Dan the Doctor, Dan the Vet

WARNING:  This entry is not for the faint of stomach...be ye warned!

The other day we noticed our dog had a knot on the top of her head.  At first we thought she had played a little too rough with the other dogs on the compound, but upon closer examination we discovered this was not the case; Lucy had a dreaded bot fly larva .  These wonderful little creatures lay an egg under the skin of an unsuspecting host where it hatches, feeds, and grows at a disgusting rate.  We knew we had to remove the parasite, so after attempting to squeeze it out (which did nothing but annoy Lucy) Dan went to the hospital for a little advice on how to remove it.  We were told to cover the breathing hole where it was with vaseline, gauze, and tape so as to suffocate the critter.  A few hours later Dan could hopefully get it out.

LUCY ALL WRAPPED UP

Unfortunately the larva hadn't died after the vaseline trick and Dan had to cut the creature out, but we finally got the bugger with the help of some numbing Lidocaine for Lucy, a scapel, and our friend Matt's big muscles to hold poor Lucy down.

 A PICTURE OF LUCY'S BOT FLY LARVA AND A BETTER EXAMPLE (FROM THE INTERNET)

Our poor patient is resting comfortably in the house tonight.

Our Corn Experiment

Since there is no "real" corn here, also known as the sweet, juicy stuff you get in the states, only hard, bland maiz, Dan's dad brought some corn seeds from the states for us to plant.  He and Dan worked hard to plant it and we've been tending it in eager anticipation of eating our favorite summer crop soon.  Unfortunately we've discovered the rain forest doesn't get enough continuous sun to provide the light and heat our corn needs.   Sitting almost on the equator, we have daylight only from 6 to 6:30 every day, and most days it rains somewhere in there.  This is very different from the sunlight hours of 5 to 9 we got in Idaho during the summer.

Today we harvested our first ear of corn, which was pathetically small, but it does look like the real deal and the four of us will relish our one piece for dinner tonight.

Jael in our corn "field"

We've never seen corn ears grow right out of the ground, but the stalks are so short that is what is happening.

Dan with our bumper crop of corn.

Answers to "How Much Does it Cost?"

Here are the answers to our game.  Unfortunately nobody got all the right answers, but the Lindners were the closest. 

1 can of Gillette shaving cream: $6.00
A box of generic honey nut Cheerios: $5.30
5 gallons of diesel: $5.15
First time visit to the doctor: $5.00
6 pineapples: $4.80
1 1/2 hour bus ride from Shell to Banos: $2.00
Burger, fries, and drink from the best restuarant in Shell: $1.75

"La Cucaracha"--More Than Just a Song

Have you ever been riding a bike or walking outside and a bug flies into your mouth, nose, or even worse, your ear?  Many of you have had this happen before.  I'll bet a few of you have had the misfortune of having the bug decide that it doesn't want to fly out of your ear, at which point you had to turn to your doc.  But I'll bet that none of you have had the misfortune that this young guy had: A cockroach in the right ear and in the left, a seed and another cockroach.  The roaches were both dead, because the patient's brother had tried to get the bugs out and had split the bodies in half.

After the Extraction

A Bug, a Bug, a Seed, and the Tools Used to Extract Them

You all know what a UFO is.  How about a FUO?  It means "Fever of Unknown Origin".  When a patient presents himself to a doctor practicing in the US, there is a nice specific protocol to follow to find out what is causing the FUO.  However, out here in the jungle we have a few more illnesses to worry about, and, even though our lab is pretty well-equipped, less ways of trying to diagnose them.  This sweet girl from the deep jungle presented with two weeks of fevers and headaches. 

We ruled out all the major sources of infection: meningitis, urinary tract infection, neumonia, osteomyelitis, hepatitis, tuberculosis, and malaria.  She still had a fever.  A few years ago a study was done in our part of the jungle, trying to find the cause of the FUOs here.  The results: many illnesses that I've never seen.  They include leptospirosis, brucellosis, Q fever, and various viral encephalitis.  The authors of the study recommended that, for patients with FUOs, we give a course of antibiotics that would cover the majority of these illnesses.  We did give her a course of antibiotics and she perked right up!

The schedule's been a little more relaxed here lately, as we've had some visitors coming to help out at the hospital.  Thank you!  We've enjoyed great time with the family and some great times in worship and personal Bible study.  I've even played some basketball games with some guys from the church.  They've never really been taught how to play defense, so I guess it doesn't really matter that my shot is extremely rusty and I still can't jump.  Last week we had a Bible study with the Ecuadorian residents.  We've been using a great DVD series put out by Rob Bell.  He was talking about how God commanded the Israelites to leave a corner of their crops unharvested during harvest time.  This was to provide for the needy people of the land (the widows, orphans, and foreigners).  The Israelites were to do this in remembrance of how God had provided for them by rescuing them from slavery in Egypt.  Do you have a "corner" of your life that could be used to provide for someone else, or to aleviate their suffering?  As representatives of Jesus, it is our job to use what He's given to us to share His love with others.  When we do this with a thankful heart, we'll find ourselves truly fulfilled.