We had C-section today (I’ve seen 8 so far!). Unfortunately, right before we began the procedure, the lights went out! However, the procedure must go on, and, as a result, we turned on the flashlights on our phones so that the doctor could see what he was cutting and suturing. In the middle of the procedure, another doctor found a bright lamp/flashlight, but we would get tired holding in up high. At one point, the doctor put the lamp on my head…alas, it was at the wrong angle.
What made the situation worse, was that the baby was very large (4.5kg), especially for the size of the mother. As a result, the doctor was having trouble getting the head out. At one point, the anesthesiologist yelled, “what are you guys doing?” as it was taking quite a while.
The lights finally came on…right AFTER we finished the C-section…
Yesterday, we visited houses in a village. These are patients, where it is very difficult to go to the hospital or see a doctor, as they would have to walk 1.5 hours to get there. We took blood pressure, encouraged healthy lifestyles, and checked medications. Apparently, it is not uncommon in Kenya for doctors to prescribe based on how much money the patient has, not what they actually need. One patient we saw, had pretty high blood pressure and history of a stroke. She told use that she was taking medication, but only had one more dose left for tomorrow and had no more money to buy more. We asked to look at it, and she showed us her “blood pressure medication,” which turned out to be prednisone. It turns out, she had been taking prednisone (which is known to elevate blood pressure) every day for the past 7 years to lower her blood pressure…
Another patient we saw, was a pregnant women who was due to give birth in 1 month. We took blood pressure, talked to her about general issues, and also gave a bag of food. The next day, we learned that that same women happened to give birth the night before. Fortunately, the family/village knew that we were available to help, and we were able to bring her and the baby to the hospital. The baby ended up being admitted, as she was small (1.9kg/4.2lbs). I am thankful that we visited her just the day before, because if she did not know us, there would be no one else to help the family. And there is no way that she could have walked all the way to the hospital… We were all just so grateful for the timing of it all.
More stories later!
Happy Adventuring,
Gabrianne
My Adventures in Limuru, Kenya 
C-section in the dark!! That’s crazy! 🙂 Prednisone for high blood pressure! Oh my! Glad you all were at the village just at the right time!
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