February 24th, 2010 - 6:45pm

Well, I’m back at home and unpacked, with the laundry done & dishes washed. When I woke up in the morning, I was overwhelmed with sadness and grief. I cried for Haiti for the first time. I guess its one thing to see the terrible images on the screen, but far more impacting & saddening to talk to them, touch them, & live near them. I wish I was around someone who went so I could talk about it, because it’s hard to explain to someone who wasn’t there.

I cried over my carton of milk (the first milk I’ve had since I left) because I had one paralyzed patient who asked if he could have a can of Ensure or milk for his children. There was none to give him. Here I am with a whole gallon of milk for myself. Here I am with running water, food, & a comfortable home.

But, I know I have to get back to life. I can’t have emotional break downs that interfere with daily life, but I don’t have to forget the people I met or stop praying and supporting them financially. I can change the way I do things. I don’t want to waste money or resources. I can work on complaining less.

I hope this journal helps you understand what is going on in Haiti. I hope you can continue to support Haiti financially and/or continue to pray for them.

February 23rd, 2010 - 10pm
 
Well, we are on our final flight from Atlanta to Pittsburgh. From 1pm yesterday until 2pm today the only food I had after the burger & fries was half a can of beans, a granola bar, & a bag of chex mix. So let me know tell you how amazing that Quiznos sub was!! But, I still felt a tinge of sadness that I left behind all those hungry Haitian people.

Americans have been grateful & supportive of us back here in the U.S. We met two females who were leaving Haiti as well, and it was nice to hear their stories. I have to be more thankful & grateful for the military when I see them, because how we lived, worked, & ate for 1 week some of them do for months. It was crazy because the military was telling us thanks for coming down to help, when really I should be telling them thanks for making this your career. I am going to try to only use what I need and to be more appreciative of all the little things that I have.

February 23rd, 2010 - 11:00am

So, our last day (Monday) I slept 3 hours, and then I walked with Pastor Christian to the United Nations headquarters. He showered (I forgot my towel so I couldn’t), then we ate a refreshing meal of burgers, fries & lemonade. We just sat & relaxed for the first time since I got here.

On our walk home, we bought local goods and art work. I bought a sugar cane to try- he carved it in front of us. Then I handed out the rest of my supplies & belongings I didn’t really need to patients. I met a 5 year old girl who was there with her mom (her mom was visiting a patient). Even though I could not speak to her, we could still communicate through play, love, & affection. I wish I would have had more time to play with the children. Next time I go. I wish I could have had more supplies to hand out.

We got through the long security check point in the airport & waited for awhile before hearing the plane could not land because the lights were still not working after the earthquake tremor last night (which I didn’t feel because I was resting my head for a little). I was ready to sleep on the cement & wait until the morning (the airport building was damaged some so we waited outside), but we went back to the compound & slept on the cots. I slept so soundly I missed 3 more earthquake tremors, but I did wake up to people screaming afterwards.

We got up early and finally caught a plane out at 11am. On our way into the airport, a boy (about the age of 9) showed us a piece of paper written in English explaining his situation. His parents died, and now he is an orphan. He was asking if we could adopt him. He was so polite and cute, I wish I could have adopted him!

Feb 22, 2010 (2030)
 
I didn’t write yesterday, because I was so exhausted after staying up 24 hours to view the city, taking a 2 hour nap, and then working another 12 hours (my 4th shift).

I went with Pastor Christian (an American) and 2 Haitian pastors to church. It was so beautiful to just hear vocals without music being lifted up to praise God. It was awesome when Pastor Christian & I recognized the tune and could sing a long in English. It’s great to worship with the Haitians, even if we don’t speak the same language, because Heaven will be filled with people of every tribe & tongue. We had to leave right after, so we didn’t get the chance to interact with our brothers & sisters in Christ.

Then, the driver, a 27 year old man going to seminary school and whose name I can't remember, took us to his house. It had what appeared to be only minor structural damage. His parents died in the earthquake, & his grandma had a cast on her leg. He had to take over his dad’s orphanage of 18 children. We drove by one of us his neighbor’s house that was completely destroyed.

We had a couple people ask us for food and money when we got out of the car because the tire popped, but I never felt scared or threatened. I am glad we were with Haitians though since we can’t speak the language. The only time I felt scarred was driving because they drive a bit risky. We stopped in front of the palace to change the tire. We went to some police headquarters so I could use the bathroom. I noticed you can get in almost anywhere with our Medishare badge.

We visited a small hospital set up by the Dominican Republic. I guess the Medishare hospital is the best & most advanced hospital they have in Haiti right now. I didn’t get the chance to tour the general hospital or any other hospitals. But it’s good to have all the hospitals they can. I saw 2 vans that looked in ambulance, but I think most people get to the hospital by family.

I had such mixed feelings touring the city. I think I put up an emotional wall, so as not to cry. I wanted pictures to remember it and to show others so they can see how real this devastation is, but I also wanted to be sensitive/respectful to the Haitian people. There are still dead bodies under the rubble. They are living in not the best conditions - rows & rows of tents without running water. People are doing their best to go back to daily life - find work, laundry, cooking, etc but they are still in great need. The food trucks deliver food, but people are still hungry. I think these people are strong & resilient for dealing with the life they have been dealt.

Feb 20, 2010 - 2:15am

Well, it’s my 3rd night working. I only have 9 patients tonight. Some patients don’t have much expression, but that is understandable. All of them have lost at least one close person in the earthquake, & most do not have a home anymore.

One thing is for sure, this is definitely the type of nursing that I love. No unnecessary charting. Providing basic, sound nursing care; co-workers that I have fun with; appreciative patients and family members; doctors & pharmacists that are always in the room.

