Matt and I spent today at Kiwoko Hospital (the bush hospital about 2 kilometers from New Hope).  I wish it was for a tour or cultural experience, but I was admitted for nausea and weakness.  Yesterday, I could not keep anything down, so today I was too weak to function.  Thanks to the insistence of my caring husband, I gave in and went to the hospital.  It is much more difficult to replenish lost electrolytes here, so I figured that if nothing else I could get fluids.  And that is what I did.  All the tests came back fine and the baby is fine.  Diagnosis:  making a major lifestyle change and undergoing stress is hard – even more so if you are pregnant.

What was it like?  To sign-in, you sit outside on benches and wait for your turn.  Apparently, if you are white, you get moved to the front of the line (I really didn’t like that.)  We then went on the hunt for Dr. James (a friend of New Hope) and found him in the NICU.  He said, “I am not an OB.  I am a general surgeon, but we just do it all here.  Do you want me to refer you to Kampala?”  Honesty – I like it!  He turned out to be fabulous.  Matt described the ultrasound machine as “older than a green-screen Apple.”  I got hooked up to an IV and just stayed in the ultrasound room because there were no empty beds they felt we suitable for me??  Matt left to run to the hut to get sheets and food (you have to provide everything for yourself).  I suddenly started feeling tingling in my arm and looked up to see the IV line filled with blood.  There are no “Nurse Call” buttons, so I had to grab the bag and walk out into the hall.  I just stood there until a midwife saw me and came to help.  She laid me back down and pulled out a syringe.  She was gripping it and standing over me like she was going to shoot adrenaline in my heart.  But, she stabbed it into the IV bag instead and the blood went back into me.

Matt returned and walked to some vendors outside the hospital to get us some lunch – we ended up with fried dough.  To get me in a room, they got a lady to move rooms who just had a baby this morning.  We tried to talk all of them out of doing this, but no one believed us when we said we did not care what kind of bed/room I was in.  I again felt so guilty.  After two bags of fluids and two shots of anti-nausea meds, I started feeling better, but we were told to still stick around a few hours.

Have you ever wondered what happens to old hospital equipment?  I found it!  I will also never take the American health care system for granted again.  No toilets (only latrines).  No soap (the docs and nurses use something that smells exactly like Tequila as sanitizer).  Nothing provided for you.  No air conditioning.  Patients/family were even having to pump their own water into a jerry can for personal use.  All equipment was archaic, but worked.  The doctors and nurses do not use rubber gloves or any American-style sanitation techniques.  It was definitely an experience – one I am glad I had.  Knowing Dr. James is nearby is great!  It also only cost 35,000 shillings for EVERYTHING (about $15).

If you are wondering, the kids were being cared for by our new friends – The Segnars.  They continue to be such a blessing to us in so many ways.  Hopefully this also explains my lack of recent blogs.  I pray I can get back on my feet soon.