6-30-09- Tuesday

I've decided to add pics to each blog just for fun. They will not always be related to the actual blog.

Tuesday was an even better day! Although sleep is a bit difficult to deal with. The cover I have does nothing for the cold and it seems to always find its way to the floor. So, I wake up a bunch of times in the night, but its fine for now. I should only have to deal with this set up for another two weeks.

I started the morning in the lab again. For some reason my confidence and skill was high today. I started with the first patient and didn’t stop until clinic was over. 42 patients later and 38 successful blood collections I felt amazing. On an adrenaline high from the pace and danger of the job (Natifo is currently on prophylaxis for getting stuck 2 weeks ago), I smiled the whole time.

The children here are amazing. With the exception of a few 3 and younger year olds, they don’t move and rarely cry. Some of them even have their favorite places to be stuck. I will try to join the lab when I can. But now that Natifo is gone for a couple of weeks (vacation) I’m not sure I’ll be able to. We’ll see.

One story shocked me while in the lab. One 10 year old entered the lab smiling and looking at Natifo in a “different” way. She looked at him, said something in Setswana and smiled. She turned to me and told me that “this child and his mother drive on these needles.” She was pointing to the butterfly needle we use to draw blood. Naturally, I was confused, but I guessed it had something to do with drug use. She told me that shes too scared to draw his blood and asked me to do it. Why would I be able to do it if she couldn’t!?!?! I checked his arms. No scaring from needles. I asked Natifo to explain what she meant by “driving” on needles. She said “Like a broom stick, like witches drive on brooms. It was all over the news for months. This kid and his mother did black magic.”

Oh. This is different! She was too scared to draw his blood because he knew black magic. Great, why do I get to do it then!? But, its was no problem, he had good veins. He smiled, said “Thakie Gnaka” (Thanks Doctor) and left. I am still alive…

That’s a first.