Soccer!!!!

That's right... today I join the Naval Soccer team for a big game against the Dominican Republic Navy soccer team! Really I am just taking every opportunity to get off the boat and run around. There is a big chance that the DR team is a bit better than we are but it is going to be fun...go out there and score some goals! The team practice consists of playing hacky-sack on the flight deck which alone is a very fun activity. Hopefully there will be some good pictures/video of the game.
On the health care front (since I did not come here to play soccer) I spent the last two days on shore. The first day we were set up at a school. When we showed up in the morning the streets were full of kids and families waiting to be seen...an exciting way to kick off the day. Mid-day we moved our stuff to the VA hospital and opened a clinic there the following day. We saw primarily older people and people wanting to get their eyes checked out at the VA but it was still a good day. It seems everyday around here the are several speed bumps to work through but things are smoothing out and the team seems to be working better together. Right as the team is building 125 people from the team are leaving and we will get a new group on Friday...should create an interesting dynamic... it seems we are always on our toes around here!! When I am on the boat I am still working in the ICU and that is going well, no real ICU patients because they would not do surgery if the patient can not leave the boat before we leave port.
Well, I am off the get warmed up for the big game...Go Navy!!!!!

Peace and Quiet!!!???

In all honesty, peace and quiet does not exist on a naval ship. I have been searching for the one place you can be alone for more than 5 minutes and all i have found is the bathroom and as for quiet...it really doesn't exist...white noise everywhere and some times the whole place shakes because the engine is working hard or the helicopter is taking off. I am beginning to accept and find peace in the white noise and constant company.
We made it to the Dominican Republic this morning after a successful mission in Haiti. It will be interesting to see how the clinics and the hospital flows now that we have worked out so many of the bugs. Over all the Haiti trip was great, we did about 25 surgeries a day for 8 days, we left 1 day early because Haiti was have elections. The people were great but i am excited to be in a spanish speaking country now...at least i can communicate a few words.
The Dominican Republic is way more developed from what I can see compared to Haiti. We don't get to go exploring, unfortunately. The boat stays out in the bay and we drop anchor, to get to land you have to take a smaller boat and stay with the group which means staying at the clinic site...oh well maybe some other time i will get to see the places I am visiting.
Well i hope everyone is enjoying spring...it is still really hot and humid here but I did see some dolphins on the way to breakfast.

On Land...

I finally got off the boat for the whole day!!! I have been working in the ICU on the boat and the growing pains are increasing each day, it feels like we are trying to open a hospital from scratch with supplies and charting from the 70's and despite the lack of organization patients keep coming and we try and figure it out!!!! Everyone gets one or two days to go to shore and help out at the clinic sites. We have two sites currently, one is in the UN base so it is enclosed and we operate out of several old concrete buildings. The other is in an enclosed field, I havent been there but i have been told that there are double thick walls with huge coiled barbed wire on top...not quite the welcoming medical clinic I imagined but I guess it helps with crowd control. The surgery schedule was filled on day 2 so now the clinics are offering basic general medical services, dental and optometry services. There are so many people that need surgical care it is upsetting that we cant do more but we do what we can. The question remains...how beneficial what we are doing is and how the Haitians percieve us but I am glad to be here even if it is only for my first post-surgical patient who told me she loves me 8 times this morning!!! Or the cleft palate child who saw his repaired face for the first time this morning and got so excited his whole body was shaking!!!

Today the government and the NGO's are having a gift giving ceremony at the main port in Haiti to commenerate all the palates of food and supplies we brought for the country. They needed some representatives from Project Hope to go so I volunteered and we get to go by air!!! So I must go now and prepare for my morning helicopter ride!!! YeHaaa

stand by to stand by

Well, I getting an idea of what it is like to be in the navy (on a very relaxed scale). It seems we have mastered the hurry up and wait process and I am trying to enjoy the days off but I have had several so far and the activities are limited on a large boat. I am sure I will be dreaming of these days in the future.
We have been in Haiti for 3 days now and our crews on shore have been triaging patients and preparing for education at the hospital. Yesterday a nurse went to the general hospital and said there was 1 nurse for 150 adult patients and 75 children...talk about a stressful nurse to patient ratio. Our plans for many surgeries starting today was limited by Easter weekend in a very Catholic country, not as many people came out for the triage and health camps but we did admit a big 1 patient yesterday!!!
I will continue to update this blog but if you are interested in reading our public relations officer's blog go to www.projecthope.org and click on the continuing promise mission or USNS comfort 2009 and you should be able to see some pictures. Happy spring...it is Hot and Humid here.

Out to Sea!!!

All I can see is blue water!!! That is right, I am on board a naval ship and we set sail on monday heading toward Haiti. We will arrive on the 8th at night and start to see patients on the 11th after a day of set up. I will be working on the ship as an ICU nurse and I will hopefully get a few days to go on shore and do some work there. Most of our patients are preassigned for surgery and we have a tight surgery schedule!!
The ship is amazing, 10 stories high, 900 feet long and there are 950 people on board. We have the capacity for 125 ICU patients and many many more med surg patients but the ship is not operating to full capacity. It has taken the last two days just to get a hang of where I need to go and where my bed i located...I am still having trouble with the restroom locations!!!
So far all is well, the ship is rocking a bit and I walk around like i have had too many drinks, I suppose i will get used to this!! Until then I wander back and forth in the halls and fall to sleep easily as the slow rock and engine noise droans on.

SNOW??!!

It is dumping here in Silverthrone, CO (my sister's house) and it is taking a little getting used to. I was just settling into my flip flops and shorts on the canyon and now I am going skiing!!! I guess that is how spring usually is, I cant complain.
Well John and I drove the stuff we need for the summer down to Moab and moved into the single wide trailer CFI rented for us. It is in a really nice spot with a view of the La Sals and a small creek in the front. I (elie) spent 2 nights there and packed up my stuff to drive to Colorado in a big snow storm. I figured I would spend some time with my family before I leave for 3 months to Central America.
Yes, the time has finally come for me to do the nursing volunteer work I have been wanting to do. I will be working on a retired naval ship that was turned into a floating hospital, there are 4 ICU beds so I will be doing the work I have been doing!!! The mission is divided into 4 rotations but since my schedule allowed it I will be doing all of them. The company is called Project HOPE. So, my bags are packed and I fly to Miami on Sunday to board the ship!!! Oh boy, I really dont know much about the trip so it will be truely exciting. Until Sunday I am going to get out and enjoy some of this COLD, fluffy white stuff!!!