an adrenaline rush for Christmas!

Last Wednesday, Dec 23rd, 2009 turned into be an incredible day full of adrenaline! My experience of working with bloody wrestlers and football players in Kannapolis came in handy! But this was a lot more serious than a bloody nose: The head doctor had just left Antetezambaro a few hours before, for the holidays season. He gave me the keys "just in case I need to get into the clinic for an emergency" and it was a good thing because I really wouldnt have wanted this experience outside in the sand or in my hut. Sorry in advance for some gory details/: A distraught father brought to my hut a 12 year old boy had stepped on a shatter glass beer bottle (of course most villagers dont have shoes) and had a slice on the arch of his foot 2 inches long and deep enough to cause massive amounts of this flesh to pour out. Since it was only 2 days b4 Christmas, not only were the doctor,s already with their families here in Tamatave, but the guard to the CSB (clinic) and his family were also in the city for the day, enjoying the holiday festivities and the Emedie, another health worker and janitor was out farming rice trying to get some last minute cash for her family holiday feast. So that left Kanto to save the day!! The boy was clearly in shock and dehydratd, not able to respond when i asked him his name or how old he was. His father had some plants and an old cloth wrapped around to try to stop the gushing but the thick blood was still flowing like crazy! Luckily peace Corps supplied us with latex gloves cuz I couldnt find any in the CSB.I put the drippping foot in a metal bowl to try to keep the mess to a minumum as I slwly unwrapped the handmade band_aid. I tried to keep back the look of whore on my face since I knew the father was already very worried, as it,d been a 45 minute walk for them to the CSB. I didnt know where the doc keeps all the clean rags... and dont even know if there is such storage. I found sterlized water and Betadine to rinse it as best as possible. Applied pressure with some cotton that I found and wrapped elastic around his shin to prevent blood from flowing sooo fast. After about 15 mins I was relieved to see the pressure slow down and the boy was coming around and talking a wee bit, but it was very obvious the boy needed a doctor to sew it up, after I found a clean cloth, wrappd it , gave them a big bottle of water that I urged he must drink at least a wee bit of water, slowly, to rehydrate while they hitchd a ride to the city to get to the hospital ASAP. Cleaning up that whole mess was another obstacle with no obvious cleaning agent or mops around but when it was all said and done, although I really didnt do much to help besides clean it very well, subside the bleeding, give hydration, and stress the importance of heading to the hospital, I felt good about being the lone health worker that was there to help. I realized my first responder skills were a crucial element to staying calm and analyzing the situation with a clear head. I missed out on celebrting Chrismas with all the other Peace Corps Volunteers, which to tell you the truth, was a wee bit sad, but there was a reason why I chose to stay and be with my village. Walking home at 3AM in the dark with the brigh shining starts above me, after watching my kids sing, dance, and praise the Lord Christmas Eve - Day morning for 6 hours was worth it. Here I am in the city enjoying the upcoming New Year,s with some friends, so Im getting it all in. LIfe is soooooo s,goooood. Hope 2010 brings goodness to yall as well. Amy menaraka. Cheers*