Whew! What a busy day! Our clinic saw 39 patients - 27 of them by my group of students. We are sure worn out at the end of every day. We saw a wide variety of patients of all ages and diagnoses. We also got to walk through the hospital and two students even got a tour of the hospital. We have a lot to be thankful for. We never lack for specialists or equipment or space. The hospitals we have been in are luxurious compared to the one in Zacapa, which is the only hospital in the district. Patients are resourceful with their own care and the care of their loved ones, though.
Tomorrow is our last day of patient care and then we are off to Antigua. This has been a terrific experience and I feel like we are making a difference for a lot of people. There is a severe shortage of rehabilitation specialists in this district and in Guatemala. Even though we won't be here to continue caring for the patients we see, other groups of PTs and PT students will follow us so the patients will continue to be cared for. Until more PTs are trained in Guatemala, it is better than no rehabilitation at all.
I miss you so much! Here are some pictures from today.
Love you, Mom
Co-treating with speech therapy.
Kaitlynn and Hannah hard at work.
This is the x-ray of a patient that Hannah and Kaitlynn saw on Sunday. He had almost no flexion and absolutely no internal rotation of his hip so we suggested an x-ray. He got it at the hospital this morning and brought it to us. Can you spot the hip joint? We can't, either. Beyond the poor x-ray quality, there is no joint left. Looks like possible necrosis, too.
Is there a better exercise than the lunge?
Pediatric PT is fun! Danny had crawling and crab walking races with this kid while Hannah corrected his (the patient's) form and acted as the judge.
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