When There Is No Doctor

The day started out normally.

I came into the clinic with Elvin and Christy, we did our Devotional, and split up to work on our separate projects.

I grabbed the next bag of glasses to put into the computer system, because yes there were more glasses hidden away.

I surpassed 2000 glasses by mid-morning. We took a break for lunch.

Then the crazy happened.

Two girls came in, one was limping, holding her stomach, wincing at every step. Her chief complaint was that she had severe pain from her back to her front in the epigastric area, with some pain in her shoulder. She said that after she ate, her stomach got really bloated, and she started having this pain.
She did indeed have a very distended abdomen, with hyperactive bowel sounds. She just had a lot of gas. She told me that this has happened before, that she did not know what caused it. She had eaten beans, eggs, and cheese for breakfast though.

I walked out of the room to check to see if we had any gasX or alfalfa for her gas pain, and she was happily chatting with her friend while lying on the table. So I gave her some tums since that was what we had, and sent her, limping back to class.

No sooner had I sat down to the computer than a whole crowd of teachers come rushing in carrying an unconscious student. He had been convulsing in the stairwell, and it was unknown if he had hit his head.
I tried to wake him up, but he was not responsive for about 5 minutes. He was breathing, and had a good pulse though, so I finished getting vitals while rubbing his sternum. Some of his family members work at the school, so they all came in too to check on him. He opened his eyes after about 5 minutes, but was very confused, did not know his name, where he was, and could not follow instruction. When he closed his eyes again, he started mildly twitching. It only lasted a few seconds, but I am pretty sure he was seizing.
I was scared for him, but it definitely looked like he had had a seizure.
His family told me that this has happened before, that he had a neurologist look at him. Apparently everything had been negative.
He needed to go to the hospital, so the Principal tried to get a hold of his parents, so they could drive him an hour to the nearest hospital. At this point, he was starting to remember his name and birthday, and recognized his grandmother.
His parents were not answering the phone, so his aunt and grandmother decided to take him home in a taxi, so they could decide what to do.
I firmly told them that he needs to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible so they could put him on medication. I told them what to do if he seizes again, and how to watch him constantly. I was concerned about the possibility of concussion too, so I educated them on watching for that also.
The taxi came, and he went home with his relatives.

Another student had come in also during this time and was patiently waiting his turn to see me.
Just as we were about to get him into the system, the girl with the gas pain came back in. She was limping, supported by three people, gasping in pain.

So I brought her back again, did another full assessment, and again determined that she just had a giant ball of gas in her stomach, and it was radiating to her shoulder. I had her lay down for a few minutes, since she was comfortable in that position, and went to take care of the boy who had come in earlier.

He was easy, just a sprained wrist, so we got him all squared away quickly.
While I was out, the girl was chatting with her friends, not acting in pain at all. So I let her lay there for a few minutes, then I tried massaging the gas out of her belly. We figured out that she may have an intolerance to a certain food, so I told her to make a food diary for the next few weeks, to see if this happens again. She was happy with that, and went back to class with her teacher.

I took a deep breath, and caught up on my paperwork.
Afterwards I realized I hadn't really asked God for help in taking care of these kids. The girl probably had something going on besides the stomach pain, that we could have prayed about, since she was in pain when I was paying attention to her. I failed in that.
God, please take care of her, and give me another chance.

The next day, Elvin called the boy with the seizure's parents, and they did indeed take him to the hospital (Thank you Jesus!). The doctor said that there was the possibility of a tumor, so we are still praying for him.
Another praise was that a girl I had seen weeks ago with a possible appendicitis actually did end up having appendicitis. She had been taken to the hospital, had an operation, and was doing well at home. Thank God that He gave me the wisdom to see the symptoms.

It is definitely hard here, because we do not have a lot of equipment, we don't even have oxygen. God is good though, he helps us to make do with what we have. God please continue to guide me in this. I am no doctor, but You are the Great Physician. Thank you for your hand on this place.