Day twenty-two - A perfect example of Santa Teresa life....

At around 7.30 last night Adam, the nurse on call, rang me. "Alex, there'san emergency to collect - Camilla is having an asthma attack"

"Where is she?" "Wandering around the community somehwere, I think near the store, but Duncan (the old guy next door to me) rang to tell me"

"Oh, odd - how does he know?"

Anyway, I leave home to walk across to the clinic and meet them there - as I lock the door Duncan shouts over to me "oi, doctor, camilla here - can't breathe" and sure enough, Camilla is stood outside the units (5-10mins walk from the store). "Camilla, how did you get here?" " I.....war....war....walked!" She then gets in Duncan's car to drive to the clinic (no chance of a lift, I had to walk!) and I ring Adam to tell him I've found her...

We give her a nebuliser or six and she soon perks up, at which point a mother and her 5 year old boy turn up... "He's sick" "very hot"

I begin to look at him, to discover that (amazingly) she has given him paracetemol but he still has a temperature of 39.5... please please don't fit on me! A quick examination reveals a perforated ear-drum and a likely chest infection so I give IM penicillin (standard practice here) and promise to see them tomorrow - and to try and keep him cool..

Adam meahwhile has been sitting with Camilla who is beginning to perk up, and we decide she doesn't need to go to hospital (made more complicated by her breastfeeding baby, and neither of us having a driving licence for the ambulance) but will be ok with a nebuliser on loan at home for the night and a review in the morning.... She then goes to ring Duncan to ask to borrow the car.... but he doesn't answer. She tries again, but still no answer. "Duncan's sick, I'm worried about him". Adam and I exchange glances... Duncan has known left ventricular failure and unstable angina.

We all traipse back over to Duncan's to find him out... Camilla shouts across and Kelly, the lady who runs the women's centre (another whitefella) brings him back over. Breathless and complaining of chest pain... "like a cramp around my chest". Pulse of 140-150 and refusing to come to the clinic for an ECG... "eucalyptus rub will do it". Luckily the combination of a nunkari (local witch doctor) and a sit down seemed to ease the pain and we begrudgingly left him in peace!

Kelly then invited us over for kangaroo tail, which is lovely - tastes a bit like lamb and was by then very welcome!

Adam and I establish a plan for the night - Camilla has no phone and doesn't know where Adam lives, so will drive to get me if she has a problem and I will ring Adam, and Duncan who has a phone can ring Adam and I will run next door when he calls me. Confusing?!?

So, I finally head to bed at about 10.30 and just fall to sleep when a car horn starts to hoot. Now, that is the local equivalent of a door bell so I roll out of bed, put on trousers and a big t-shirt (the boxers and vest I was wearing could get me hexed!) and go outside... to see Camilla outside Duncan's house. "You ok?" "yeah" "so, why did you hoot?" "I was worried about Duncan..." Duncan then appears..." shut up, I was sleeping..."

So, another night in Santa Teresa!

Busy day today but not quite as dramatic as last night!

Miss you all so much xxxxxxx