - which means I am now half way to being a surgeon. Part B: the practicals will be taken sometime next year after I get back from Malawi.
- I passed my theory driving test and have booked the practical for 28th June.
- It's getting closer to Malawi time! I've pretty much got everything sorted for going now, just have to pack and change my home address back to my parents. I keep wanting to pack NOW, even though i's still 2 months away!
Well life is slowly plodding along at Worcester Royal hospital - numerous on call duties, clinics that last forever, and interesting surgeries. I'm yet again on call next week - on my birthday of all days :( I guess it's a sign of getting old when you can't set aside a special day for your birthday and you just have to get on with the day as usual, no party rings, or cheese and pineapple on sticks, just whatever the NHS canteen has for two quid!
Anyone else looking forward to the World Cup? I'm not in anyway convinced that England can win, especially after their performance against Japan just now, but it'll be good fun to watch the whole tournament. I was much more impressed by Leicester Tigers yesterday winning the Rugby Premiership - that is what playing with pride, power, and passion is all about - the England Football team should take notes!
Saturday 1 May 2010
Time Flies Part 2!!
Wow, it's been ages since I posted last.
Well I've now taken my MRCS exam - results out on 11 May - eeek! Other than that I've now settled into my new rotation at Worcester doing Vascular Surgery. Between clinics, theatre, and on-calls I don't seem to have much time on the ward, but that's fine because now for the first time I have House Officers to do ward work for me. Last week I performed my first couple of toe and forefoot amputations for infected gangrenous limbs, which was awesome. Though I unfortunately missed out on a below knee amputation yesterday as I had to help in one of the other Consultants clinics.
Clinics in Vascular surgery are a new experience. I'm expected to see and manage the patients on my own without a more senior doctor checking up on me. This was extremely scary at first but it went really well, and I now feel I have taken yet another step to being a grown up doctor instead of just a junior who doesn't have a clue.
On an entirely different note, I have had lots of driving lessons now and feel really comfortable behind the wheel and am taking my theory test in a few days time. I hope to have a car really soon.
I really should get to Tescos soon before it rains again -Fajitas are on the menu tomorrow as Katie and Tim are coming over for Vic's birthday, I also need plenty of night shift grub for next week. Back to being an Owl again!
Monday 8 February 2010
Wow! Time flies
It's been a month since I last posted anything - and I was planning to post at least once a week, oh well =(
I came across this amusing cartoon on the web earlier, depicting the very stereotyped Orthopod! They are renowned for being the thickest of the medical profession, and have many jokes to their name. My favourite being:
' How many Orthopods does it take to change a light bulb? One, refer to medics - darkness ?cause!'
So, what have I been up to in a month?......
1. Well work as an orthopaedic SHO continues. Still loving it =) Have had some more time in theatres and managed my first DHS op a few days ago. Inserting a dynamic hip screw into a patients hip is slightly easier than the afore mentioned Cannulated Screws, but nonetheless really exciting to do. I guess it's like venepuncture for med students - I will eventually get over the excitement of doing these things and it'll become boring and routine - but until then I will enjoy every moment!
2. I have booked a driving lesson for a few weeks time, and am terrified I have forgotten everything as it's been about 3 years now since I first had lessons. I now finally have some money to continue them (and a functioning knee!)
3. I booked my Malawi flights a few hours ago, although they still need to be confirmed by me ringing up South Africa Airlines at some point in the next few days. The official dates are 6th August till 1 January =)
4. Had a few hockey games =) One last week was for the first team (a friendly) against Cannock. Didn't do too badly, made some really good saves and we only lost 1-0. Yesterday I played for the third team against Bromsgrove who we beat 6-0, so I was pretty bored in the 2nd half!
5. And finally... MRCS part A is now booked - eek! I will be taking it in mid-April down in London. Some heavy duty revising will ensue!
Sunday 10 January 2010
Success!
This is what I trained 6 years for at medical school - Yesterday I performed my first operation, and I'm glad to say it was a success! I carried out the repair of a youngish patients undisplaced fracture of his hip with cannulated screws. Of course I was heavily supervised by an SpR but he did let me do the entirety of the procedure, from making the first incision, through putting the guide wires in, drilling the holes, and putting the cannulated screws into the hip and then finally closing with some stitches. What topped it off though was the fact that the SpR said that doing cannulated screws is much harder than putting a DHS in. My ambition for this rotation was to have done a few DHS's as that is renowned as something SHOs are able to do in orthopaedics. I can't tell you how awesome it feels to have done something harder :)
I'm just praying he doesn't end up with avascular necrosis 4 weeks down the line!
