Mary 29, 2015

Rainy season is trying to start but has not really rained very much. We have had 2 rains that maybe were an inch. Mangoes are about finished. 

 
The next 2 weeks we will be in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland. We have had problems with our flight from NDJ to CPH Copenhagen. The original Air Moroc was leaving here and arriving in CPH June 3 for $400 each but that flight was canceled. Ethiopian Air is almost $800 but have to leave June 1 to get there in time for all our other reservations (that is the one we are taking at last minute). Turkish Air was available for $1300 with nice schedule and Air France went from $1700 to $2900 as it was being checked. All this for the same destination CPH. Thank you Cathi Spencer and Kermit Netteberg for getting this and the credit card problems all straightened out hopefully. 

 
This week we had another intussisseption requiring resection of terminal ilium and ascending colon. Also had a man with a strangulated hernia for 6 years (that's right 6 years). It had necrosed through and he had an iliostomy through the hernia defect. We resected the bad area of intestine and put it back together. Both patients are doing well. Also another mastectomy for cancer. Our total hospital census is down in the 40's from near 80. People want to be working in their field but we seem to be getting more from long distance. This past evening we had a lady that was horned in the cheek by a bull giving a puncture wound and loosening some teeth. There was another ectopic pregnancy with lots of bleeding. Two more prostatectomies today. Also another 13 yr girl with vaginal tear "from a fall." Don't believe that one for a minute. 

 
Thanks to all who donated for sterilizer. Still negotiating on price.

Be sure to read the blog at www.missionarydoctors.blogspot.com about an interesting story how the devil is very involved in every day life and the legal system in Chad.

Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com
Love, Rollin and Dolores Bland

Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique

May 17, 2015

We finally got our first good rain of this rainy season. It was a good soaker perhaps 25 mm (about 1 inch). I think it is enough so that everyone can start plowing with their oxen etc and get ready to plant their crops. We should have about 5 months before next dry season. The humidity is very high like being in a sauna. Maybe it will start to green up a little before we leave on annual leave June 3. At least now we don't have the dust like before.   But now we have the flying termites and ants attracted to the lights at night and can get through almost anywhere. Locals like them as a delicacy to eat.

Dolores is making a lot of baby clothes as we are out of little things to give to the babies born here in Bere Hospital. She is tired of doing mangoes.

Today I had a well dressed grateful patient drive down from NDJ to give me and surgery crew a goat and a bag of rice (75kg or 175lbs). I had done a surgery in Dec on him a bowel resection for intussisseption and he is fine now. I gave the gift to Ndilbe our head of OR and who is getting married in 3 weeks.

Today we had a term pregnant lady brought in that a "house wall fell in on her" Was referred here for her large vaginal "hematoma" she also had some head injuries The vaginal injury was an avulsion of her bladder so must have had a full bladder when the wall fell on her pushing her fetus down very hard or something. She delivered normally here although she was being prepared for a c-section because of her "hematoma" then Danae did a repair of the vaginal wall and bladder injury. Did not believe the story at first as we thought it was another case of vaginal violence but with the other injuries maybe it was true???

This past week we had another strangulated internal hernia with about 2.5 m (about 8 ft) of dead upper intestine which had to be resected. So far he is doing well. Also a perforated gastric ulcer that was almost moribund on arrival to OR. We cleaned out large amount gastric contents and repaired the ulcer but he died 2 days later.

May is supposed to be slower but so far about same as Feb and Mar.

We are all healthy now.

Our emails are drbland@sbcobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com
Love. Rollin and Dolores

Rollin and Dolores Bland
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique

May 3, 2015

We had a terrific wind and dust storm last night then we had a few sprinkles of rain today but it rained mud. For awhile the visibility was perhaps only a 100 meters. One could see the dust in the air inside the house and the dust accumulated on everything very quickly in just a few minutes. A few tree limbs were broken down especially the mangoes. They got a good rain over in Cameroon. At least today was quite a bit cooler not quite 100 F and low down to 85 which had been only down to 90 the past few days. According to the forecast it is going to warm back up the next few days.


