Miso Soup

Just back from dinner. Was invited to Irina's house for a Japanese dinner. Irina is a JICA (Japanese International Cooperation Agency) Volunteer based in Ndanda working at a secondary school teaching chemistry. Along with the other VSO volunteers, we met up with Irina and Mickey another JICA, IT volunteer to eat Japanese food - fried rice, miso soup and meat with potatoes. Chocolate cake and a sort of pineapple jello dessert. Tanzanian beers served for beverage. V. Good meal.
I was on call on Thursday night (valentine's day). It was relatively quiet. There was one call from the male surgical ward around 6 pm to see a pt with a "Mamba" bite.....I read the chart and saw "mamba" bite, looked at the patient with a huge gaping wound in the posterior thigh and then soon enough learned that Mamba is Kiswahili for crocodile. Needless to say it was the first crocodile bite i've seen. Forget about management. Just brought the patient to the theatre for wound cleaning. A few smaller lesions could be sutured. I gave pain meds and antibiotics. Was not expecting to be looking at the posterior thigh muscles again after gross anatomy first year of med school. The young kid was swimming in the local river and came with severe pain and bleeding of his thigh after a crocodile bit him. Apparently it was not even the first "mamba" bite of the year.
The rest of the call was quiet except one patient returned, a readmission for post menopausal bleeding. Biopsy last month came back as cervical squamous cell carcinoma. She is at least a stage III with pelvic side wall involvement. She needs radiation so she is referred to Ocean Road hospital in Dar Es Salaam for further management.
This weekened is my free weekend. The plan was to go to Mtwara for R&R and snorkeling but found out about 15 minutes into the drive that the guest house was already fully occupied. We had to turn around and head back to Ndanda. I was a little disappointed but at least we found out soon after we departed. Maybe next week I can switch a call and make it to Mtwara.
That is it from here. Hope you have a good weekend.