Its Sunday, no work day, down time. I took the team to the Leprosy Village this AM. Those of you who have been here know it well. Its the same only worse. 7 years ago we raised some $$ to put metal doors on the open toilets. Some of them have fallen into rot and termites. The floors of some of the houses have been undermined by the Bandicoot, an animal kind of like a cross between a small badger and a large rat. The bandicoot, like a packrat, undermines the sand under the flagstone floors of the lepers house (houses built by Habitat for Humanity for the lepers 30+ years ago). The flagstone then collapses in pieces. Also some of the roofs leak, eroding the cement ceiling and growing mildew black on the walls. It costs about $250/house to re-plaster the ceiling, fix the leak, re-whitewash the interior, and pour a new cement floor the bandicoots cant destroy.

We were asked for lunch by the new Hospital Administrator (Superintendent), Mr. Jaysheelutu, who is a hot ticket. The kind of guy we’ve needed here for years if we’re ever going to build this place into a credible Mission Hospital for the poor. He’s so full of energy, intelligent, and zeal, he ought to do great things. The lunch was good: fried chicken legs (not Colonel Sanders by a long shot), some sort of meat chunks in rice which made one sit up and look for the fire extinguisher, cucumbers & carrots, and dahl. All the while Mr J, as he is called by us westerners, is carrying on an animated conversation about history of all sorts. He knows each of the team by first and last name. His wife is very shy and sweet. They have one son with severe cerebral palsy. they care for 23 years. Apparently, Mrs J has Eclampsia during the pregnancy, and was delivered early by C-section, after Mr J was given the choice of survival for either his wife or his child. The child weighed 1.1 kg (3 lbs), was in an incubator with oxygen, when the oxygen supply was cut off for some time, and the brain damage occurred. Mr J recently retired as head lecturer in English in Hyderabad, and was an old grade school chum of John Mark’s, and well known to the Bishop who hired him.

Then we went to the old fort in town here, c.1300AD, up on the stone hill. We all hiked up to the top for a great view of Khammam through the haze/smog over the city…..wild, unzoned, Indian architecture, unique to this part of the world.

The team this year is:

– Dr. Joe Bardenheier, MD, his 6th year, God bless him, general surgeon, work-horse.

– Dr. Dirk Noyes and wife Cath. Dirk is professor of Surgical Oncology at Utah, and a whiz in the OR. Their first time.

– Mr. Joseph Murray, CRNA, (nurse anesthetist),a tremendous help for when Dr. Gopi Chand, our Indian Anesthesiologist colleague is busy with his own practice (Gopi Chand has been helping me yearly since day one, 15 years ago). First time for Joe also.

– Joe Bardenheier, IV Boston businessman, and energy bomb, Joe created our web site.He’s a great help in hundreds of ways.

– Betsy’s and my niece and nephew, Susu and David Emerson. Susu a Physical Therapist going to PA school this Fall, mother of 2. David is a Master Carpenter/cabinet-maker from Norwich, VT, husband to Lee and father if 2.

– Latha Pasupuleti, a 3rd year surgical resident from New Jersey, who’s parents are from here. She had to leave Friday. SHe did a lot of cases, learning from Joe and Dirk.

– Monali Mehedia, a 4th year med student from Gujrath (south of here), a real go getter.

– Dr. Sulochana Christopher, who has come up from Chennai each year since 2008 when she had been the chief doc here at St. Mary’s. Sulochana does all our Gyn work, which is so different from that in the states. Without her, no Gyn, cuz none of us general surgeons can or want to tackle it. I used to do some Gyn, but I’ve forgotten more than I ever knew.  Sulochana had to leave Friday also, so no Gyn this coming week which will cause great angst and gnashing of teeth. But that’s how it goes. We do the best we can.

We’re booked solid through half of next Thursday as it is right now, with only half of Thurs and Friday left available. I expect that will fill up in Screening Clinic tomorrow. Then there’s really weeping and wailing……”oh, please, please, please…” “If you want to stay here within voice range, and there’s a cancellation, we’ll fit you in, otherwise there’s the Government Hospital or next year.” Friday is the worst for pleading and tears. Then there’s those who were no shows last week….probably because of Pongal (annual Hindu holiday building up for 3 days till today). The no shows usually come tomorrow, after Pongal and say “I have an appointment!!!”. We say that was last week and you lost your place. Great sorrow!! hystrionics, gnashing of teeth, begging, etc.

When we closed the OR Saturday evening at 8PM, we had done over 105 cases.

Well, if you’ve lasted this long, you’re pretty tough. I’ll try to get out some more later.

And that’s the way it is at FSC………………George.