23rd February 2012

I write this blog one handed as I sit with Jaba on my knee at 9.15pm. Jeremy is at the hospital, presumably doing a series of caesarean sections or something else surgical as I haven’t heard from him for a couple of hours.  There is a sick woman – well actually a young girl of 15 – who has become septic after her caesarean section. She arrived at the hospital a few days ago, having been in labour for a long while but was given an emergency CS. There is some thought that she may have cerebral malaria but I think this is a red herring. So perhaps she is even sicker than she was today – she was unconscious when I went to the ward, although her kidneys and heart were working well. She is young though.

 Abdi, one of the orphan boys has just left with a bottle of Vimto (some disgustingly sweet fruit cordial) to take his antibiotics with. He has an enormous boil on his foot between his big and next toe and his whole foot looks like it is rotting. I soaked it a few times and dressed it with iodine gauze and gave him some antibiotics to take for a few days. Oh and Jeremy donated yet another pair of socks to try and keep it clean. So filled with frankfurters, baked beans and bread, he has left to join the other 4 boys in what can only be described as a collapsing bed – yes, they all sleep together….somehow.

So Jaba sits here enjoying Mozart’s piano concerto number 21 in C. you may laugh but he really loves it and always falls asleep to it. Try it yourself; it’s fabulously relaxing. Poor little Jaba is spending a few days at the house as he has pneumonia again and they wanted to admit him to the male ward. Well, I thought he would be far better off here – less infections and constant care. He has a venflon in his vein -  taped securely with thick plaster that will hurt enormously when it comes off -  so that I can give him 4 hourly penicillin. He’s a bit grizzly but he’s coping with it all OK, despite coughing every 10 minutes. I guess that neither he or I will sleep much tonight.

Oh well, 10pm and still no Jeremy and supper awaiting – chorizo risotto tonight.