How long has that appendicitis been going on?????

Today we had class in Clinic Carris and there were 26 of us. It was a good day and Lisa taught the class about problems of the eye and abdominal exams. Problems of the eye included trauma, when the pupils are not the same size and if a person is vomiting. She wanted them to understand that vitamin injections, which are so common, are not the treatment of choice.

Juan is hiding behind the poster board of the abdomen. Lisa talked about different organs and how many of each a person has.........that if a person comes to the clinic complaining of pain in the left side of his/ her abdomen, it probably is not an appendicitis........nor is it acute if it has been hurting for 6 years. As they say here, "poco a poco".........little by little. The guys will learn it but it will take repeating it and discussing it many, many times. It is the same process for me trying to learn Spanish and K'iche'.

We then divided into three groups and practiced exams. The questions are interesting but most of the guys do not have any basic health education........but they are really interested in learning. While I was talking with my group, a group of lambs passed by that were eating and basking in the sun.

Tomorrow Lisa and I will head to Mactzul III. It will be our second clinic there. Lindsey and Camilo will also join us.

An update on Tomas and his wife that we visited on Saturday......she is still waiting and the baby has not been delivered yet......I will keep you posted.