Day 7 – January 13, 2025
Day 7
Day 7 – January 13, 2025
Today is the beginning of our surgery week. We have every day filled with surgeries, many are gynecologic and some are general surgery related. Jane is keeping my surgery time somewhat limited so I can get off my feet for a rest if needed. There were times that allowed Jane to add some of her patients who have been waiting for their surgeries to be done. Three of them have gallbladder disease and others have hernias primarily. I believe she added a biopsy procedure for Friday as well.
Today, we had two patients scheduled for hysterectomies. Both of these patients were fairly overweight which makes the surgeries more of a challenge. One patient cancelled late last week so that meant I had only one surgery today. Jane added a man with a large inguinal hernia and a woman for a gallbladder removal.
We were delayed in getting started as our anesthesiologist had a delay in travel. He lives in Esmeraldas which is south of San Lorenzo on the coast. It is a larger city and the capital of the province which includes San Lorenzo. When Jane contracts with an anesthesiologist for her surgery week, the doctor comes and stays the entire week and provides the anesthesia coverage for all the surgeries. The anesthesiologists in Ecuador are primarily solo practitioners and will hire out for days at a time to provide the needed care in various cities and villages.
As the doctor was traveling by bus from Esmeraldas to San Lorenzo, they came upon a road block that wouldn’t let them pass. This road block was a strike by some villagers along the main highway. Apparently, the highway is in good shape but the road into the village is in bad shape. The villagers are trying to get the attention of the authorities to see the condition of the road into their village and to get some repair work underway. Civil action like this happens periodically when a group of people want to get something provided for them from the government. Since the highways are few because of the mountains and jungle, it is easy to stop travel and even commerce by going on strike. The bus stopped and the people disembarked and walked around the road block and then waited on a bus coming from the other direction or obtained a ride somehow to continue on with their journeys. Our anesthesiologist happened to catch a taxi that was turning around and he arrived at the clinic about an hour later than planned.
If people are able to afford a car, many of them will use that vehicle as a means of making some money. Thus, there are many taxis on the roadways carrying people from place to place. They are usually unmarked, private vehicles. I suppose this could be likened to an Uber ride.
Our first surgery was a challenge. The patient had very large uterine fibroids, benign tumors of uterine muscle. They will steadily enlarge causing distortion of the uterus and create a space occupying mass in the pelvis that can affect the function of other pelvic organs. They may even cause more bleeding at menstruation. Fibroids are a common reason for many hysterectomies and seem to be very common in women anywhere. This patient’s fibroids were probably several times larger than the uterus itself and the entire conglomerate mass filled the pelvis and lower abdomen. The surgery took longer than usual because of the size and distortion of the normal anatomy. The size alone makes good exposure difficult to be able control the major blood supply to the uterus. We finished by noon and then stopped for lunch before starting the afternoon surgeries.
Our afternoon began with a man who had a large inguinal hernia. Jane did that surgery herself and Claudia and I just watched her. The surgery went along uneventfully. Her second case was a woman with gallbladder disease and many stones. Jane took out the gallbladder with laparoscopy and this went well also. By the time we finished it was 5 pm and soon we will gather to eat some dinner.
Dinner consisted of spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, and plenty of fresh mango and strawberries. The mango is so delicious. These are off Jane’s tree and are ripe and ready to eat. I decided to skip any activities tonight as I am tired and want to get off my feet. Usually, the evenings are spent playing games but I think we all are tired. We didn’t begin eating till 7 pm and I wanted to take a shower and just get in bed to read some and then get some sleep.
Father, I come to you tonight physically tired but with my heart overflowing with worship and praise to You. It is such a privilege to have a personal relationship with You, Lord. You invited me to walk with You and as we walk together You lead me into areas that sometimes are outside my comfort zone and almost all the places you take me to require exercise of my faith. You are constantly asking me to lean on You and allow You to carry my burden. Thank You for that, Lord.
I am so thankful for the privilege of coming to Ecuador again to serve You here. I know You love these people just as much as You love me. There are people here who need to learn to know You and to join in Your work. They need medical care that they often can’t afford and thus don’t seek the care they need. By participating in this ministry, I can be Your hands and mouth in sharing Your love with them. Lord, equip me with what I need to effectively serve You here.
Thank You for providing for us today. Your presence was certainly there during the surgeries. Thank You, Lord, for guiding us and giving us the wisdom we need to provide good care and healing to these people. Lord, I love You and I thank You for all You have done for us today. I pray for a good night’s sleep tonight so we can be fresh and ready to serve You tomorrow. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Medical Missions 