August 17, 2013

The big news is that we have a new granddaughter, Addison Noel Netteburg, born Aug. 13 and weighed 7 lbs 15.5 oz to Danae and Olen.   She joins her two brothers Lyol and Zane as “missionary kids."   She was born in Bay State Hospital, Springfield, Ma where they had done their residencies before coming to Chad.   The bad part is that everyone else will see and hold her before we get a chance to do so but they will all be coming back to Chad in Oct so then it will be daily.   For a good description of the birthing go to  www.missionarydoctors.blogspot.com

I have done 3 skin grafts in the past week although one was a repeat.   I caught this nurse diligently changing the dressing and scrubbing where the graft had been put or I might not have known what happened to the graft.   I did not kill the nurse but . . .some just aren’t very smart and did not read the orders that said “pas change dressing.”  He was one not usually on the surgery ward.   I have since given a short talk about skin grafts to all the nurses at the staff meeting.  Two of the grafts were on legs that  had had a severe infection with necrosis of some of the skin and tissue that was debrided and now granulated in so hopefully the grafts will take and cover the areas involved.   The hippo bite mangled leg that we put in a intramedullary SIGN nail in the tibia so far is doing well and amazing don’t see any purulence draining anywhere yet.   A c-section for arm presentation that was waving at us even though the dilation was only 4 cm, is doing well both mother and baby.   It seems we are averaging about one vacuum extraction per week also and occasionally a forceps delivery.   This afternoon we had another strangulated hernia that was barely in time so did not have to remove some bowel.   Also this afternoon we had a urethral stone that had to be cut out of the base of the penis.   It was our second in a week.  Both boys had stones about the size of two garden peas and the stones just would not come on through.  

It is raining two or three times per day lately.  They all say that is good for the rice so they don’t complain even though the “roads” are big deep water holes.   So far we are not having the flooding like they had last year.   Of course the humidity stays high and things get moldy if not used including the interior of our car.   The temperature has been very nice in the 70 and 80’s.

We have the poles set and the net up and the court marked off so that we can play some volleyball when we have time or it is dry enough.   They are getting the interior metal paneling and insulation done on the housing.  Jamie has been working on the electric on our house to be and plans to get the plumbing and water hook up to it within a week or so.    Dolores has been painting interior of Danae and Olen’s house.  

Our emails are   drbland@sbcglobal.net   and   dfbland01@gmail.com

Love,   Rollin and Dolores