Return to Douala

We traveled back to Douala this past weekend in order to assist the regular OB/GYN there, Dr. Jean Paul to get started with introducing laparoscopic surgery at Padre Pio. He has had some training in Belgium in laparoscopic surgery but has not had much hands-on experience. The hospital there had recently purchased some laparoscopic equipment that arrived last month while I was there. I had been hoping to do a few cases while I was there in April, but it took some time to get everything organized and arranged. So yesterday, Dr. Jean Paul and I did 2 cases of diagnostic laparoscopy and adhesiolysis. The equipment is quite functional and it is all non-disposable like we used to have in the U.S. years ago. Obviously, using disposable equipment here is completely out of the question. Both cases went well and so I think Dr. Jean Paul’s program is off to a good start. He is a very good surgeon and will be feeling comfortable with the procedure in no time.

We left Douala at 5 am this morning in order to avoid our travel being obstructed by the marches and parades taking place in most of the villages and towns we must pass through during our return drive. Today is “Reunification Day” celebrating the unification of Cameroon into a single country. We saw lots of people especially school children in their uniforms preparing to march. However, we had no significant delays and go back to Njinikom before 1 pm. Traveling back with us is Dr. Nestor who is a young Cameroonian G.P. who we met when we were in Douala in April. He is stationed at a “health center” in Edea which is also run by the Tertiary Sisters of St. Francis. He came over to Padre Pio a couple of time while we were there in get started in the basics of doing cesarean sections and is going to continue his training here. He is a very bright young man, but unfortunately has no surgical experience at all. However, he may be called upon to do a c/s in an emergency and so I hope to give him a “crash course” in the basics that he can build upon as time goes by. I hope at least to teach him enough to stay out of trouble in an emergency.

Speaking of emergencies, I operated on a placenta accreta  a week or 

so ago and mother and baby have done well and are going home. Juliette had had 3 prior c/s and had a complete previa. I put her in the hospital after her last bleeding episode at 34 weeks for about a week. She got her family to donate 4 pints of whole blood that we kept in reserve here for her. A week ago Friday she cut loose again and we did a c/s hysterectomy on her as we had planned. Things went very well due to some great help from our expert surgical scrub tech, Conetius and Dr. Hake who was kind enough to assist. I am very grateful that things went so well. I am also very grateful and thrilled that Juliette has decided to name her baby “Jim”. I don’t think that will be his official Cameroonian name, but more of a nickname. Just the same I am very happy.

Anyway, we are back in Njinikom and glad to be here despite that there is no water and no power this afternoon. I’m sure it will get turned back on later tonite. We hope.