2 Emergencies in 2 days

Yesterday Papa Lee was rushed off the island because he was hemorrhaging - his bladder was full of blood. I'll spare the rest of the details because they are quite graphic. Still, we're praying for him because it could be life-threatening and surgery is not ideal for even the most healthy of 94-year olds. We love Papa Lee - he is the oldest on Helene and a father to this island (both literally and figuratively).

This morning at 6:30am Batina's significant other, Hansito, came to the clinic and told us that she had been hemorrhaging all night. Alisa and I got some gear together and rushed over to their place (luckily, it's right next door). It was obvious she had bled a whole lot - and at such a strange time. Usually OB emergencies happen within the first few hours or days - she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl over 1 week ago. Her pressure was 105/80 and her uterus was hard - we suspected an infection from retained placental fragments. In the pitch dark with only our headlights to guide us, Alisa successfully put in an IV ("blind" - just by feeling for the vein - what a champ!), while I put in a catheter. Our technique could not possibly be completely sterile (my nursing profs would've gone off the handle), but it got the job done the best we could. As soon as we could get a boat for her, we rushed her off to the hospital at Oakridge. It's a good thing she went because she was in serious need of blood replacement. Alisa went off with Batina while I got to spend the morning holding her adorable little girl and playing with her toddler, Angelina, while chatting with Cleo, a 16 year old islander. It was neat getting to know her and learning about her time spent in the mainland of Honduras.

Your prayers for Papa Lee and Batina are appreciated!