So, one of my patients is probably, to put it mildly, a little anaemic. For those of you out there who are medical people, you know pre -op bloods are important before surgery. One of our guys who came in for surgery tomorrow, walking, talking, laughing, having travelled from Nigeria (!!)was found to have a haemoglobin of 3.6. I am not kidding you, 3.6! Man alive (normal Hb of someone without severe medical problems would be at least 12). We get twitchy in my hospital if an HB is less than10, transfuse under 8, and under 5... well. But 3.6!!?? We'd all be having hernias by now, seriously too close to 0 for my liking.
Instead, the blood from one of our crew was calmly drawn a little later, and one unit given and his blood to be checked again tomorrow. Our blood supply is our crew on board, so we are all on alert to be called day and night in case we're needed. Yes things are a little different here, I guess that's why I love it so much!
The Blog of Grace Berry, 26 year old nurse from Birmingham, working onboard a mercy ship in Liberia
Where I'm situated
The ship is moored in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.
Mercy Ships
Blog Archive
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2008
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May
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- A day with the eye team.
- The end of my night shift...
- My roommates, or at least for one more week :(
- Our 'local' road, at a quiet moment
- Two of my closest buddies, shopping for material i...
- Emmanuels friend and my source of joy!
- Emmanuel
- Quite a lot of us on board, will escape to the doc...
- How beautiful is our view?! Pretty much everynight...
- A few sights
- Haemoglobin...
- Don't you just love it when...
- Getting chubby...
- More Bong Mine Pictures
- Bong Mines Hospital
- Club foot delights!
- Trip to Bong Mines
- Community meeting
- Hospitals in Liberia
- A nice rest...
- Paediatrics...how do you do it?!
- Song time!
- A speech and language session
- Monrovian Taxis
- A different meal out
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May
(25)
Who are Mercy Ships?
Mercy ships is a Christian organization which has been close to my heart for many years. Their focus is on the 'forgotten poor' and on providing health care and surgery, that in the western world is readily available, but in the places they serve is a luxury that the people cannot afford.
The main way help is given is through the use of ships which have been converted into hospitals.
Volunteer staff (like me!) live and work on board to keep the ship running, and to run theatres where people who come to the ship receive vtal surgical equipment. Procedures range from minor surgery such as cataract surgery to more major surgery; cleft pallet repair, tumour removal and and repairal of damage caued in childbirth.
Communities are served, often from hundres of miles around, bringing those served back from isolation, and, in many cases prevent early and unnecessary deaths.
Since 1978 Mercy ships have:
- performed more than 32,500 surgeries.
- treated more than 212,000 people
- performed more than 183,00 dental treatments
- taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers
- taught 95,000 local people in primary health care
I serve with Mercy Ships. Everything here, however, is my personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercy Ships.
The main way help is given is through the use of ships which have been converted into hospitals.
Volunteer staff (like me!) live and work on board to keep the ship running, and to run theatres where people who come to the ship receive vtal surgical equipment. Procedures range from minor surgery such as cataract surgery to more major surgery; cleft pallet repair, tumour removal and and repairal of damage caued in childbirth.
Communities are served, often from hundres of miles around, bringing those served back from isolation, and, in many cases prevent early and unnecessary deaths.
Since 1978 Mercy ships have:
- performed more than 32,500 surgeries.
- treated more than 212,000 people
- performed more than 183,00 dental treatments
- taught over 14,500 local health care and professional workers
- taught 95,000 local people in primary health care
I serve with Mercy Ships. Everything here, however, is my personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mercy Ships.
1 comment:
Oh my goodness! that's crazy low! I work in a lab and I've never had someone walk in to the clinic with a Hb under 5 - and usually those in the 5's are leukaemia patients and aren't feeling too good! Wow!
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