The team downs some coffee and we’re off!

After a busy first day of surgery yesterday we hope to have ironed out some of the first day kinks, and look forward to some smooth sailing operations today.

Patients and family await surgery on the ward. One family member and the patient arrive at 3 pm the day before their scheduled surgery. Our Guatemalan nursing staff makes sure the families have a cot to sleep on and food. Our team meets the patients for the day at 6:30 am during rounds. This is when the physician care team meets with each patient, assesses them one last time, explains what the surgery will be, and answers any questions they or their family has. Often the patients and their family members are extremely nervous and emotional during this time. It has been wonderful having the help of our ward nurses to mitigate some of the fear that comes with the unknown aspects of surgery and anticipation.

Dr. Allen Zeitlin, our lead Anesthesiologist, rounding on patients before surgery. Here he is talking to one of the mothers about his plan for her son.

Pictured above is Nicole Ovregaard, yours truly-blog author, helping the nursing staff in the post operative recovery room. Anesthesia from the surgery slowly wears off, during this time the patients are often very groggy and need a little supplemental oxygen.

Post surgery besos (kisses) from our lovely Silvana Ayuso. Coming out of the operating room can be an emotionally intense time for both patient and family.

Sometimes caring for our patients is a MAJOR team effort.

Above, Ellie Falletta (on the right) checks the blood pressure of one of our patients in the recovery room. Ellie is an extremely diligent and hard working nurse, and just graduated from nursing school. Taking the world by storm!

Dr. Ron Worland and Dr. George Chatson, two of our surgeons, hard at work.

Debbie Dean, our head nurse and the true mastermind behind this trip.

Dr. Elaine Kubota, Anesthesiologist, putting one of our patients to sleep before surgery.

Until next time…