Photographer from Mission Trip
It is almost hard to imagine now that I am home in my comfortable, luxurious (at least in comparison) condo living in a clean, organized city with cars that follow traffic regulations and sidewalks free of people eating on child size plastic chairs around child size plastic tables that across the world a place like Hanoi, Vietnam exists. Our trip was incredible and I would go back in a heartbeat, but it definitely made me so grateful to live in America.
I'm forewarning this post is long, so I apologize in advance, but this is kind of a personal journal of our trip. For those who don't care about the details and just want to see the pics, I placed all of them at the top of the post.
Day 1 and 2: Friday/Saturday
The day after we arrived in Vietnam we headed out to Halong Bay. Per David and some native Vietnamese folk, I was told this was a must see in Northern Vietnam. I was not disappointed. The trip consisted of exploring an enormous cave, delicious meals, kayaking, swimming, relaxing on the "junk" boat deck, and an overnite stay aboard the boat while anchored in the bay.
When we arrived back to Hanoi in the evening, we walked around and took in the local sites in the Old Quarter. I tried my first taste of Vietnamese street food. David ate plenty of it during his first trip to Vietnam and he raved about it when he came home, so I had to try it. We did this before we had our mission trip meeting informing us that we should not eat the street food. Luckily our bodies survived it with no significant complications.
Day 3: Sunday
For our travels today David and I opted to venture out on a motorbike. I had experienced the chaos from a car and a bus, but not from the backseat of a motorbike and I was ready for the rush. We hired some random guy driving by and David and I both hopped on the back of his bike. Although he definitely ripped us off and then proceeded to drop us off blocks from where we needed to be, the ride was worth it. It was like paying for a roller coaster ride except for instead of going up and down you are weaving left and right all the while honking at every bike or car that gets in your way or you pass along side.
We visited the Ho Chi Minh Museum. This was quite interesting. Surprisingly the exhibits were very modern representing various people, events, etc that influenced Ho Chi Minh. I realized I don't know much at all about him and most of the displays did not make much sense to me despite the descriptive captions. The one thing I did understand is the admiration (worship-like)that the Vietnamese have for him. I saw a mother with her little child standing in front of a portrait of him and she was having her little child kiss the portrait. It was a little odd.
After leaving the museum we walked to the Truc Bach Lake where John McCain was gunned down. There is a monument displaying the proud moment in Vietnamese history.
We visited our second of several Pagoda's. I enjoy the architecture of the buildings, but do not fully understand or appreciate the type of worship, incense burning and fake money offerings.
In the lake surrounding the pagoda, there was a man fishing. Not with a pole, not off the side of a boat, not with a net, nope, none of those. He was actually IN the water stringing fish together and then putting them in a net. His wife and daughter (?) were patiently awaiting his catch. Now just moments before we saw this gentleman, we noticed that the lake was full of dead fish. Yuck!
During our lunch this day and several meals throughout the trip, we learned that all items placed on the table are fair game for having an additional cost. Generally the silverware/chopsticks are free, but the napkin, "handi-wipe", plate with peanuts, etc may all cost you a whopping 3 to 5 cents USD, but it seems like quite a bit more when the bill comes and it shows 3000 VND.
Day 4: Monday
Today was our first official day of work. As we walked through the hospital gates, I can only imagine what we looked like. Hospitals are not generally stopping grounds for tourists, at least not by choice. To give you an idea of the Viet Duc hospital grounds, there are people outside everywhere. Families waiting for their loved ones, patient's getting some "fresh" air (if you can call it that) and hospital employees bustling about to various departments. The hospital rooms have their shutters open so you can see right into the rooms. So, a huge group of white people walking through is a scene I'm not sure they have ever seen before.
We were introduced to the hospital staff we would be working with. There were several doctors that spoke English or at least attempted too.
I learned that my assignment of working with the database actually meant interviewing patient's prior to surgery to collect data for future research. I was pleasantly surprised since I had visions of sitting at a computer entering data for the whole two weeks. The possibility of working directly with the patients was an added bonus to actually having the opportunity to come on the trip as a non-medical personnel.
Day 5: Tuesday
Today we got to work. David worked alongside the Echocardiographer and consulted on patients to assess their surgery needs. I started interviewing patients and LOVED it. Everyone was so interested in what we were doing. Nurses and other patient's and their families would gather around and just observe. No HIPPA laws here.
Tonight, one of our young patients passed away after surgery. There were complications during recovery that could not resolved. It was a sombering experience for the team. A week later the grandfather of this young boy came to the hospital to pay an outstanding bill for his deceased grandson. David was there when he came in and said that this gentleman was so kind and so thankful for what we had tried to do.
The perspective of these individuals when it comes to medical treatment is so different then ours. In America we expect miracles all the time because we are blessed with such advanced medical care that miracles happen daily. Our doctors are well trained and we have the technology, equipment, facilities and drugs to save lives. In Vietnam patients die for reasons that they would not die for in the states. The patients and their families realize the risks and they accept them. There is no anger or hatred at the doctors when the patient passes on. The following week CardioStart operated on a married man. David saw his wife in the OR waiting room after her husband had been transferred to the ICU for recovery. She did not know his status because the doctors in Vietnam do not give reports to the family until they have been transferred from the ICU to the "step-down" unit. Families are not able to see their family members until this point also. So, when David went out he gave this woman the report that her husband had a successful surgery and that he was in recovery, her only response was: "Is it true?" She was prepared for the worst and still couldn't believe that he was alive.
