Big Falls: March 13th

Thursday, I spent working at the clinic in Big Falls. This is run by the Ministry of Health, and every Thursday Hillside volunteers help out. This week, the trend was influenza. Children, mothers and young babies were coming in with fevers (one boy 103.1), cough, headache, and malaise.

Mixed between influenza patients, I saw a lady who had her thumb bitten off by her sister in law. Apparently, there was a land dispute going on between the families and the sister in law attacked the patient while she was bathing in the river. The “accident” happened on Feb 23rd and the stitches were still in the finger. Removing the stitches was an experience. The remaining thumb was filled with infection and the stitches were embedded. I had to remind the lady to breathe as I was trying to carefully remove the stitches.