Road to Rwanda---Medical Procedures

 

 Rick had the "flu" on New Year's Eve.  He was in excruciating pain and if I could have figured out how to get to an ER, we would have gone.  He is over that, but it seems to have triggered his long standing problem with his esophagus.  It is restricted where it enters his stomach and he spontaneously vomits very often.  In discussions with  a pair of Physicians Assistants visiting our director,(God sent) it was decided we should go to Kigali and get a CT scan to rule out anything more serious. 

At best medical anything is scary and complicated.  Try that in a country in which the procedures are foreign and often are not even available. We were trying to do the CT scan before school starts next Monday, but when we called 3 places Tuesday night all three CT machines were not working.  I had some hope that one of them would be fixed by Wednesday morning and after calling numerous times on Wednesday we were told that yes the machine was fixed and we could come on ahead.  Appointments? Nah.  By this time the driver that we need to engage for the 2+ hours to Kigali had been to our house at 6:30 and was waiting to know.  At 8:30 we headed out.  It is a long, but very pretty trip over the mountains to Kigali.  Of course when we got to the “Mediheal Lab and Fertility Clinic” (We were jokingly warned we might end up pregnant), the system then took over and Rick trotted from one station to the next as directed for blood work (why?), and to put in an IV and to drink two huge containers of something and to be told to go walk for 45 minutes and then come back and have the CT scan.  So the CT scan was even with dye contrast!  Two excellent points about this process was that (1) it was in English,   Hallelujah, and (2) it only cost $104 USD!   10 hours later we were back home.

The CT report said Rick is fine and healthy with no major complications, but it still leaves him with the problem of his long standing esophagus issue.  We are researching (via the help of our director) to see if the endoscopy procedure is available in Rwanda.  So far we think that one doctor might be able to do it here.  I have no idea what happens if we are chasing a non-existent physician and machine.  Rick cannot eat very well until this procedure is performed. He is down to 165 pounds which is the weight he was when I married him 50 years ago.  So….. Prayers are needed and appreciated.  All in all we are OK.  I am ready for school to start Monday but wish this procedure had happened before school started.