First days at Can Tho General Hospital

I'm thrilled to be back in Vietnam and so glad to see the rest of the IEP team--it has been too long! Facebook is blocked in Vietnam, so I will plan on posting to this blog with photos and updates-

Our flights to Taipei and then to Saigon were blissfully uneventful, and full of sleep and poignantly chaste movies from Asia.  We arrived in good spirits:

We had heard that there were new and improved roads between Saigon and Can Tho, and a wonder bridge that had eliminated the ferry ride across the Mekong to get to Can Tho.  Unfortunately, only the latter seemed to pan out-- our ride was longer than usual, but it was broken up by a lovely lunch:

And the discovery of my new favorite dessert: xio phong-- a hollow globe of chewy glutineous rice flour that is cut in half with scissors and then sliced into triangles.  Chewy, stretchy, and warm.  Ask for some right away, I can't recommend it enough!  Those of you that are familiar with my previous trips to Vietnam know that I talk about the food a lot, it's really one of my major preoccupations!

It was glorious to get to Can Tho, where we stay at the Golf Hotel, where the motto is "Your Sweet Sweet Home", which has nothing to do with golf.  There appears to be more street construction, more xiclos and moto scooters, new night markets, and lots of bustle compared to 2007.  In response to all that potential excitement, I went to sleep at 7:30pm after almost 30 hours of travel. 



The new Can Tho General Hospital



We awoke refreshed Monday morning, with a fast-paced and busy day ahead of us.  This is the only full day devoted to screening all potential surgery patients for the surgeons on the team. We arrived at the new General Hospital for a brief welcome from the new director, then on to face more than 80 possible patients with lower limb/leg/foot/ankle deformities for screening.  During these days, I am "Chief Administrator for Registration", or so I was introduced to some of the Vietnamese doctors that didn't know me from previous years.  I work with one of the project's nurses to register and photograph all the potential patients before they are called for evaluation by the project doctors, translators, and Stacy, my travel partner and team physical therapist. 

little girl with a foot deformity
 for surgical evaluation

Things went really well today-- no electrical adapters bursting into flames, no children throwing up, no bird's nest soda spilling on my li'l computer, and good relations with the local hospital's nursing staff.  We will see around 25 more potential patients tomorrow morning, and the surgeons are planning to start some less-complicated procedures tomorrow afternoon.



a girl with post-polio foot and ankle deformity



We continue to see a really interesting variety of cases in these first couple of screening days.  People with consequences from polio, including cases from less than 15 years ago, have always made up the largest part of the patient group.  This year we are also seeing many cases of polydactyly (extra digits on feet or hands), cerebral palsy, other kinds of congenital limb deformities, as well as other neuromuscular issues that affect the way they use their legs and feet.  While the surgeon group typically focuses on lower extremity issues, the orthopedic surgeon from Israel, Meir Nyska, is taking on some hand and arm cases as well.

The project continues to be very well documented in all media forms! This year's project photographer, Bob, is starting to post his photos on Photobucket-- I'll get you all the info about how to look at his shots online.  He was able to focus on photos in the last couple days, and I will hopefully be getting a chance to take more, too! Check the project blog for photos and notes from everyone as well:(http://www.extremityproject.blogspot.com/).  Flecher, our videographer, is thrilled to be able to do "where are they now" follow-ups with a number of returning patients that the team operated on in 2004 and 2007.



another post-polio evaluation





the surgeons will be able
to remove this boy's extra digit on his hand



this little girl has amniotic banding
on her arms and hands

I'm heading to bed now with the sounds of the Mekong River karaoke boat out my window.  Stacy and I will prep tomorrow for our next few days at Can Tho Children's Hospital, where we will change roles from those of the last few days--I'm looking forward to seeing kids in open clinics and giving some lectures to the pediatric therapy staff.  I'll try to get more photos, and maybe even include some of me! Stay tuned!