¡Hola mis amigos! Saludos de la gran cuidad de Oaxaca. This week has started off with much excitement and new experiences. La Guelaguetza is officially in full swing and I have finally started working in the clinics (yes!!!!). But before I reveal my initial observations from the doctor's office, I will begin with the happenings of el lunes (Monday).
- Monday was a free day up until class a las 4 en la tarde. In the morning, I met up with Sarah at a café just off la calle Alcalá (Café Brujala, it rocks) for coffee and to work on homework before class. The café itself is very nice, with free wifi, music that isn't too loud, and an awesome courtyard to just sit back and relax for a couple hours. After struggling to connect to the internet and instead playing minesweeper for a good while, we left, walked around a bit, and returned to our homes for la comida.
- Today was quite the experience. I had to be at El Centro de Salud Lomas de San Jacinto at 8 am this morning, so it was a relatively early start. I had breakfast at 7:00, and was out the door at 7:15 to meet Lauren and catch the bus to the centro de salud. Not knowing how long the ride would take, we figured it would be best to be early rather than late. After a 15-20 minute ride, we arrived at our stop, and it was just a short walk down a dirt road to get to our location. When we arrived, we were directed to our doctor for the day, Dr. Cipriano Mendoza Ramirez. He was very nice, a middle-aged man (likely near my dad's age) with streaks of gray hair near his roots and a great sense of humor. He frequently used sound effects as he wrote things down or examined the patients (when appropriate, of course). After introductions and a short time chatting, he was ready to see his first patient of the day, a 30 year old female with diabetes who was pregnant. Pregnancy was the theme of the day, as well over 50% of the patients we saw were pregnant.
Dr. Cipriano was very personable, and a very likable character. Most of his appointments were routine checkups for pregnancy, but some did come in with children who had fever or a rash of some sort. One of the more involved cases centered around a pregnant woman who was having contractions. She was in obvious pain whenever the contractions rolled around (every 5 to 10 minutes). What made the case unusual was that she was only 5 months along...much too early for a healthy baby to be ready to birth. Dr. Cipriano performed an examination, palpating her stomach and performing a vaginal exam. He found an infection to unfortunately top it all off, and she was dilated 1 cm. He was very concerned for the well-being of both the baby and the mother, and advised her to go to Hospital Civil that day to see a specialist. Hopefully all turns out well for her and her family.
- Dr. Cipriano was great in keeping us busy. He allowed us to fill out recetas (prescriptions) and also allowed us to do some simple exam procedures, such as taking a pulse, palpating something interesting, performing reflex tests, and closely examining areas of interest. He also was very open and receptive to our questions, and we somewhat had a debriefing session after every appointment, if there was time, which leads me to my next point...
- Holy cow did things move quickly! Not just from patient to patient, but the actual doctor-patient interactions. They spoke so fast that it was so difficult to follow at times. So far, everyone who I've interacted with in Spanish - teachers, host family, peers, store employees - has been pretty good at talking clearly and slowly so that I could grasp what was happening. In the clinic, not so much. I would compare this experience to riding a bike, but without training wheels, for the very first time. Yeah, you're still riding a bike, but your whole world has been turned upside down and every inch of your travels is unchartered territory. In fact, my first time without training wheels resulted in a chunk of gravel getting stuck in my palm (and I still have the scar to prove it!). Those same feelings of inadequacy explained how I felt at times during the day. However, by the fourth or fifth patient, I was comprehending a little more, and getting used to Dr. Cipriano's pronunciation, inflection, and routine. I was not completely lost, but this was definitely an experience that forced me to really focus. By the end of our time in the clinic, my mind was more than ready to relax. After nearly 5 hours, we caught a bus back into the center of town, and headed home for la comida.
I ended the day by swinging by Café Café for a light dinner with Genevieve, Lauren, and Shan-Shan. All in all it was a great day. Class went well, and now I must work on my homework for tomorrow. ¡Adios!
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