First week of clinic

Today, we moved into our three room guesthouse plus bathroom and kitchenette. While this is a bit pricey, it is the only room available at Ban Thai Guesthouse for this week, so, we have to stay in the luxurious air con sweet for $25/night. It is probably the nicest place I have every stayed. It is our own little house surrounded by jungle. I could definitely do this.

Jamie and I have settled into a little routine consisting of waking up in the morning, eating breakfast consisting of milo (basically coco puffs), and then heading for our 15 minute walk to work. We get to the clinic about 8:30 and see patients with medics until about noon. Then we head to lunch at a local lunch stall usually costing 40-50 baht for the two of us (about $1.30-$1.50). We then have a fruit for dessert --- pineapple, watermelon, and we will start trying some new things (10 baht). Then back to the clinic until 4pm. At this point, it is kind of slow for the afternoon. I will see a couple of patients and then just hang out with the medics. After this, Jamie and I walk home. We have been taking a nap during the heat of the day and get up around 6:30 to go get some dinner either at the night market or at a more pricey restaurant. We then come home, do some work on the internet, watch a movie on the computer, and relax. This is definitely a lifestyle I like.

As for the clinic, I felt like I did something good today. I helped diagnose a tonsillitis that may have otherwise been missed. Although this is not too hard to diagnose, I was rather proud of myself given that I don’t speak the language and no one had mentioned anything about a sore throat. I asked the patient if she had a sore throat and when she said she did, I looked inside and saw white exudate all over the tonsils WITHOUT a light. Finally, I think I might have helped. I have also spent some time explaining that HPV and not PID causes cervical cancer and that IUDs alone do not cause PID. I also got to do a condom demo to a patient as well as a vaginal exam. I also explained that one could still ride a bicycle with an IUD. So, finally, I do feel as though I have some skills.

Today, I also got a bit more insight into the refugee situation here. Given that it was a quiet afternoon, I talked to the medic who has the best english speaking ability and discussed refugee issues. All the medics here, the medic students, and staff at the clinic are Burmese (mostly from Karen State) who are here in Thailand illegally. Thai police will stop them at will and threaten jail or sending them back to Burma. Most have lived in refugee camps. Most fear both the Burmese Army and the Karen Army as these soldiers have burned their villages in Burma, beaten them, and worse. The secretive Burmese government keeps this out of the news. Not that anyone would probably care anyways.