Friday, March 11, 2011
Rhett 3-10-11
Massively busy day in the OR. I fixed two hips that had waited 2
months to get fixed. Also performed a total knee on a lady that
required alot of equipment we didn't have but we made do and it turned
out remarkably stable and aligned. My day also included femur fracture
fixation and some washout surgeries....That was just my schedule.There
is so much need here and the doctors here truly give all they have.
The pediatric surgeons, pediatric neurosurgeons, and pediatric
orthopedic surgeons perform amazing procedures here and next door at
the Bethany Childrens hospital.
This has been a fast two weeks in Kijabe and it comes to a close I
look back and see how much God teaches me when I go. He shows me that
despite "all" my knowledge and "experience" there is so much I don't
know. So much I need to rely on Him for strength and courage to
stretch myself to help a patient when doing nothing is not a good
option. He shows me that others have different experiences and ideas
that are often times much better than mine. Smiling and encouragement
go alot further than complaining or sulking when timing or conditions
aren't going exactly like you would want.
Finally though they do appreciate input and to hear of other ideas,(
like most native southerners often will tell interlopers from
elsewhere) Kenyans don't always care how you do it in the states
because it's usually not an option anyway. These findings apply to all
missions though. Whether your building a buildiing, starting a school/
orphanage or supporting an outreach program. We are the hands and feet
of God but without his strength and blessing all we do is just
something "we" do. I hope God will bless the people I've come in
contact with here.
There are other things I don't know like what is ugali really made of.
It has the consistency of instant mash potatoes but not the taste.
Pray for me as I make my way home and especially from Kijabe to the
airport. I'll definitely have my eyes closed for the ride as the
traffic and the crazy driving is quite unsettling at best.
In his name,
Rhett
months to get fixed. Also performed a total knee on a lady that
required alot of equipment we didn't have but we made do and it turned
out remarkably stable and aligned. My day also included femur fracture
fixation and some washout surgeries....That was just my schedule.There
is so much need here and the doctors here truly give all they have.
The pediatric surgeons, pediatric neurosurgeons, and pediatric
orthopedic surgeons perform amazing procedures here and next door at
the Bethany Childrens hospital.
This has been a fast two weeks in Kijabe and it comes to a close I
look back and see how much God teaches me when I go. He shows me that
despite "all" my knowledge and "experience" there is so much I don't
know. So much I need to rely on Him for strength and courage to
stretch myself to help a patient when doing nothing is not a good
option. He shows me that others have different experiences and ideas
that are often times much better than mine. Smiling and encouragement
go alot further than complaining or sulking when timing or conditions
aren't going exactly like you would want.
Finally though they do appreciate input and to hear of other ideas,(
like most native southerners often will tell interlopers from
elsewhere) Kenyans don't always care how you do it in the states
because it's usually not an option anyway. These findings apply to all
missions though. Whether your building a buildiing, starting a school/
orphanage or supporting an outreach program. We are the hands and feet
of God but without his strength and blessing all we do is just
something "we" do. I hope God will bless the people I've come in
contact with here.
There are other things I don't know like what is ugali really made of.
It has the consistency of instant mash potatoes but not the taste.
Pray for me as I make my way home and especially from Kijabe to the
airport. I'll definitely have my eyes closed for the ride as the
traffic and the crazy driving is quite unsettling at best.
In his name,
Rhett
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Rhett Rudolph
Today was a little slower than most. My last patient/case considered
eating lunch more important than having surgery despite the fact we
were going to be able to get him out of traction and fix his femur
fracture today. Tomorrow is clinic which means two more days in
traction for the price of a piece of bread. Not quite Jacob and Esau
but a bad trade none the less. It was the typical beginning of the
second week of a short stay mission.
The second week you miss home a little more. You have a few misplaced
thoughts of entitlement as if after only one week you should be able
to assign who does what case or why you should be the surgeon to do
the "big" cases. Your mind drifts a bit and you are tempted to start
"short timing it." Then God reigns you in and the "attitude" adjust
back to a servants mindset.
I was the teaching surgeon in our cases today and it was a good day.
Chronic infections and non-unions (sometimes the same patient) , a
scope and a surprise tumor were the menu for the day after rounds and
journal club. I still had time for a good walk at the Rift Valley
Academy. It's up on a hill so even though I walked the altitude made a
good workout. The altitude definitely helped the attitude. The Rift
Valley is the largest valley in Kenya, I here it can be recognized from
space. From Kijabe you can see the expanse of the creation and adding
in the sunset eliminates all doubt in my mind and heart that there is
a great creator.
