We’re kind of into a routine now. Grace and Robert went off to make morning medical rounds which, frankly, I’d prefer to pass. I’ll see my postops later and then have a surgical clinic to find cases for the rest of the week. We’ll all catch up for afternoon rounds. By then some surgical catastrophe will show itself as it did yesterday when a young man in a back ward was brought to my attention. Seems he has been in and out of there for ten days being treated for a urinary tract infection. What he had was a ruptured appendix that had walled off and formed a pelvic abscess. When it broke and leaked all over the inside of his abdomen someone figured it was time to call a surgeon. What a mess! He should do OK though. I’m surprised Jasper didn’t pick this up earlier.
Speaking of Jasper – he’s off to Dar for a seminar. Why not, he’s got free coverage. To act as my translator and general fixer he left 
Coleman who is a physician and sort of Jack of all trades. His English is marginal but we get by. Coleman is one of the strangest looking people I’ve ever met. For those old enough to remember the name Godfrey Cambridge comes to mind when you meet him. (see photo) He’s really quite helpful but can be awfully clumsy in the OR. He had to take over for Grace yesterday when she was overcome by the heat. (we were in the old OR with no AC). The heavy cloth gowns and rubber aprons add to the discomfort. The surgery then became about doing the procedure with one hand while holding Coleman out of the way with the other. It turned out OK though.
We had a very strange dinner the other night with the Regional Commissioner. but I’ll save that for another post as there will be more to the story.
OK, off to clinic now.
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