i have been insanely busy with travel, clinic, and class so i haven't had much time to update this thing! here is an excerpt from an email i sent kevin which pretty much sums up this past week:
"i actually have had an awesome week. i am learning to do prenatal examinations and the doctors are letting me have a couple of my own patients now that they trust me. i use the fetal heart rate doppler to listen to the baby's heart inside the mother's womb, measure the height of the baby from the pubic bone to it's top, and determine it's position in the womb. i then check the vaginas for flujo (discharge) and the anus for hemmorhoids (double gross). but i have patients calling me "doctorita" (affectionate term for a doctor) and i get to see them more than once because they come to the clinic frequently. sadly, all these girls are in between the ages of 10 and 20 because i am working at the adolescent clinic but it is still a really great experience."
i am obviously learning a ton and i really enjoy being at the centro de salud alto miraflores because i get to be extremely hands-on with the patients instead of assuming the traditional role of observation for someone who has yet to matriculate at medical school. i enjoy using the fetal heart rate doppler the most because almost all the mothers (and some fathers) light up when they hear their baby's heart beat. when the baby is really small you have to push down harder with the doppler probe underneath the belly button and i always feel like i am going to poke right through into the stomach! sometimes when i am feeling for the baby's head (to determine if it is in the cephalic position within the womb) the baby will move and wiggle around which i still get all giddy about each time it happens.
today, two of the girls who are patients at the clinic asked me how old i was and if i had children. they told me they had been students before they got pregnant and had to drop out to take care of their babies. they were both 20 years old and told me to wait until i was thirty to have children so i could enjoy life. i was pretty shaken up after talking to them because here i am, blessed with the opportunity to travel and study and here are two girls who have given up their lives to raise their children. i'm not saying that they aren't responsible for their actions, it's just hard to imagine.
clinic aside, we went to lago titicaca this past weekend and took a boat out to isla del sol. we hiked around this awesome trail and explored old ruins and secluded towns. i also ate the best trucha (troat) i have ever had in my life. this weekend we are going to uyuni to see the salt flats and then to the mining town potosi on monday. bolivia is definitely an outdoor enthusiast's dream and i am sad that my trip is almost halfway over. time is FLYING!
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