First Day of Volunteering!

If it hasn't been made clear enough in my blog thus far, I am definitely learning that things usually do not go as planned. In fact, I think it's better to eliminate the word "plan" completely from my Spanish vocabulary and change it to "possibility." I started volunteering today, not my possible start date of yesterday.  This was actually was a huge relief because I was so exhausted from traveling. Instead of the possibility to volunteer at the hospital in labor and delivery, I will be working in many clinics throughout Trujillo.  So... no baby catching for me!  There is a slight possibility that I am going to work tomorrow night 7PM-8AM in the delivery room which would be amazing!  But... I am not going to get my hold my breath! :)

This morning I ventured into a poorer neighborhood of Trujillo, where I'll be helping in multiple specialties. Today, I worked in family medicine and in just 3.5 hours we saw 25 patients and three pharmaceutical reps! Whew! Literally no sooner had the patient walked out of the door and the next patient was being called into the room. Charts are no more than a stack of papers stapled together, examinations are sporadic, and some sort of medication was given to every patient. Antibiotics were prescribed for most symptoms: from stomachaches to sore throats to coughs.

Also advised by the doctor was drinking lots of LUKEWARM beverages. Never, ever, are the patients to drink cold beverages. If they do happen to drink something cold, the doctor told the patients that it will aggrevate their symptoms and they will only get more sick. One patient had a fever and a slightly redder-than-normal throat and the doctor said that it was caused by the ice cream she had eaten the previous day. It is no joke that Peruvians truly believe cold drinks, foods, showers, etc. can cause sore throats and flu-like symptoms. Definitely a difference from what I am used to. I get many stares at the gym when I drink my refrigerated water. Although it is probably becuase I am a gringa and not as much the water. :) All in all, it was a fabulous first day and a true learning experience! The majority of the patients were children and infants which was exactly what I wanted to see!

One of the funniest parts of the day was meeting with the pharmaceutical reps. For all my fellow OPA'ers, it was quite the change from what we're used to! The rep handed a drug sample to the doctor and gives a 15 second speech on how it will help the patients (most saying, "it will solve all of the patients' problems, it is the most effective on the market, and you will be very pleased!"). Out of the bag comes another box if medicine, and the same speech is given. This goes on for approximately 3 minutes and they shake hands and in comes the next patient without skipping a beat. I was given approximately 20 samples today from arthritis drugs to iron-fortified pain medications. Very interesting!

Tomorrow I get to work in obstetrics and help with pregnancy exams. The doctor informed me today that the average first-time mother they see in their clinic is around 17 years old. By the time they are 30, most mothers have 4 children. I asked about contraceptives and she said that many do not take it for one of two reasons: either they are not well educated and don't know how to take the prescriptions correctly, or that their significant other believes taking the pills will increase the likelihood of her infidelity, so they do not allow it. Most of the mothers are just children themselves and it is not uncommon to see 12-year-old mothers in the clinic. My experiences are definitely humbling and put my superficial complaints into perspective. It makes me ask myself what is truly important and how incredibly much I have to be thankful for. I challenge you to live vicariously through me and remember how blessed we are to be Americans!