Sometimes though I get the feeling that I will never know enough to be able to pass my surgical exams, or to ever be able to work in Africa full time. But looking back, I was the same during A levels, thinking I won't get into medical school etc etc. But yesterday I realised I could actually do this. I guess everyone sometimes feels like this though.
My daily reading today I thought was very apt: A surgeon was recalling the time he was scared before carrying out a surgical procedure - he read the opening lines of a surgical textbook that would tell him how to operate, 'A true surgeon is never fearless. he fears for his patients, he fears for his shortcomings, his own mistakes.'
The faith I have in my own abilities is actually my faith in God, He gave me those abilities and I constantly have to remind myself that He never gives us too much to handle.
PS I booked a snowboarding holiday at the end of Feb, I've never been before and am really looking forward to it :)
Saturday 2 January 2010
Happy New Year
Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.
Proverbs 16:3
This is the verse from today's 'this day's thought' email that I get. I thought it was an awesome prayer for the coming year - amen.
Over the past 3 days since the Christmas weekend the Orthopaedic service at Worcester where I work has put on x4 as many theatre lists each day to reduce the huge number of patients requiring operations for their various broken limbs, (all the elective lists were cancelled). I think we've finally gotten over the worst, but I hear there is worse icy weather to come - at least the threat of snow over the past week did not become a reality in Worcestershire, a blessed relief for the already stretched to breaking point NHS!
I have my interim validation meeting on Tuesday, which is a meeting by my year supervisor on how I'm doing at work. He'll look at my portfolio of procedures and reflective work I've done since August and give me a score which will help toward my application for Speciality training. I need to do quite a bit of work on it this weekend to get it up to scratch though, I'm one of those kinds of people that saves all my work up and does it last minute rather than spacing it out and doing a little each day! I've had various comments from my seniors about taking a year out of NHS training to go to Malawi and do My tropical Medicine course. Most are enthusiastic and say it'll be a great opportunity, but some have said that if I'm serous about a career in Surgery I should apply this year.
Too late now anyway - applications have closed for working next August! I decided last month to take a chance and definitely do a year out. I really believe that this is what God has planned for me. If I really work hard out in Malawi and get plenty of experience and do some research that gets published, surely I'll prove for applications that I'm serious about an Orthopaedic job.
Anyway, here's a job list for the coming year:
1. Apply for a place on diploma of tropical medicine course (Liverpool/London)
2. Apply for 1st part of Surgical exams for April's exam
3. Post GMC certificate to Malawi for approval to work in Malawi
4. Book Malawi Flights
5. Book onto ATLS course for June time
6. Book some more driving lessons and pass test!
Proverbs 16:3
This is the verse from today's 'this day's thought' email that I get. I thought it was an awesome prayer for the coming year - amen.
Over the past 3 days since the Christmas weekend the Orthopaedic service at Worcester where I work has put on x4 as many theatre lists each day to reduce the huge number of patients requiring operations for their various broken limbs, (all the elective lists were cancelled). I think we've finally gotten over the worst, but I hear there is worse icy weather to come - at least the threat of snow over the past week did not become a reality in Worcestershire, a blessed relief for the already stretched to breaking point NHS!
I have my interim validation meeting on Tuesday, which is a meeting by my year supervisor on how I'm doing at work. He'll look at my portfolio of procedures and reflective work I've done since August and give me a score which will help toward my application for Speciality training. I need to do quite a bit of work on it this weekend to get it up to scratch though, I'm one of those kinds of people that saves all my work up and does it last minute rather than spacing it out and doing a little each day! I've had various comments from my seniors about taking a year out of NHS training to go to Malawi and do My tropical Medicine course. Most are enthusiastic and say it'll be a great opportunity, but some have said that if I'm serous about a career in Surgery I should apply this year.
Too late now anyway - applications have closed for working next August! I decided last month to take a chance and definitely do a year out. I really believe that this is what God has planned for me. If I really work hard out in Malawi and get plenty of experience and do some research that gets published, surely I'll prove for applications that I'm serious about an Orthopaedic job.
Anyway, here's a job list for the coming year:
1. Apply for a place on diploma of tropical medicine course (Liverpool/London)
2. Apply for 1st part of Surgical exams for April's exam
3. Post GMC certificate to Malawi for approval to work in Malawi
4. Book Malawi Flights
5. Book onto ATLS course for June time
6. Book some more driving lessons and pass test!
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