Day 6-7 Wednesday/Thursday: Lots of work. I interviewed a very special patient and his mother. Vu, is a 21 year old male, with a heart defect from childhood. At the age of 10 he dropped out of school because he no longer had the energy to perform daily tasks. His teacher just thought he was lazy. His mom and dad worked for years to afford insurance so that he could get the surgery the doctors said he needed. Now at the age of 21, he is finally being treated. Vu and his mother were both so humble and so appreciative of this opportunity that he has been given. He has hopes of going back to school and developing a trade so that he can support his future family.
Day 8: Friday
Vu's surgery. I watched my first open heart surgery from creating a sterile field to cutting through the skin to cracking the chest, to repairing the heart (used a live donor valve for replacement, 1st time this has been done in Vietnam), to closing the ribs with wire. In the ICU during recovery I watched as Vu had a reaction to the blood products in the ICU. He was still bleeding but he was rejecting the blood products, so he had to go back into surgery to stop the bleeding. He had to be completely dry when he came out since we realized that giving blood was not going to be an option. By the time we left Vietnam the following week, he was walking, eating and doing fabulous. We found out that his father was in the Vietnam War serving in the same location as two of the men from our group. It was quite touching to see them together as they apologized to each other for fighting against one another and then embraced.
That night the hospital invited us a fancy dinner. It was some of the best food I ate during the whole trip to Vietnam. During the dinner I overheard someone telling the waiters that my table was vegetarian. Well, there were three vegetarians at the table, but there were three of us that were not. To give you a little background, the hospital would make us lunch everyday. Depending on the look of the food, I was vegetarian. Now, anyone that knows me knows there is no way I am a vegetarian, especially being married to David. So, because of those days I was a vegetarian at the hospital, expectedly they assumed I was.
Day 9: Saturday
Trip to Hoa Lu - Tam Coc – Bich Dong We visited the biggest pagoda I have ever seen. The country is in the process of building this pagoda in preparation for the 1000th year celebration of Vietnam. There are about 500 Buddhist monk statues lining the walkways up to the pagoda.
After the pagoda we took a river boat tour through some caves. It was so relaxing and the tour was breathtaking. We saw a monkey so I was thrilled. We could have turned around and went home and I would have been completely satisfied.
Day 10: Sunday
We visited an orphanage. There are some local artists that volunteer their time and teach the children how to paint. The children loved painting and some of them were tremendously good. I was a little frustrated because I wanted to talk to them about their paintings and there was only so much acting I could do to get my point across. The kids were all so well behaved and the orphanage was clean and organized. Later that night we went to see a water puppet show. If you have never seen one of these, it is a must.
Day 11-12: Monday/Tuesday
Day 13: Wednesday David flew home. During the day David worked in the ICU since the intensivist had already left Hanoi. The patient he was recovering was a women past her pediatric years :). He did a great job despite the stress of her condition and went home being able to breathe easy because she was stable.
Day 14: Thursday- The hospital took us on a tour of their new cardiac center. It is quite larger and definitely more luxurious then their current location and they are so proud of it. They are planned to set operating on their first patients in February 2010. When I got back to the hospital I wrapped up all the data on our patients and saw any final patients. This evening HSCV took our team and the hospital staff to a fancy restaurant for dinner. I ate escargo for the first time and admit it could be the last. There is nothing appetizing about eating a slimy booger, but I had to try it. There was so much seafood to choose from and it was all for the most part delicious. It was a great end to a great trip.
Day 15: Friday went to Hoa Lo Prison (known to American's as the Hanoi Hilton), met up with a couple other ladies for fancy ice cream at restaurant by the lake. Went shopping They have these fabulous bamboo bowls and ceramic dish sets. If I had more space I would have brought so much more stuff home. The prices were fabulous. Next time I will be more prepared. That evening I flew out with my friend Rachael for our long flight home and a long layover in Korea.
Day 16: Our flight home stopped in Seoul, Korea. We visited the Blue House (where the President lives), Medical Tourism Museum, Korean restaurant, Shopping Street- where I experienced first hand the art of negotiating. I watched a sales price for two leather jackets drop from $400 to $150 within a matter of minutes.
Memories of trip:
running around lake dripping wet and wondering if I could make it one more mile (it was so humid), taking a shower or at least cleaning my feet every night before bed to wash off all the grime, cooked dog at the market, hospital lunches and lettuce washed on bathroom floor, rat running across hospital hallway, walking across roads at own risk, bloody signs displaying body parts outside and and inside hospital, ate ice cream almost everyday and it was delicious- I thought while in Vietnam I would be forced to have a break from sweets, but of course that couldn't happen. I sniff them out. breakfast at the hotel- the cook would make me a "well done" omelete every morning. I loved all the fresh fruits and vegetables that we ate.
Alas, I am finally done with this post. I know I am missing so much stuff, but life is busy and it's about time I upload some pics and tell about our trip!
