Medical Outreach

The last 3 days we have spent in 3 different villages in the surrounding area doing medical outreaches. An ophthalmologist came down, so we were able to not only provide for basic health needs, but also do eye exams and supply glasses for those who needed them. We saw more than 200 patients in the 3 days, starting around 9 or 10 AM and going until 6 or later in the evening.

Doing medical clinics in the villages always has its special challenges. First of all, many of the people speak an indigenous language, so they would have a son or daughter translate into Spanish, which we would then translate into English for the eye doctor or nurse practitioner. I had one older woman who had her 8-year-old granddaughter translating for her. I had to hope that everything was getting communicated correctly and that the woman really understood how to take her medications, as I could not directly communicate with her.

Apart from the language differences, there are also the cultural beliefs that have to be deciphered. Here are some examples:
• “I make tortillas a lot. One time my arm was really hot from making tortillas and I put my hand in cold water. Now I have pain in my arm all the time.”
• “I have fear a lot. When I have fear, I feel a ball rise in my chest and my head hurts.”
• “I get angry and my stomach burns.”

Many of the people also have chronic problems as a result of their lifestyles. Most of the women complain of back and shoulder pain. It’s not hard to imagine why when they carry large baskets of firewood down from the mountain on their backs. They also have eye problems, as most still cook over an open fire in little wood shacks where the smoke billows around them for hours at a time. It’s frustrating to give them a small bag of Tylenol or Ibuprofen for the pain, knowing that their lifestyle isn’t likely to change and when the medicine is gone they will be right back to where they started from. We did teach them some exercises and stretches to do as well as how to make a heat pack for their sore muscles, which we hope they will put into practice.

One of the biggest blessings for a lot of the women was our massage therapist that came along the last two days. For many women, it was probably the first massage they had ever received, and they were so grateful for the 20 minutes of relaxation and enjoyment. Word spread quickly, and many came just for a massage.

We hope to be going to various villages two days a week for clinics and hopefully will come up with some answers to these various cultural challenges!