Week 4/Departure (2/3-2/14)

On Monday, I restarted work at HEODRA. I found out that the patient with septic shock that I admitted on Friday had been sent to the ICU because she wasn’t maintaining her blood pressure after 3L of IV fluids. In addition, a man who had likely had an ischemic stroke the week before was doing much better, including eating and speaking almost normally. I spent my last few days again working at HEODRA. I gave away all the gifts that I had brought for Sebastian and his family, and thank them for their hospitality. I really enjoy spending time with the family, and time and time again I’m struck by how similar to my family they seem, from the chatter around the dinner table to how much they all seem to care about each other.

I felt like I accomplished a great deal during this rotation, from my medical equipment sterilization analysis to the breastfeeding project to Spanish classes and work at HEODRA. My Spanish improved considerably during this trip (I even learned a new verb tense). I am excited to continue working on the autoclave project and figure out how to get it funded. As always, the strongest memories I will take back with me are the people.