Tough Loss!

The Black Stars lost in the semifinals tonight! It will be another year before they can attempt to win the African Cup again. Too bad! I was adopting this country's football team.

So last night was very interesting for me. Cynthia's landlord decided to lock them out of the outhouse. We had to go to the bathroom in the bush. Africans call the woods or fields the bush. Let's just say camping will be very easy for me once I'm back in the US.  Little kids were laughing at me as I walked to the bush. They thought it was the funniest thing ever that a yevo (white person) was going to the bathroom outside. I was a little nervous they were going to run up on me since they are always so curious about white people. Talk about a nervous bladder. Haha! :) I know TMI!

Anyways....

Today was another good day at Ho Regional Hospital. I saw a couple of pediatric patients and a stroke patient. The patient had his stroke 5 years ago so unfortunately he will not make a ton of progress with therapy. It was hard for me to see him since I know if he would have had good therapy 5 years ago he'd probably be walking independently with a cane. He has been bed bound for the past 5 years. Also, he had some herbal/spiritual treatment where they amputated his toes, if I understood that correctly. Losing your big toes will really hurt your balance. It definitely is never a good treatment for a stroke patient! Obviously, if one has severe wounds it may be the only option, but not in this man's case.

The first kiddo I saw was a 2 year old with developmental delays. The child looked like a 12 month old to me. She has missed many normal developmental milestones: crawling, standing, walking. Lewis said they were making some progress with the child last year. When she first started therapy she couldn't sit unassisted and had horrible head control. In December, she was standing some on her own and could take steps with assist. However, the family says the child was ill and so she was not seen for 2 months. She has regressed, unfortunately. The family is not very active in her care. They often neglect her and if she cries they will hit her to stop. It is sad. The culture is different here and they do not understand that while this child may never be "normal" she is still a human being and deserves some chance!

The next little kiddo was a 5 year old with Cerebral Palsy. His mother is very involved and was right beside me trying to assist in the treatment session. The have made knee braces for him to try and help with standing. I think they have been very helpful. My suggestion was to try an ankle brace rather than knee braces. When his knees are in extension (straight) it cause his feet to point into plantarflexion; thus, he was unable to stand with his feet flat. I think if we can get him weightbearing with his feet flat on the ground then he may be able to stand and take steps with the assistance of a walker. The boy had good trunk control in tall kneeling so I feel with a little more therapy, bracing, and a walker he will walk someday soon! The mom was very excited for my suggestions and is going to a carpenter this afternoon. I hope my ideas will work! I do not normally work with children so it is a lot of trial error for me to know what will be effective.

It was so nice working with Lewis and the other staff at Ho. Lewis really seems to love his job and wants to continue to learn new things. I really admire his desire for continued learning. I only hope I can continue to help him and the other therapists of Ghana! I hope my suggestions were helpful. I realize that things cannot always be done like they are in the US. The way I do things probably isn't always right even though I feel they may be. I am trying so hard to not judge or be critical of things. I hope I am giving constructive feedback because that is always what I want when I am trying to continue my learning process!!!

I survived my solo tro tro ride back to Kpando. It's nice to be back in my African home! I had a Guinness with Isaac tonight! It's become one of my favorite evening activities. Haha! I promise its not every night and its just one at a time. :)

Love, Kari