SLOW INTERNET

We have not forgotten the Blog!  The internet is tooooo slow!

We have been busy. We have completed 118 surgeries. This baby came in a few days ago with a gastroschisis. Dr. Emem, our local pediatric surgeon, and I operated. We were able to return the bowel to the abdomen and the baby is doing well.

This man came with a recurrent maxillary tumor. We did a maxillectomy and temporalis muscle flap. He will need radiation as the tumor is malignant.

OLD FRIEND

Yesterday we saw some old friends! HONEST-the following women are same person!

Maxillary cyst

NCH VAMPIRES

Makeshift cell-saver

Today we had a young woman arrive with abdominal distention and pain. Israel Jombo, CMO NCH, made the correct diagnosis of ruptured ectopic pregnancy. Her Hct was 10%. We immediately operated, ligated the affected tube and cell-saved her blood using a scoop, funnel and blood bag. We were able to salvage 4 units of blood.

Saved blood!

Israel Jombo, MD

THYROID CANCER

This poor woman has metastatic thyroid cancer to the scalp. The scalp tumor is getting so much blood flow that her head is hot. Unfortunately, there is not much we can offer her.

WHAT DO YOU EAT OVER THERE?-Part 1

People often ask me what we eat in Nigeria. The cook was trained by Americans so we eat mostly American food. French toast, pancakes, eggs, oatmeal for breakfast. Grilled cheese, meat pies, egg sandwiches, noodles for lunch. Chicken, spaghetti, macaroni, sweet and sour pork, pizza for dinner.

Snacking on corn in the OR

TSUNAMI

This is the 7th day of the trip which started on 5/13/13. I haven't written before today because we have been so busy.  Patients are coming from all over Nigeria. When we first arrived there were 46 patients waiting for surgery and they keep arriving! We have done 65 cases so far yet there are still 42 patients waiting for their turn! 

Today we did an enormous facial tumor. I suspect that this patient has fibrous dysplasia of the maxilla which is benign; however, it is not so benign in this case! Removing a tumor this large is formidable. Before starting the procedure we performed a tracheostomy. Although the tumor destroyed the maxilla, the orbital walls were intact. After the resection, we packed the wound and will return in 48 hours to do a temporalis muscle flap. We will have more pictures then.

Radical maxillectomy specimen