Sutures

The new Wat Opot community medical clinic is officially up and running!  On Friday, I went into Phnom Penh with Caroline to gather the last of the critical supplies.  With the funding provided from the McConville family, we purchased IV and suture supplies, dressings, basins and sterile systems, some medications and other miscellaneous items.  We also bought a lamp... luckily!

The first few days in the clinic were uneventful.  Among other things, our patients had rashes and fungal infections, headaches and fevers, nothing big.  We had a few members of the village come in and monks from the Buddhist monestary next door, with some of the Wat Opot kids mixed in as well.  All was slow and easy until Monday, when the kids were all home from school for a holiday.

Vandy came up to us with a gash in his head after he had hit it on concrete taking a bath.  After cleaning and looking closer, it was decided that he needed a few stitches.  Peter, an ICU nurse visiting from Switzerland, and I jumped at the chance for a learning experience.  Neither of us had ever done sutures before and Caroline, having learned suturing herself at Wat Opot before, practices them frequently in her nursing job in northern Cambodia.  Caroline did 2 perfect stitches, and Vandy was unfazed by it all.

Caroline suturing Vandy and teaching Peter

When I was little, I wanted to be just like my grandmother- a nurse.  She made sure that no future nurse granddaughter of hers would be unprepared.  Some of my favorite memories are practicing injections at her house; first on fruit, then on our horses, then on her.  Not many 8 year olds shoot their grandmothers up with vitamins just for the hell of it (I hope) but I got plenty of practice first.  Just like learning to do IM injections on oranges, we brought mangos into the clinic to learn and practice sutures.  I learned the technique and got to close my severely injured mango.  Caroline warned me that real stitching would be much more difficult.  Mango skin isn't that tough so when the real time came I might struggle at first, especially when stitching on the head, but with practice I'd be fine.  

Had I known how soon I'd get to practice the real thing, I may have operated on a few more mangos.  About an hour after our lesson, I was informed that we had another patient.  14 year old Wat Opotian Ya had fallen out of a high tree he was climbing.  He was holding his bloody shirt over his head when he walked into the clinic.  Ya, like Vandy, had cut his head open and had big scratches down his back. When Peter looked at me and said, "Okay Kate you're up!" I thought and hoped he was joking, but no.  I cleaned poor Ya's wound out and gloved up for stitching.  I was so hot and nervous.  Maybe if it was someone from the village I didn't know, I would have been more confident but it was Ya!  My sweet and lovable Ya!  He was so shaken up from the fall that he didn't move or react much.  Caroline was absolutely right- the real thing was much more difficult and I had NO idea how strong the skin is on the scalp!!  Peter assisted, and Wayne oversaw my technique and helped me find my own method.  Once the initial shock wore off, I was able to relax and the 3 stitches were over before I knew it.  Having Wayne there definitely made me feel much better and calm my nerves! 

Wayne snapped a picture of me stitching Ya's head with Peter assisting

A concerned Ty Meng and Touris check in on their buddy while he rests

We made it through today (Tuesday) without any more injuries, and it's back to school for everyone tomorrow.  Ya and Vandy are doing great and my next lesson, taking sutures OUT, will take place next Monday.  

Today is my beautiful little sister and best friend in the whole world's 21st birthday!!!!  Happy Birthday Amy, I love you so so so much and miss you like crazy today <3 <3 <3 <3  Have an amazing time celebrating in Tuscaloosa!!

Me and Amy during one of my many visits to Tuscaloosa.. wish I was that close to you today <3