End of Week 1 with Dra. Quieroz Tejerina

Here are some highlights from the past three days:

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Wednesday was my second day rotating with El Hospital de Los Niños.  Carolyn and I decided to go in 2 hours earlier (7am) to help the medical students with their morning duties - they let us take pulse, respiratory rate and blood pressure.  Then we met up with Dra. Quieroz Tejerina around 10am.  Every Wednesday she consults with familes who have children diagnosed with Down Syndrome.  It is an outpatient service that is provided through El Hospital de Los Niños.  Below is Angela, whom we greeted with bubbles and smiles and all she did was return the same!  She came in for a regular check up and she's looking good!  ¡Que linda!

Angela (-:

Wednesday was also the 4th of July and to celebrate, my host mom put on some patriotic music (Star Spangled Banner, God Bless America, etc) during our lunch.  I must say that Martha has more of the patriotic bug than I do!  Later, to further celebrate Independence Day, the CFHI group went to Kansas City BBQ on B. Salinas St near Plaza Avaroa & Sanchez Lima St - the ribs were DEE-licious.  I definitely recommend this place. 

Thursday, July 5, 2012
On Thursday, we were back on the floor (Infectologia) with the medical students and residents.  We started rounding on the patients around 9AM:

In this pic, Dra. Quieroz Tejerina is rounding with resident Silvia Fuents Soliz (she's a tought 1st year resident!)

It's a tight space with all the students, residents and doctors, but it happens.  You can see the mother in the back looking out from her room (Alejandra) - her daughter, Marisol, who was in an unfortunate accident in December 2010 has left her paralyzed from the waist down and with partial movement in her upper body.  However, this hospital trip for Marisol was for another reason - she came in with a fever, respiratory issues and other dehabilatating conditions that has kept her in the hospital for the past week.  She has gotten better, but she is still dependent on her nasal canula (2L) to keep a pulse ox of at least 85%.


Thursday was the last day Carolyn and I would be on the floor for Infectologia, so we took a pic with the med students below (who were so kind and helpful with our questions and our rounding assignments):

Sarah (CFHI), Med Student (don't know her name, oops), Sherene (aka Nenañ CFHI), Roxana (Med Student), Me, & Carolyn (CFHI)

Thursday afternoon, I ended up at the Embajado de Estados Unidos because one of the students got their passports stolen on The Prado (and I really wanted to see the innards of the US Embassy).  But, it was a PAIN! It took 30 minutes to talk to someone about the stolen passport, another 30 minutes to clear us to get into the embassy, another 30 minutes to fill out a passport application...then, come to find out, they do not accept credit cards from Puerto Rico!  Let's just say I needed a NAP after the whole US Embassy trip!

Thursday night, Becky, Jodi, Sherene, Carolyn and I went to the Multicine to watch Valiente!  Super super super cute!  Dinner Note: Sherene and I snuck in some fried chicken (so good!) from Pollo Copacabana...highly recommend.  The Bolivians know how to fry their chicken!  Movie Note: The movie was in Spanish with NO SUBTITLES ... BUT I was still able to follow the movie (it also helped that most of the movie had no dialogue, haha).  Another Movie Note: Spiderman was released in La Paz already (with English Subtitles) and Batman is supposedly going to be released the same date as it does in the States!  Can't wait!

Friday, July 6, 2012
Today, Carolyn and I went to the hospital early (7am) again.  The med students had already finished up their vitals, so Carolyn and I went around to chat it up with the parents and patients.  It was a relaxed morning.

Things I want to share that I have seen in El Hospital de Los Niños - charts are updated with TYPEWRITERS:

Intern Hazel  Peña updating charts for the day

You will see typewriters everywhere!  Bed 10 and 11 were my favorites this week - Bruce (6 months) and Tatyana (1 year 3 months).

Me with Bruce... so cute!

Pobresito Tatyana - ella tiene Neumonia Necrosante.  The contraption on her head was to help provide her with Oxygen with the tank next to her (set at 4L).  She was a fiesty one, didn't let anyone touch or be near her except her mama.

At 10am, we finished out the day with Dra. Quieroz Tejerina in outpatient services.  On Fridays, she does normal pediatric outpatient services (for checkups or sick children).  Below is a harness used for hip displasia (common in Bolivia), but if caught early, surgery is not needed:

Alexis (mom didn't want his face in the pic, but he was super cute!)

And of course, I couldn't end my rotation week without a picture with the Doctora herself:

Dra. Quieroz Tejerina and I

To conclude, I've decided that this is MY vacation, so I am foregoing Spanish classes on Friday afternoons.  Today, Sherene, Carolyn, Ines and I went to the market (Calle de Las Brujas - Witches Street) for some shopping.  I needed to buy clothing for below freezing weather because we are going to Uyuni (Salt Flats) next weekend and apparently there is no heating in the Salt hotel we are staying in.

Sherene, Carolyn y Ines at the Mercado (Calle de Las Brujas)

Basílica Menor de San Francisco

My first beer of the trip (not first drink) and a local beer at that!

La Republica Agradecida (6 de agosto de 1825) - Bolivia's Independence day.  Statue on The Prado on our walk home from the market.

It's been a GREAT first week rotation with CFHI and El Hospital de Los Niños.  It's also been a great first week in La Paz as well.  Can't wait for what the next three weeks will have to offer!