Now of course, there are frustrating parts. No patient ratios; low supplies; the chart is a little unorganized and hard to follow; primitive living conditions; limited communication with the patients.

I’ve been thinking about what it will be like to go back home, where it’s easy to get distracted from what I really love about nursing. But, I will try not to complain like the Haitian people are not complaining about their situation. I hope to learn from them to make the best of the things that are in your life. An experience like this really puts things in perspective and reminds you to stay focused on what’s really important. For me that’s providing the best care I can to my patients.

Feb 20, 2010 - 9:00am

It’s been a long night, but I definitely felt more organized & confident in what I was doing & how things are run. The people I work with give me a good laugh.

I’ve never been so thankful for the food and water brought to us. I’ve never had the feeling of not knowing when my next warm meal will come. We get one warm meal a day, and usually there are MRE’s (made ready to eat). Then I snack in between. Some plane brought in burger king that night & it tasted oh so good.

I didn’t really know how to respond when a patient said to me “America has lots of food and we have very little.” What do you say when it’s the truth and it’s not fair at all. We have people having gastric bypass while people go hungry everyday here. I'm not poking fun at obesity, just making an observation in contrast.

Another amazing thing is SHOWERING! Even though it was only a 2 minute cold shower, I felt like I was in an herbal essence commercial because it felt so good. The curtain was flapping in the wind, but I didn’t even think about it.

I’m learning some French Creole. It’s nice to be able to talk to my patients more directly. The thing I’ve noticed is all the amputees & paralyzed patients. There is not going to be set-up and care they need once they leave. Lots of them don’t even have homes anymore.

We had a 3-year old boy come over and eat half of Klaire’s (another nurse) rice. He was adorable. They said he was found naked in the dumpster. He’s an orphan now.

I pray that a solution will be found for these people.

February 19th, 2010

I wanted to keep sleeping but the heat is too much. I need water! Well, I’ll survive. These Haitian people have it far worse.

Even though there is no JCAHO, I still felt we provided the soundest & safest care we could with the supplies that we have. I hope to be a little more organized tonight and provide my best nursing care because these people deserve it.

For example, there is no braden scale, fall risk assessment, or care plan, but I still turned my paralyzed patient and changed the diaper. I wouldn’t let the one patient go outside to have a BM because she was unsteady on our gait. We only restrained people if absolutely necessary. There was one guy who had to be restrained (we had one vest, but we used gauze for his arms & legs) because he was a danger to hurting himself. Mostly, chemical restraints were used. We also had a couple confused patients. They were all young by the way. Maybe head bleeds? There was no CT scan to know for sure.

February 19th, 2010 - 4:15am

It’s quiet this time of night in the hospital's adult tent. I am working the night shift (this is my first of four 12 hour shifts in a row). The hospital complex has a Big sleeping tent for workers, command center tent, wound supply tent, ortho tent, adult/xray tent, peds/ICU/OR tent. The ER is outside under a tarp. We have porta potties & only hand sanitizer. There’s a bush to brush your teeth. The whole place is surrounded by a fence & watched by military & Haitian security guards.

Last night it down-poured and my tent got soaked, as well as myself. Luckily, I got an empty cot inside the big tent so I could catch some dry sleep.

My first day, I woke up early thinking I might be working day shift. So I stayed up for awhile. I donated my supplies. I met the chaplain. We went around passing out Dum-Dums I brought for the children. Almost all the kids had a smile to their face. They are so strong for going what they have gone through. One child had his arm amputated with a pocket-knife. We met a beautiful baby boy that was born yesterday. We then went to the adult tent and prayed with the patients. We even had one guy sing us a hymn (in French Creole of course). I noticed that the patients sing at times, which is so beautiful to see that in the midst of tragedy.

This type of nursing is very different. I spent a lot of time just trying to get a flow of what to do. It starts with very basic assessment, passing meds, and making sure all the orders were done for the day; and then make sure people are breathing, IV bags are dripping, & people are medicated for pain. Our patients are lined up side to side with no privacy (no curtains) and no gender separation. The family members do all the aide type work and stay over night. Co-workers are great because we are all volunteers and want to work. Even the doctors are laid-back and easy to get along with. We are making do with the supplies we have and we were laughing together to keep the mood good.

I have 11 patients with diagnoses that range from: pneumothorax from a stabbing, malaria, a pressure ulcer on a paralyed patient, broken bones, and severe malnutrition. One patient was stuck under the rubble 22 days. His H & H is 5.1 and 13%...crazy! There are no blood transfusions. I also have wound vacs, foleys, external fixators, dressings, and a chest tube.  There’s no real charting except for meds and if something significant happens. We have no heplocks for IV’s. We just have to leave the IV bags attached, so I’ve gotten good at pulling air out of IV tubing.

Luckily, we have plenty of Haitian translators & transporters. There’s one stretcher with wheels, but they don’t use it. Instead a couple Haitian men carry the stretcher by hand. The Haitians are hard-working and want to get their country back to functioning.

From the Editor:
Lynn Byers, an RN from Allegheny General Hospital got back from Haiti a few days ago. She wasn't able to blog while she was there, so we'll be posting some exerpts from the journal she kept on her trip.

I’m here in Haiti! Our flights kept getting changed and delayed, but nevertheless after 3 flights I made it to Haiti. The heat feels good after months of snow and cold.

We rode over to the hospital compound in the back of a pick-up truck. We got a quick tour & orientation, and then some people went to work that night. The fact that a hospital made of tents can have an ER, OR, ICU, pharmacy, X-ray, etc. that was set up so quickly is truly amazing! Emily & I set up a small one person tent because all the cots were taken in the big circus like tent. She went to work & I get to sleep outside.