Tag Archives: Patients

Belize, Medical Related

Busy With Coughs And Colds!

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Together.CourtyardThe business of coughs and colds always fall to the responsibility of the GP and right now, we are having a busy time with it!  As I look back at previous years, I have noticed a spike of this type of ailment in June.  I think this co-insides with the abrupt change in weather from from dry to rainy season in Belize.  On-call, off-duty, on-duty….it’s all the same to a doctor…everywhere we go right now, we are bumping into people with coughs.  Just a few days ago, I stepped into a man’s shop and he was lying on his back (on crates) coughing and spluttering.  I can’t get away from the call of duty.  😉

I am now armed with a stethoscope and medical paraphernalia as I walk down the streets of Punta Gorda.

Munchkin.Hair.Flowing

We have noticed that some  people do start off with a benign cold here…they call it “fresh cold” in Belize.  It usually goes away by itself with a bit of rest, good wholesome food and TLC.  There are however some people who don’t rest and continue to erratically go through life in the same stressful and deleterious way.  These are the ones who get into trouble and the upper respiratory tract infection develops into pneumonia.  We end up seeing these people as patients.

Anyway, for all you people who have recently developed the sniffles…STOP.  Give your body a rest!!  Doctor’s Orders!!  And here is an easy drink that you can make at home (3 times daily for the next 7 days) to help reduce the phlegm and cough.

Munchkin.Drinking

Cough And Cold Remedy.

Put the following in a mug:

Juice of one lime

1 tbsp honey

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp chili powder (or a quarter piece of fresh habanero, finely chopped)

1/4 tsp of ground dried ginger (or 1/2 tsp fresh ginger, finely chopped)

Top up with hot water.  Allow to steep for 5 minutes and then drink up.

Also, go to sleep early, rest and stop running around!

Amusing, Belize, Food

Jesus Bouillon Cubes.

Together.Eating

This one is for Jesus.  As doctors, we come across all manner of interesting folk.  We have a patient who is an elderly missionary gentleman whom we have known for years.  Throughout this time, we have enjoyed him as quite a character and he continues to bring humour and gestures of thanks into our lives.  The other day, he stopped by and gave us two packs of bouillon cubes (and a sack of oranges).

Jesus Bouillon Cubes.
Jesus Bouillon Cubes.

He instructed me that I could make the best tasting rice in the world by combining a beef and a chicken cube together.  Furthermore, he was giving me 240 cubes in total which equated to 120 days of great tasting rice!  Oh, and of course,

“Praise the Lord!  Jesus loves you!”

So, now when I start to cook dinner, I ask Gnome:

“Darling, do you want the Jesus Bouillon Cubes or Miso tonight?”

Scottish Munchkin.

And Gnome replies,

“Jesus Cubes tonight, babes!”

Gnome.at.Lunch.Table

The genuine warmth and gesture behind the gifts are much appreciated.

Belize, Food, Medical Related, Philosophy

Busy Being Doctors!

Together.Sitting.HandrailHi Everyone.  Our Internet just came back on…it has been really erratic lately and some days we only have it come on for about 5 minutes at a time when some emails download but  no connection to write back.  Such is life in Belize.  Well, we’ve been busy with medical calls of late.  So, all farm and business stuff has been pushed to a minimum until things go back to normal.  The rains don’t help either…and, I should also throw in the unhelpful conjunction of the stars for extra measure!  Anyone waiting for coconut products is waiting for all our patients to get better, sunnier days and of course, the big stick (for knocking down the coconuts).

Of course, being doctors always comes first and we really don’t mind seeing patients.  We just have so many other things that we like to do that it is sometimes hard to fit everything into our lives.  For us, seeing patients is our gesture to people, the community and the universe, at large because we put such a huge effort into this work.  Not only are our call-outs one hour, they sometimes extend to two hours and we don’t ask for extra money for this.  The money that we receive from patients is what we like to view as a “gesture in kind.”

During these hectic, stressful and tiring days, I think to myself that we are so lucky that we can work together as doctors (and in everything else).  Due to patient confidentiality, doctors should never talk about their patients to anyone else except to other medical colleagues.  In our line of work, this is called “sharing the anxiety” or in more professional terms “de-briefing.”  I am really glad that we can share the anxiety together!

It is nice when some acknowledgement comes our way.  The last week or so, we have received gifts of fruit from patients’ relatives.

A gift of mangoes.  This is great because we have no mangoes growing on our farm.

Mangoes.
Mangoes.

A gift of kenip fruit.  These are fruit with a sweet and acidic flesh…you gnaw on the fruit around the seeds and then the seeds can be kept, boiled up and then roasted to make a nut snack. Gnome really likes this fruit!

Kenip Fruit.
Kenip Fruit.

Have a good night!!

Belize, Medical Related, Philosophy

Only in Belize…!

cropped-rainbow.jpgI have a nice story to share with you today.  It is a heart-warming story that makes me feel connected with the community of Punta Gorda and at large, humanity.

About a week ago, I received an early morning phone call from the daughter one of our many patients.  She was naturally distressed because her elderly father had fallen on the floor.  Unfortunately, we were in Belize City at that time so we were unable to come to her aid.  However, I did tell her that it was imperative that she take her father to hospital (in Punta Gorda) urgently.  I detected some hesitancy from her because she was unsure as to whether she and her husband could physically carry him out of the house and into their truck.  I understood her concerns and I stated that there was simply no ambulance service available but nevertheless, it was of utmost importance that he be seen by a medical doctor.

On the same day, the daughter phoned to give me an update and said that her father was stable and improving in hospital.

I didn’t hear anything more until a couple of days ago.  The father had been discharged from hospital and we came out to do a check-up.  When we arrived at the house, we were met by the daughter.  She was very pleased with her father’s progress and said to us mysteriously, “I will let my dad tell you about the ride in the pick-up truck…”

When we saw the father, he was lying down and it was clear that he had been through a very difficult and trying week.  Despite all this, he smiled and beamed with relief when he saw us.  The first thing he said to us, as he chuckled to himself, was “Oh, I need to tell you about my first ride on the back of a pick-up truck…”

So this is the “pick-up story”: The daughter had run out to her neighbour and asked them for help in getting her dad into her truck.  The neighbour shouted an incomprehensible  list of commands in Creole over her shoulder and the next thing she knew there were six young men, armed with blankets, standing by her side.  The six men (I imagine in my head, six very strong burly men) ran like soldiers to the house and swooped the father up effortlessly and carried him in a blanket onto the back of the pick-up truck.  As they drove the bumpy ride to the hospital, the men acted as a human cushion to stop the father from rolling about on the truck.

The neighbour had also called ahead to the hospital to inform them of the imminent arrival.  And so, everything was done in a timely, co-ordinated manner as soon as they reached hospital.

I smiled when I heard this story.  This shows community spirit and compassion. In times of crisis, they rally together and give support to one another.  This is truly priceless and no amount of facilities and public services can replace the warmth and humility that is necessary in times of need.