Reflections

There are many things I am still learning. The other day I learned that the way people keep flies out of their wounds is by putting sand in it. And the way they clean their wounds is by putting a stick in it! No wonder these kids get wounds that turn into huge craters in their legs. So every moment is a teaching opportunity. Who knew that when I came as a nurse I would be doing so much teaching.
Even just today I had some teaching to do, but it wasnt something so easy. Sometimes we face ethical issues here that I never would have thought of in the States. Today a woman came in with a urinary tract infection. I found out she was about 4 months pregnant, then noticed that she had been drinking. Red flags went off in my brain! To me this is one of the worst crimes you can commit. To harm an unborn child! So I took a step back, told myself that she might not know, and began teaching. But it soon became apparent, after she leaned forward and fell over, that she was entirely too drunk to get the message. So what do I do in this case? Do I give the medicines that she needs to her, try to explain them and hope that she hears it through her drink induced fog? Then the girl that was translating for me told me she lived near one of our cooks, so I decided to have her take the meds to the woman after she sobered up or to give it to a relative. I just pray that a small portion of my lecture on drinking while pregnant got to this woman. I was appalled at what she was doing, but how could she know any different unless someone told her? Too many people dont know!!
But I am proud of our kids because one evening during rounds some of our older boys came around and asked why is it bad for a woman to drink alcohol while she is pregnant. I was so glad they asked! It shows their willingness to learn, that they are thinking outside themselves. This is so key!
School has started here, and with that comes students! When school first started we had people lined up outside our gates hoping to get their children registered in our school. Our classroomes are entirely full, we cannot take any more children, but still they stand outside waiting and hoping. It seems so sad. They want their children educated well, but we just dont have the room or staff. They do have other options open to them. There are other schools around, they just have to pay for them and their standards are not as high as ours. Again, its another ethical issue as to who do we let in?
I find that I am also struggling some with feelings of inadequacy. I only have a core base of knowledge for pediatric nursing, so am I really qualified to make these hugh decisions? All I have to go on is my experience with children and my general medical knowledge. Is that enough? So please be praying for me, for wisdom and discernment beyond my personal knowledge. The positive side is that this makes me completely rely on God for the answers and wisdom on the best treatments.
God bless you all!