Great start- got some chapati's from Simbas Lodge (where we stay) and a bowl of beans to take along for lunch. Driving was like the mind buster- the roads that lead into nowhere. Fields of goats, masai and scrubby brush plus a sprinkling of acacia trees and random bunchs of colourful purple or red desert flowers. Cacti bushes and trees were everywhere... Then we took a right into a field. Nothing as far as you can see. The 'roads' could better be described as ditches, with a wandering bump down the center- essentially tire tracks with rifts carved by water and elements. Amit tells us ' I don't have a very good sense of direction', as we turn into nowhere, 'I often get lost back in here'. Fork in the ditch- 'should we go left or right? I'm feeling like it's left, but I"m gonna go right first'. On into nowhere we go. There are no maps here, just masai goat herders and the odd kikuyu on bike who point the way to the church we'll be working out of with the mpala mobile HIV and counselling unit. They mobilize the community with their bright yellow 4x4- so they all know we're here. On the way we pass tiny villages of no more than 10 huts w/ mud and poop walls, grassy roofs and fences of bramble to contain their goats. In the church we set up our aluminum table. One woman with pelvic pains 50 yrs old (looks 35- they all look younger here than they actually are). We discovered after physical exam and hcg test that she was pregnant. She would have to make her way to the hospital for an ultrasound to rule out ectopic pregnacy or other serious complication. Another little boy had stomach pains and was missing school. He didn't know what his poop was like bc they go in the long drop. He was very clingy and weepy but no fever. No other signs pointed to an emergency. We gave him homeopathic pulsatilla in the end and informed his father to boil the water. Many people out here don't boil the water, either bc they don't know or they don't think it's that important and can't be bothered. Before moving onto the next village, after our lineup, we visited the nearby village to see an 80 year old man who was too sick to leave his hut. He had a recurrent cough for years with blood, chest pain and wasting. The flys were bad and the heat overwhelming, but a quick assessment made us suspect either TB or lung cancer. What's interesting out here is the mantou test for TB is almost useless b/c most have been exposed and have antibodies to it already. He would need a sputum culture and chest xray. We gave him 2 remedies.
Onto the next mobile- a small masai village, under a tree and across from the Sweet Water (Old Pejeta conservancy), where we would be camping that night. At the village, the kids gave us an enthusiastic greeting "Howa yoo, howa yoo?". One little girl with a big smile and big front teeth came up as I leaned against a tree, asked my name, told me hers- Rebecca and she began rubbing my thumbnail, then petting my hair and then wanted to do homey hand shakes over and over. So endearing. There we met a woman from the north (near the Ethiopean border- a Turkana tribe woman). She, her family and a number of others were displaced here from drought. She wore at least 20 beaded discs around her neck, and they all appeared to shave the sides of their head, leaving a braided mohawk on top parted to the front and back. She walked in sandles with her left foot on permanent tip toe from an old snake bite. She appeared extremely thin with child on wilted breast She complained of dizziness and was tired with no appetite, amenorrhea and lots of weight loss. Her BP was normal, but malnutrition and anemia were likely. After examination we gave her homeopathic remedies for anxiety, hormone balancing and mentrual regulation, as well as for the residual effects of the snake bite. I hope we can get an update later from Amit to see how she does after treatment. Another woman we sent to the nurse unit (Mpala, who we traveled with), to get malarial testing, eventhough there's essentially zero malaria in this area and her symptoms sounded a lot like typhoid. She had joint pain and a fever, some GI complaints, and a recent history of travel up near samburu, where there's more malaria. It came back negative. Nice to have such imediate access to blood tests in the bush!
Michelle had a fever, cough and headache, so she was out for the count, resting in the car. We were, however, joined by a 4th year med student from Holland- Sanne- who was touring with Mpala, and this day sat in with us, and had many questions for us... He had never heard of homeopathy before. He joined in with the physical exams and questioning as Amit translated.
The line-up was long that day but by 6:30, the sun was getting low, so we had to head to set-up camp. Our site was near the rangers village in this wild life sanctuary (Old Pejeta)... Lions and leopards and buffalo... Oh my! Since Mich was sick, I opted to sleep alone in an extra tent Amit brought. That night, strange birds cried, and I was worried they were hyenas at our camp. Then I heard foot steps.. thump thump stop, thump thump stop- but they were gentle. I soon realized it must just be a hare. I managed to fall asleep, but woke an hour later, spooked and I had to get out to go to the "washroom". I held my breath and listened- wondered what to do- then heard two consecutive forceful exhales. I called Amit and he joined me for a midnight bathroom trip, then I slept in his tent. He pointed out hyena calls in the distance and far away sounds of lions grunting (mating). After that I slept well (despite his story of a friend being pulled by a hyena out of their tent by their feet) until 6am when the bug chorus alarm clock rang.
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