Tuesday 9th April Day 4

Woke to a wet day with lots of thunder and lightning this morning, which is apparently a bit unseasonal.

Early start for breakfast and ready to catch the bus to the Hospital at 7.30. We arrive at the ward and the patients are ready dressed and waiting for theatre in their beanies & blanket. The patients get a bag of supplies with a blanket, beanie, socks, and soap, toothbrush & paste, the kids get toys to keep them occupied while waiting for theatre. The Nepali Nurses attend to much of the work and we work with them to assist and teach best practice. A large part of the project is to transfer skills and assist the Nurses in learning.

The hospital is very old looking, there are no privacy curtains for the patients, everyone sees what is happening to each other! Oxygen bottles are moved around on large trollies. Patient lockers are metal desks with plastic baskets screwed to them. Mid-morning the first ones arrive back from life changing surgery, and into post op care. It felt good doing ward work that I haven't done for about 20 years, but you don't forget.

Much of the surgery is release of contractures from burn injuries from open fires that are used for cooking. Some surgery is recontructing birth defects on hands to give function and use back.

Unfortunately in the afternoon I began to feel unwell with cold shivers and aching all over!! So I went to bed as soon as we got home, and hopefully I feel better tomorrow. One of the anaesthetists was vomiting before the day even began.