Random Pictures of Life and Work in Bangladesh

Hi!  Here are some more pictures of different aspects of life and my work here in Bangladesh.  Enjoy!

This is the river behind the compound.

These are some of the kids that follow us around whenever we go walking by the river. Aren't they precious!

This goat's just chillin' out outside the hospital.  Not exactly what you see outside of a hospital in the US.

Joy (one of the short termers here for a couple of months) came to watch a c-section and help out with the baby.

Mary (one of the expat nurses) with some patients in clinic. The lady on her left has a horrible vesicovaginal fistula that we have to send to Dhaka to see if they can repair it because it is too complicated for me to do.

Side note- aren't the variations in dress interesting.  The ladies in black are married and wearing burkas, whereas the other two aren't married yet.

WARNING- The rest of these pictures are medical and somewhat gross.

This is me operating on Mrs M.  She had a 30cm ovarian mass that we removed.  She is a tiny woman and this mass made her look term pregnant.  Fortunately we were able to remove it and there was not any other evidence of cancer in her abdomen or pelvis.  Please pray that it is benign and that she recovers quickly.

 

Thanks for all your prayers and encouragement!

Nomoshkar from Bangladesh!

Some Sad Days

Nomoshkar!  February has flown by, and now March is half over, so I thought it was about time I updated by blog.  Life in Malumghat has been pretty interesting.  Most of the time, being an OB/Gyn is fun.  I mean, how fun is it to help a family welcome a new little person into the world!
Unfortunately, not everyday is so fun.  I've had a couple of those days lately.
A couple of weeks ago, I saw an employee from Heart House (the organization that helps support widows by making handicrafts).  Mrs. S had a huge fibroid that was pushing on her bladder so much that she had to wear a catheter all the time.  So in order to improve her quality of life, a visiting OB/Gyn and I took her to the OR for a hysterectomy.  The surgery itself went really well and we were going to try taking out the catheter the next day.  Unfortunately, she developed ARDS, a very serious problem with her lungs as a result of anesthesia. She hung on for several days with a breathing tube and then a trach, but eventually passed away.  Mrs. S had heard the gospel for years while she was working at Heart House, but had never accepted it.  One day, while she was struggling to hang on, she told one of the nurses that she had finally made her decision of faith!  The next day she went to heaven.  How bittersweet!
Here's a picture of Mrs S at the Heart House picnic just a couple weeks before:

Please pray for her family during this time of loss. And that they would come to know Him as well.

Thankfully, not everyday is sad.  Here are a couple of pictures of some of the happier days:

This is Mrs T several days after her surgery.  She had horrible uterine prolapse, but I was able to do a colpocleisis and now she's much more comfortable.

Here's one of my infertility patients who came in for a check.  Please pray that she will be able to get pregnant.  From a medical standpoint, I doubt it will happen with the limited resources we have here, but you never know with God's help it could happen.

Thanks for all your continued prayers and support for me, I really appreciate it.  I am still in need of financial support on a monthly basis.  If you would like to be a part of this ministry to the women of Bangladesh, please click on the left side of the blog, where it says donate, and then follow the instructions to the Samaritan's Purse website.  Thanks again for all your help!