EMS to the rescue!

Being an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) came in handy today! All the emergency medical services (EMS) training done over the past few months in Taiwan were of good use immediately! I am so grateful to Senior Paramedic Instructor Wei for teaching me so much practical knowledge, not just on the EMS side, but about all general medical practice. If it wasn't for him fighting for me to be able to run with the ambulances in Taoyuan, Taiwan, I wouldn't have gained so much insight and experience in the field. I took a leave of absence from the Taoyuan Fire Bureau due to coming to help out with disaster relief in Nepal and they have been so understanding. It is good to know that even though I am not in Taiwan doing Ambulance calls, I am in fact doing many of the same things I would be doing for patients back in Taiwan here in Nepal, as well. It all comes full circle. I am so blessed to have so many people around me that is guiding me on this path of humanitarian work. 

Everything is improvised here. We don't have a lot of the regular medical supplies here in Nepal, so we use what we have and replace things that we don't have. All the rest is up to your brain to come up with alternatives!!! So we got no tourniquet, no problem, I got my hand to squeeze around the patient's arm. It works in the same way as a tourniquet. 

The patient is scared to look at what's going on, so we handed him a book to distract himself with. I had already prepped the IV line for Dr. Nirdesh, while he got the rest of the injections ready. 

All connected and ready to start the meds! There was no IV dressing, no worries, we just used 3M tape (they call it "Paper tape" here, so cute). 

Of course there was no IV stand! So my orphanage experience kicked into high gear at this point! I searched around for possible materials to use to make a "make-shift IV stand" in a hurry. It is a three part project! Can you figure out what those three items are?

A Camera Selfie-Stick + White Board Tri-pod Stand + Clothes Hanger 

= Successful Emergency IV Stand (Oh yeah, and lots and lots of tape!!! haha)

On a closer look of the top part! Not bad right???? It worked wonders!

After the patient was stabilized and feeling better, we all went out for a much needed meal at a local Thakali restaurant! Look how silly we all are! Love these kiddos! 

Traditional Thakali Cuisine

This is the type of cuisine that is a transitional between Himalayan and lowland cuisines. It is eaten by Thakali people living in Thak-Khola Valley, an ancient and relatively easy trade route through the high Himalaya. Thakali cuisine uses locally grown buckwheat, barley, millet and dal, as well as rice, maize and dal imported from lower regions to the south. Thakalis also follow the Tibetan customs of preparing tsampa and tea with butter and salt. Ghee is used in this kind of tea preparation and as a cooking oil in other cases.   

Yummy Yummy Yummy!

A giant thanks to Dr. Nirdesh for going to buy Instant Black Coffee packets for us! This is how we refuel after a long day's work! Hooray for caffeine! hahaha.