War Zone

Just received this warning from the American Embassy here. The riots are continuing, and we are in earshot of the gunfire. We have been told to remain in the guest house or the hospital. The military carry AK 47s and were shooting at pretty close range.

A very nice couple, Danielle and Jay, who are both dentists and an orthopedic surgeon from Sweden, Bjorn, were called into the hospital last night after we returned from dinner. They worked until 3 AM to save as many of the wounded as possible.

I went with Bjorn, Jay and Danielle to the hospital this morning. The place looks like a war zone. Families are camped on every available bit of floor space, waiting to see their loved ones. The operating theaters were going all night and more wounded were arriving this morning.

I went to look in on a 13 year old boy who had climbed a tall tree to escape the rioters yesterday, but fell. A neurologist was called this morning, because the boy had bleeding from his ears and came in unconscious. (The neurologist didn’t want to work last night, so he went home.) Thank heaven for the volunteer docs who managed to keep him alive.

He has a major fracture of his femur, a broken wrist and shoulder, and a fractured jaw. The doctors were only able to set the leg and try to stabilized him by manually ventilating him all night. His condition is too precarious right now, so surgery will have to wait. A dentist friend who lives here, Mathew, was able to wire his jaw back together last night, but it didn’t hold. He is on morphine which is reducing some of the pain but definitely not all, as he is writhing around in an attempt to release the restraints holding his arms and legs. Jay was hoping to give him a jaw block this morning to alleviate his suffering.

Both Jay and Danielle brought 3 suitcases full of medical supplies from the States which has been a godsend for those in need. Bjorn is going non-stop, treating as many fractures from gunshot wounds as he can. Most are through and through, although one man wanted to know how to dig a bullet out of his friend where it lodged in a bone.

Everywhere one looks, there are acute cases waiting for treatment – many are lying on the floors, as there aren’t enough gurneys or beds. The Head ER doc told the staff to ignore the rule of not getting x-rays or treating unless the patient could pay. We were so glad to hear this, as the doctor sitting in one of the temporary ICUs told us we couldn’t get an X-ray or scan on the young boy unless his family had the money to cover the procedures!

Being in a place like this really makes one appreciate the U.S. Our problems pale by comparison to these poor third world countries.