To top it all off at the end of my walk I was greeted by five
different monkeys. Four were playing in the trees and one was sitting
on a trash can about four feet away from me as I came down a hill. I
guess he was so busy trying to get into the trash can he didn't notice
me till we met eyes. He kinda glanced down at the can with a "busted"
look on his face.
We both looked at each other for a while, very still. The monkeys are
white and black and have a face that looks a little like Elias and
Jilly but a lot like "G". He won the stare down contest. I chuckled
a little and walked away as the sun went down and he continue to sit on
the waste can all the while trying to figure out how to get the top
off the can while he sat on it.
Tomorrow is clinic. We'll see lots of people. Pray for each that they
may find the healing they seek.
In His Name,
Rhett
eating lunch more important than having surgery despite the fact we
were going to be able to get him out of traction and fix his femur
fracture today. Tomorrow is clinic which means two more days in
traction for the price of a piece of bread. Not quite Jacob and Esau
but a bad trade none the less. It was the typical beginning of the
second week of a short stay mission.
The second week you miss home a little more. You have a few misplaced
thoughts of entitlement as if after only one week you should be able
to assign who does what case or why you should be the surgeon to do
the "big" cases. Your mind drifts a bit and you are tempted to start
"short timing it." Then God reigns you in and the "attitude" adjust
back to a servants mindset.
I was the teaching surgeon in our cases today and it was a good day.
Chronic infections and non-unions (sometimes the same patient) , a
scope and a surprise tumor were the menu for the day after rounds and
journal club. I still had time for a good walk at the Rift Valley
Academy. It's up on a hill so even though I walked the altitude made a
good workout. The altitude definitely helped the attitude. The Rift
Valley is the largest valley in Kenya, I here it can be recognized from
space. From Kijabe you can see the expanse of the creation and adding
in the sunset eliminates all doubt in my mind and heart that there is
a great creator.
To top it all off at the end of my walk I was greeted by five
different monkeys. Four were playing in the trees and one was sitting
on a trash can about four feet away from me as I came down a hill. I
guess he was so busy trying to get into the trash can he didn't notice
me till we met eyes. He kinda glanced down at the can with a "busted"
look on his face.
We both looked at each other for a while, very still. The monkeys are
white and black and have a face that looks a little like Elias and
Jilly but a lot like "G". He won the stare down contest. I chuckled
a little and walked away as the sun went down and he continue to sit on
the waste can all the while trying to figure out how to get the top
off the can while he sat on it.
Tomorrow is clinic. We'll see lots of people. Pray for each that they
may find the healing they seek.
In His Name,
Rhett
Monday, March 7, 2011
Rhett in Kijabe, Kenya [warning- graphic]
There's something definitely wrong about removing a limb. My whole
orthopedic life I have purposely avoided major arteries and nerves to
prevent loss of function. Removing a member of the body so precious as
an arm seems aggregious but there are times I suppose as tonight there
was no choice.
A nineteen year old man was involved in a pedestrian versus car
injury yesterday. Apparently clipped from behind by a fast moving car.
The high velocity injury dislocated his elbow and hit his arm with
such force that the blow tore the skin from the front of the shoulder
under the axilla, underarm and to the back of the arm. The promimal
humerus was broken almost at the shoulder and the muscles and nerves
of the arm were stretched away from their normal attachments.
Apparently he was seen relatively quickly and the large avulsed area
was washed and sewn together by a medical professional and the patient
was referred for open repair of his humerus and concommitent elbow
dislocation. Unfortunately what was not realized was that the arm was
pulseless. The forceful blow had also stretched the brachial artery,
the only source of blood flow to the entire arm.
36 hours later the young gentleman arrived at Kijabe hospital with
a cold, dark, pulseless arm. After 6 hours of no blood supply the limb
will die. There was no function to the muscles and the skin, blistered
from the trauma and swelling was already beginning to peel off of the
arm. As Tobias, the chief orthopedic surgeon, discussed the
grim prognosis it seemed the patient had already resigned himself to
the fact that he would lose the arm.
Shortly thereafter I was in the operating room with the patient.
After preparing the arm and draping for surgery, the stitches placed
the day before were removed and the skin pulled back from the wound.
Immediately the definition between living and dead flesh could easily
be discerned. Escaping from the newly opened wound was a sweet,
pungent odor I thought God had only created for dead bowel cases in
general surgery. My mind briefly was taken back to my time as an
intern and medical school student by the smell and its associations
like the smell of peppermint and fir trees remind me of Christmas.
