dedza hospital

Thanks to Tom, Tove, and Anne for their help and support as we were pretty shaky after our adventure. Rhona was put on a stretcher and we went right in. they started cleaning us up and checking us over. Rhona first: cleaned the bigger cut on her left arm and then looked at the other cut. Much smaller but stretched so they said that it needed stitches which she vehemently denied even though she couldn’t see the cut. Called in for a second opinion and then tried to get a picture to show her. Then she finally agreed—so 3 stitches. I’ve never seen stitches being put in and as many of you know I don’t handle the medical/blood/whatever without becoming the patient myself but the shock had me able to watch and be fascinated. They really pull at the skin. Rhona was laughing watching my face as I was intrigued but then trying to hold still at the same time. Then they came to clean my foot (I was sitting right next to her). And I wasn’t nearly so happy just knowing it was going to sting. But they started with the saline solution to just clean it out and it didn’t hurt at all (well anymore than it was already stinging. So I went back to chatting and feeling ok with this cleaning. I’d stopped paying attention when they came with the iodine or whatever the orange stuff is that stings and I almost jumped out of my seat and onto rhona. Malawians in general are quite stoic so we were a scene I do believe. It didn’t help that I was doing big gestures and giving them the option to just cut it off and be done with it. I’m good for entertainment if nothing else. Then it was over and we went outside to await our chariot back to nkhoma. Dr. Barbara Nagy came in the car (with a driver) to get us and we made it home safely and have been laid up for the week watching movies and being waited on hand and foot from our wonderful guardian isabelle. (patients at the hospital come with at least one guardian to feed and take care of them—we didn’t have to go to the hospital though)