Cameroon Shanksteps of faith #7

Cameroon Shanksteps of faith #7
She was 8 months pregnant and seizing. We were
called to come and evaluate. She had eclampsia. This
is a fatal condition if not treated aggressively and
the baby delivered. We had to rush her to the
operating room. It was the middle of the night. So
the guard set off on bicycle to round up the operating
room staff while we established intravenous fluid and
treated her seizures. About an hour later we were
able to start the cesarean section. We got a healthy
baby, which cried vigorously. Next as we were getting
ready to sew up the uterus we realized she had a tear
through one of her uterine arteries that was bleeding
badly. At this time the power went out. Fortunately
I had remembered my camping headlamp that day. So the
nurse put it on me and we went on repairing the uterus
in the semidarkness. God blessed this woman and she
and her baby are doing well.
Have you felt like you have a large task that needs
to be done but you are afraid of what may happen if
you do it? I felt that way this week. The Chief of
Koza came to see me in the clinic last week with his
4-year-old son who had a hernia he wanted repaired and
a circumcision. Well a hernia is fine with me, the
chiefs son isn’t. I feel it would be much better to
operate on these high profile people far in the future
when the kinks have been worked out and things are
running “smoothly”! Well we did not have the
appropriate suture for this surgery, well for most
surgeries. So I told the Chief that I would like to
postpone it a week to allow us to get the equipment
that we needed. So he agreed to come into the
hospital this week. We were able to find the
appropriate suture in Maroua. Unlike the states I
brought the child in the night before to obtain some
labs and make sure he stayed without anything to eat.
I decided to do it with Audrey and fortunately she was
back from Maroua that day. We started in the morning
after staff worship. The IV line was difficult to
obtain and the child was poked many times. Then off
to the operating room. Using Ketamine for anesthesia
Audrey and I explored the groin and found a very
adherent, septated hydrocele. What happened next? You
probably guessed it, the power went out. We were
trying to find the base to tie it off. We continued
on by flashlight. Fortunately about a half hour later
they were able to find a car to jumpstart the
generator so we had power once again. This is the
usual problem with the power going out. We end up not
having labs, and operating by flashlight and oil lamp
because we either don’t have diesel for the generator
or a vehicle to jump-start it. Well the child has
done well other than not being able to urinate the
first day. God has blessed us with the chief’s son
doing well.
There have been times of gladness, when we were able
to help someone in a critical condition, and others
when we do all we are able to do and they die in front
of us. Sometimes for things preventable. We pray for
the appropriate equipment for the hospital and for
knowledge to use what we have to the maximum, and to
know when excess effort is fruitless. We find our
peace in knowing that we are here on His mission and
not ours. As “The Purpose Driven Life” book says:
“It’s all about Him.” It’s NOT about us but His
purpose for us being here. Please continue to pray
that we stay willing to go in whatever path God wants
us to take, to be open to His leading at every step.
Thank you for your prayers and support.
In His Service, the Shanks