It was Sunday night and an outdoor church service could easily be
heard through the hospital widow as they sang "Were you there when
they crucified my Lord" on an outdoor loud speaker over a loud
electric guitar.
Muscles, bone, nerves, damaged skin, and the artery were trimmed.
Tissues were nonanatomically sewn together over bone to protect the
stump. The shoulder was preserved to allow the patient to carry things
like a backpack on that side in the future.
I felt guilty for removing the arm. As if I had broken some sacred
trust between doctor and patient to always protect the loss of the
structures. I wondered if maybe if we could have helped him yesterday
if the outcome would have been different or was the damage too great.
The church service in the background was over but I couldn't help
from thinking how I have seen members of the body of Christ damaged by
life or influences. In my busy world I either didn't notice the
problem or like the priest in the parable of the good Samaritan just
walked to the other side of the road. I never "checked their pulse" to
see if there was anything I could do to have the life flow of
fellowship in the spirit return to them.
Soon they were amputated from the body. It may not be as dramatically
as my recent experience but just as important spiritually they are
gone.
I pray that I would be more careful to watch for signs of spiritual
or physical problems in my brothers and sisters in Christ and help
early so that " the Body" could be kept whole and functional as God
would want.
Rhett
orthopedic life I have purposely avoided major arteries and nerves to
prevent loss of function. Removing a member of the body so precious as
an arm seems aggregious but there are times I suppose as tonight there
was no choice.
A nineteen year old man was involved in a pedestrian versus car
injury yesterday. Apparently clipped from behind by a fast moving car.
The high velocity injury dislocated his elbow and hit his arm with
such force that the blow tore the skin from the front of the shoulder
under the axilla, underarm and to the back of the arm. The promimal
humerus was broken almost at the shoulder and the muscles and nerves
of the arm were stretched away from their normal attachments.
Apparently he was seen relatively quickly and the large avulsed area
was washed and sewn together by a medical professional and the patient
was referred for open repair of his humerus and concommitent elbow
dislocation. Unfortunately what was not realized was that the arm was
pulseless. The forceful blow had also stretched the brachial artery,
the only source of blood flow to the entire arm.
36 hours later the young gentleman arrived at Kijabe hospital with
a cold, dark, pulseless arm. After 6 hours of no blood supply the limb
will die. There was no function to the muscles and the skin, blistered
from the trauma and swelling was already beginning to peel off of the
arm. As Tobias, the chief orthopedic surgeon, discussed the
grim prognosis it seemed the patient had already resigned himself to
the fact that he would lose the arm.
Shortly thereafter I was in the operating room with the patient.
After preparing the arm and draping for surgery, the stitches placed
the day before were removed and the skin pulled back from the wound.
Immediately the definition between living and dead flesh could easily
be discerned. Escaping from the newly opened wound was a sweet,
pungent odor I thought God had only created for dead bowel cases in
general surgery. My mind briefly was taken back to my time as an
intern and medical school student by the smell and its associations
like the smell of peppermint and fir trees remind me of Christmas.
It was Sunday night and an outdoor church service could easily be
heard through the hospital widow as they sang "Were you there when
they crucified my Lord" on an outdoor loud speaker over a loud
electric guitar.
Muscles, bone, nerves, damaged skin, and the artery were trimmed.
Tissues were nonanatomically sewn together over bone to protect the
stump. The shoulder was preserved to allow the patient to carry things
like a backpack on that side in the future.
I felt guilty for removing the arm. As if I had broken some sacred
trust between doctor and patient to always protect the loss of the
structures. I wondered if maybe if we could have helped him yesterday
if the outcome would have been different or was the damage too great.
The church service in the background was over but I couldn't help
from thinking how I have seen members of the body of Christ damaged by
life or influences. In my busy world I either didn't notice the
problem or like the priest in the parable of the good Samaritan just
walked to the other side of the road. I never "checked their pulse" to
see if there was anything I could do to have the life flow of
fellowship in the spirit return to them.
Soon they were amputated from the body. It may not be as dramatically
as my recent experience but just as important spiritually they are
gone.
I pray that I would be more careful to watch for signs of spiritual
or physical problems in my brothers and sisters in Christ and help
early so that " the Body" could be kept whole and functional as God
would want.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Rhett Rudolph
Rhett is in Kenya for the next two weeks serving as an orthopedic surgeon in one of the hospitals there. Please cover him with prayer during these tense times. Pray for opportunities for him to share his faith with both patients and staff. Pray for boldness and just the right tactic and words to penetrate the hearts of those around him with the message of the grace and freedom of Christ's Gospel.
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