Report of 25 Sept '07
Hello from the B -
One of my young patients has died, and I am awaiting the results of the post-mortem. This is not easy - we have to report to the police station, where they must do a lot of paperwork (lest suspicion fall on us that we induced death), then beg the local hospitals for a post-mortem (some are more willng than others) and wait, wait, wait. When our HIV positive patient's son was hospitalised, his father accused everyone of stealing his eye - it had been removed due to cancer. As organ-selling for money is rife here, his accusation was not without basis, but it does mean we have to cover our you-know-whats. Even those who take care of the destitute face a fair amount of obstacles, you'd think folks would attempt to *ease* said obstacles. But you know, nothing worthwhile ever came easily.
So I stopped by the empty bed this morning, and before I knew it, I had started crying. The young lady, RR, spoke a language none of us understood, she was sick and getting better, and we hoped for the best. She had been incontinent, and when I sent her urine for tests, we discovered an infection. Let's hear it for medical training that teaches us infn can lead to incontinence, even in a young person. So we had treated the infection and she had become better, not incontinent any more, and was getting up and about, and then abruptly took a turn for the worse. I must be grateful for the fact that her last days were w/ us and not on the street, w/ no one to look after her, and indeed, plenty of people to abuse her. Somehow, though, that is not sufficient consolation today.
Tutoring is sluggish, as the kids are not coming - ill, rains, exams, etc. I hope to get them back in soon.
The 3 Weiss men are well, and helped host a big gathering of neighbors last weekend. The boys are truly growing up w/ extended family - neighbors help take care of them most willingly, esp when we are away. The soiree was an appreciation for such wonderful folks, and all of us cooked. Naren makes a sumptuous dessert which has become a regular feature at our meals, and Navin helped make the salad, so we ate well.
Our love to you all. Enjoy each other, and express appreciation often.
Unw -
R
One of my young patients has died, and I am awaiting the results of the post-mortem. This is not easy - we have to report to the police station, where they must do a lot of paperwork (lest suspicion fall on us that we induced death), then beg the local hospitals for a post-mortem (some are more willng than others) and wait, wait, wait. When our HIV positive patient's son was hospitalised, his father accused everyone of stealing his eye - it had been removed due to cancer. As organ-selling for money is rife here, his accusation was not without basis, but it does mean we have to cover our you-know-whats. Even those who take care of the destitute face a fair amount of obstacles, you'd think folks would attempt to *ease* said obstacles. But you know, nothing worthwhile ever came easily.
So I stopped by the empty bed this morning, and before I knew it, I had started crying. The young lady, RR, spoke a language none of us understood, she was sick and getting better, and we hoped for the best. She had been incontinent, and when I sent her urine for tests, we discovered an infection. Let's hear it for medical training that teaches us infn can lead to incontinence, even in a young person. So we had treated the infection and she had become better, not incontinent any more, and was getting up and about, and then abruptly took a turn for the worse. I must be grateful for the fact that her last days were w/ us and not on the street, w/ no one to look after her, and indeed, plenty of people to abuse her. Somehow, though, that is not sufficient consolation today.
Tutoring is sluggish, as the kids are not coming - ill, rains, exams, etc. I hope to get them back in soon.
The 3 Weiss men are well, and helped host a big gathering of neighbors last weekend. The boys are truly growing up w/ extended family - neighbors help take care of them most willingly, esp when we are away. The soiree was an appreciation for such wonderful folks, and all of us cooked. Naren makes a sumptuous dessert which has become a regular feature at our meals, and Navin helped make the salad, so we ate well.
Our love to you all. Enjoy each other, and express appreciation often.
Unw -
R
posted by Renu Weiss at
1:00 AM
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