Trauma, music, boda boda accident..oh my

So I have officially been in Uganda for just over 1 week and I can not believe how much I have already done, seen and experienced! I gave a quick run through of this weekend in the last post, but unfortuanately I can't post pictures right now cause the internet is so slow it can't upload them. I will have to share pictures when I get home.

Yesterday being a holiday, Lisa and I got to explore Kamapala which is actually a very safe city, much safer than Accra, Ghana where I was years ago. We went to all the craft markets to get an idea of how much they should cost, so I can buy presents right before I leave, and not have to carry them around with me. If there are any specific requests make sure to let me know ;) We also got amazing cappacino, Uganda has amazing coffee and it is a huge export, but they don't drink much of it which I find odd! Later at night we went to the "east african carnival" as part of the easter celebrations. We had no idea what to expect, and it ended up being sorta like summer fest..but with not as much food, and really only 1 main stage, but same kinda feel. We were waiting for the main performer, "baby cool" to come one, but when it got to 11:30 we decided to head out, since we had to work today. On the way out, our Ugandan friend was working on finding us a Matatu or minibus taxi when a guy came upto us 4 Mazungu's (white people) and asked if we needed help cause we looked lost. We started talking for awhile then were told by our Ugandian friend that that WAS Baby Cool!! So I asked him for a personal concert since we had to leave, and told him I would dance if he would sing for me, but it was a no go. But I have a picture with one of the most popular Ugandian artists :) He is mostly reggae.

We were walking back into Makerere campus on the way home when we heard a load noise and I looked over and saw glass/metal peices flying and a car driving away. At first I thought the car hit a garbage, but then I saw that it was 3 people laying in the street that had just been hit by a car! It ended up being that the Boda Boda was hit by the car like 50 ft from us. We ran over and got the people off to the hospital who needed it. I think just some broken bones and concusions. Nothing too major thank god. With all the blood, I just kept wishing for gloves!! That is exactly why I don't ride boda boda's here!!

Mulago is a huge hospital, basically a campus by itself. There are multiple wards and buildings connected by the outdoors. If you have seen "The Last King of Scottland" that is Mulago. Absolutely huge, with little resources. If someone needs an x-ray, there family has to come up with the money/cash before they can go. I am working in Casualty or the first line emergency so I see alot of the awful things that come through. The waiting room is just filled with people. I don't even want to think of how long trauma patients have to wait to be seen. Just a severe lack of resources! They run out of everything from Iv fluids to alcohol wipes to foleys or chest tubes. This week I am working on the Surgical casualty side. Today I arrived to start working on a penetrating trauma patient that was loosing alot of blood from some scalp lacerations and had an abdominal stab wound and evisceration of his stomach out the stab wound! It took the trauma surgeon about 3 1/2 hrs to get him in the OR. I'm not judging, it is just a dose of reality here! In the same small room we then got a 8 yo who was hit by a car yesterday with mental status changes, a blood in his abdomen by untrasound, a rigid abdomen and a proximal 1/3 femur fracture. The day continued with an epileptic, 25% body burn mostly 3rd degree, huge hand laceration that was infected, a child with either osteomyolitis of the spine or spinal Tuberculosis (will find out later), possible basilar skull fracture. I am absolutely exahuasted by the end of the day. I have been working with a Candadian emergency medicine doc, which makes for great learning! Given where I am in my training and the change of enviroment/new medications/ways of managing disease, I feel useless quite a bit, but every once in a while I fee like I help :).


One last thing. I actually really like the food here! We eat alot of matoke which is mashed plantains, ground nut sauce (peaunut), rice, beans, peas, and believe it or not, alot of really good indian food/curries! My other favorite is the "ROLEX" a street food that is flat bread, with eggs, green pepper, cabbage, tomatoe and onion rolled up. It costs about 40 cents and makes for a great dinner! And I haven't got sick yet!!!

Well I will end this extremely long bost, thanks if you have stayed with me. We will be in Kampala till Friday, then Jinja till Sunday, Tororo from Sunday for about 2 weeks, then on Safari for 5 days, back in Kampala for a day then leaving here on May 8th. Let me know how you are!!