27 March 2015

We got our first rain since early October. It was almost enough to settle the dust a little but made it more like a sauna with high humidity but today the humidity is back down below 20%. The low this morning was 89 F. One wakes up in the night because he is dry and need a drink of water rather than needing to go to the bathroom. 

 
Dolores has been slicing and drying them lots of mangoes besides watching the grandkids. She had a birthday Wed the 25th. We had cake and watermelon. Danae made the chocolate cake. Dolores got a lot of "happy birthdays" via Facebook etc. There are not many tomatoes now as it is just too hot. Our papayas are about all gone now also. The mangoes are later this year and are just now coming on good.

A cluster of baby mangoes in mid-February.

Hospital is staying fairly busy esp with maternity and surgery.  Peds and Med is actually down somewhat now.  Had a boy yesterday with a large bladder stone and then a boy that had a bladder stone before and had a surgery in NDJ that left him with a suprapubic fistula and a penis that was almost completely closed. We were able to redo his penis and dissect out his fistula and close his bladder. Also had a BKA leg amputation for a large cancer of her ankle. This week we also had a vessicovaginal fistula repair that was easier than most of them in that it had more tissue to work with. Danae and I do all the vaginal fistulas together. Did a gastrojejunostomy on a lady with stomach outlet obstruction with nonresectable cancer of her antrum of stomach that was also in her periaortic nodes etc but maybe help her for a while. Also did a mastectomy for cancer of breast except this was primarily just a debulking not curative. We have presently 4 in hospital patients that are post op vessicovaginal fistula repairs, two of which we reimplanted the ureters and stented them. So far they all seem to be holding and dry. 

We had a bus accident a few days ago. One person was brought in with minor injuries, one had fracture femur and forearm but stable otherwise and one had a fracture femur, fracture humerus, fx ribs and head injury with blood from ear and divergent eyes. They were brought in by the MCD but both were taken out by the local "traditional healers" witch doctors which seem to have a lot of power and influence. I'm sure the one with head injury would be dying soon.

Our autoclave has been not functioning very well. Sometimes it burns holes in the wrapping and towels and other cloth things. A new one is located in NDJ for about $2000 US. I have sent the money to get it hoping that some donations will cover. Of course we need other things also so money will be well used. Also helping malnourished kids. Any donations can be tax deductible if sent to the Jay Seventh Day Adventist Church, Attn: Gail Hill, 13717 East 390 Road, Jay, Oklahoma 74346 marked "Bere Hospital Project".

We are thinking of going through Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland on the way home in June. One of our SM's here has a grandmother in Norway who has offered to help make various reservations for us once we figure out a schedule. The airfare is only about $300 more per ticket but of course there will be hotel, bus and train fares but we thought this was as good a time as any for us to do it and will be home by June 15 so Dolores can get her cataract surgery done. Plan to be at the General Conference in San Antonio the first weekend of July also part of the Oklahoma campmeeting in July then of course our 50th celebration July 26 in Jay. Plan to be back in Chad the first part of August. Hope to see some of you along the way.

Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com
Love, Rollin and Dolores
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique