Last Kenya post, maybe.

Ok, this post is primarily for my own benefit.  I wanted to compile, in one easily accessible place, a list of the different diagnoses, procedures, and other medical events with which I was involved while at Kijabe.  This will let me file away the little notebooks I kept while I was there so I don't have to carry them around anymore.

While in the nursery, diagnoses and procedures included all of the following:
Patient 1 G:  Intrauterine growth retardation, patent ductus arteriosus (unsuccessful indomethacin closure), pulmonic stenosis, congenital cataracts
Patient 2  I:  Jaundice, tachypnea, meconium aspiration, atrial septal defect, pulmonary hypertension, talipes equinovarus (clubfoot), hypoxia
Patient 3  T:  Neonatal sepsis (home delivery), jaundice, congenital conjunctivitis (likely chlamydia),
4  A :  28 week prematurity, GE reflux, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, neonatal sepsis, aspiration pneumonia (klebsiella), apnea of prematurity (treated with aminophylline), hypokalemia, intubated 2 different times, bubble CPAP  (amazingly this very premature baby did not require mechanical ventilation until he was about 6 weeks old) - passed away during the month after I left
5  J:  28 week prematurity, neonatal sepsis, GE reflux, apnea of prematurity (aminophylline)
6  D:  36 week prematurity, encephalocele, home delivery/neonatal sepsis,
7  V:  hypernatremia with phototherapy
8  N:  footling breech with severe neonatal asphyxia, was intubated then extubated to CPAP and passed away.
9  J:  hyperbilirubinemia, possible galactosemia
10  N:  33 week prematurity with probable neonatal sepsis, apnea of prematurity
11  L:  neonatal sepsis, hypoxia, neonatal jaundice s/p phototherapy
12  L:  sepsis, birth asphyxia, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, seizures, hyperemic upper extremity (still don't know what that was about)
13  V:  sepsis, hypoxia, meconium aspiration
14  N:  32 week prematurity, neonatal sepsis, apnea of prematurity
15  J:  Encephalocele, birth asphyxia, neonatal sepsis, home delivery.  Intubated, ventilated, extubated - passed away from respiratory insufficiency
16  J:  Fever, neonatal sepsis, hypernatremia, dehydration
17  A:  Imperforate anus s/p correction
18  N:  hydrocephalus, spina bifida, neonatal sepsis
19  B:  fever, neonatal sepsis
20  S:  fever, neonatal sepsis, jaundice
21  G:  neonatal sepsis, 33 week prematurity
22  J:  neonatal sepsis
Other procedures and such: intubations, ventilator management, femoral stick, versed drips, CPR/bag and mask ventilation
Note:  There were other babies along the way with similar problems whose information I no longer possess.

Pediatrics:

Diagnoses and procedures included:  meningomyelocele (spina bifida - many cases), external ventricular drain, ventriculitis, malaria (many cases), hemolytic anemia, direct hyperbilirubinemia/cholestasis, hematuria, seizures, nephrolithiasis, brain calcifications, toxic shock syndrome, hypocalcemia with positive Chvostek sign (this patient passed away), hypoglycemia, severe rickets, severe malnutrition, diabetes mellitus, pneumonia, severe dehydration, hydrocephalus, thrush, peptic ulcer disease, dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure (several cases), glomerulonephritis, optic neuritis (probably due to quinine), hypokalemia, entamoeba, UTI with urethral strictures and vesicoureteral reflux, tuberculosis, pulmonary hypertension, cataracts, encephalocele (massive), acinetobacter ventriculitis, pericardial effusions, acute renal failure, periorbital mass (likely lymphoma), meningitis, peritonitis, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, tonsillar/adenoidal hypertrophy, mydriasis, Burkitt lymphoma, VP shunts, eroded VP shunt with resultant sepsis and death, probable duchenne muscular dystrophy.

I probably missed a few kids/diagnoses in the above lists.  All of those kids were in the hospital during the 3 1/2 weeks I was at Kijabe.  In six years here in the U.S., I still have not seen the equivalent diversity or severity of illness that I saw during my short time at Kijabe.  There is much greater need for medical care in Kenya than there is here.

Anybody want to buy a house in Oconee County?

Note to those of you who bring your kids to me:  Don't freak out.  There are no immediate plans being made. But, if anyone would like to buy a house, we would love to downsize our mortgage so we can give or do more.

Noise

I am surrounded by noise.  Everywhere I go.  Every waking moment.  It keeps me distracted, preoccupied.  There is always something demanding my attention.  Many of these attention seekers are good things in and of themselves.  Children.  Work.  Church.  Music.  Small group.  Basketball practice.  Friends.  Many are neutral, but with potential negatives.  TV.  Music.  Movies.  Computer.  Internet.  Reading (depending on what you read). Friends.  My life seems to be dominated by noise.

I am convinced that we need to reduce the noise in our lives.  We need to unplug from the distractions, electronic or otherwise.  Our kids don't really need to play a sport every season, participate in all the plays and concerts, and go to all the birthday parties, do they?  To be more self-critical, do I really need to see the Orange Bowl tonight?  Will anything in my life change if Stanford wins or if Virginia Tech upsets them and I miss it?  Do I really need to see that new movie in the theaters?  What if I forget to set the DVR for "Chuck"?  It is a very diverting TV show that I greatly enjoy, but should I really allow all these diversions in my life?   Maybe I need to be a little less diverted and a little more focused.  One of the great things about our trip to Kenya was that most of these unnecessary distractions were nonexistent.

The trouble with all the noise is that it makes it more difficult to hear the important things.  What does my wife actually need or want from me?  How do my kids need to be led, encouraged, or corrected?  Do I need to sell this house?  If so, do we rent or buy?  More importantly, what is God trying to say to me?  Am I supposed to stay where I am?  Should I regularly take short-term medical mission trips?  Should I go long-term?  Should I go to seminary before a long-term commitment?  May I (and you all) be given ears to hear.