We went to a wedding yesterday. The preacher talked for over 1 1/2 hours. The couple sat during the discourse. There was "music" and dancing afterward even though it was at least 110F in the meeting area. The bride is supposed to be sober and maybe shed a tear but I did see her smile once when I took a picture she with her pastor. The bride wore a nice white dress which I understand they often do not. Dolores took some people in our car and got there more or less on time. But Danae, Olen, and I and Ndilbe (surgery tech who is getting married May 29) were quite late as we had to do a c-section before going. They fed everybody rice, goat, chicken, "gatos" (sort of like doughnuts), and a sweet crepe and a few potatoes for us. We were among the special invited guests so we got served first. We passed on the goat and chicken but the other things were actually quite good. I don't think they know what a "honeymoon" is. The wedding was supposed to begin at 0930 and it went to afternoon The groom was one of the employees of the hospital. One of the gifts to them was a big ram sheep.


It is a little difficult to work on vehicles without all the tools you need. Am replacing the brake shoes on the hospital pickup (one side down) but one rear wheel bearing was making a noise and is very loose so pulled the wheel and axle but don't have what we need to get the old bearing out. Am sending it with someone that says they can do it as well as find a new bearing to put back in then we will put it all back together.
We went to Moundou in our 4-runner Thurs to bring back 3 volunteers from there. One is a Danish medical student. On the way we blew out a tire but had a spare to put on then drove into town and was able to find a new tire to put on for 130000cfa (about $260 US). Thankful we could get one. Our A/C had not worked for a time and we found a place to recharge it but it also needed to have replaced a pulley that had locked up but they were able to replace it so thankful that now we have A/C so if we drive someplace it is much cooler.


Had a strangulated hernia to repair Fri night. This past week we had a large prostate abscess although we did not know it was that until we were doing a prostectomy for "large prostate". Had another prostate with a large stone within the prostate which we took out. We also had another ruptured spleen which came in about 30 hrs after an accident. We opened her and cleaned out all the old blood but fortunately the spleen had sealed itself, no bleeding so closed her and she is doing well 4 days later.



The mangoes are getting less on the trees by our house so not so many fall on our roof but there are still plenty from other trees.



Our emails are drbland@sbcglobal.net and dfbland01@gmail.com
Love, Rollin and Dolores

Rollin and Dolores Bland
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers. Some will be happy and some will be sad. Did you tell your mother that you loved her? Danae did a c-section 0200 today and mother and baby are ok. Dolores has been a good mother as we have 4 very fine children and 9 grandchildren with number 10 on the way. Of course all are above average.

It has threatened rain but still no than a few sprinkles and higher humidity with the hot air. If rainy season does begin soon it will be worrisome for the local people and their crops. Usually they are already planting by now. Dry season began earlier than usual this time also.

We had another ruptured spleen but did not have to remove the spleen. We also had another intussisseption with a mass in the mid intestine that pulled the intestine down inside the part more distal. We removed about 1 m (about 3 ft) of mid small intestine. She is doing well 2 days post op eating and walking well. All our vessicovaginal fistulas are doing well except one that has redeveloped a leak. I saw one boy with a huge cancer of his leg but his father refused any surgery as it needed AKA amputation so they went home with his huge leg. Had another incarcerated inguinal hernia and another that I thought was a strangulated epigastric hernia but was actually a large nonresectable stomach cancer with nodules throughout the abdomen.

Danae is busy trying to get together her case load for a year until June 30 to present for OB-GYN oral boards that she hopes to take sometime this winter. She has previously passed the written part. I'm glad I don't have to do that.

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

Rollin
Hopital Adventiste de Bere
Boite Postal 52
Kelo, Tandjile, Chad, Afrique

The one who manages the blog was out of internet this past week.