September 20

This was definitely a much better week. I’m more settled and there’s a team of people from New Zealand, Australia and Germany. It’s been such a blessing having them. I can’t remember if I’ve told you already as I’m emailing all blog entry to Ingo to paste onto the website as the oil company internet has blocked the blog and I don’t have access to it. Ingo has been kind to send me comments from people as well. So the people on the team are doctor, pharmacist, radiographer, carpenter, hair dresser, and an occupational therapist. One of them cooks really well so I’ve been well fed recently. It’s just so nice having people to talk to, another doctor to discuss cases with…etc… Dr.Valerie has left yesterday but at least Dr.Scott is here until next week. Dr.Scott used to work here for a 2 years so he is quite experienced. However, he leaves next Friday I think. Dr. Scott said that the hospital here has had times when they had no doctor at all. So I have to tell myself that having me here is better than no doctor at all.

The x-ray is not working again. Not sure why. The maintenance guy is trying to sort it out but who knows. Well this week the cases are once again TB cases. We have about one fitting case per week. Most of them are due to TB I think. This week we had a sad case. I examine a lady (not sure of her age, most of the people don’t know their age—you ask them how many Christmases have they had or look at their hair colour to determine their age). She may be in her late 30s. I examined her and discovered she has cervical cancer—late stage. We did an ultrasound on her and discovered a lump in her pelvis compressing her bladder. I had to break bad news to her husband and he started to weep. He later on told me he paid $25,000 Kina (£7,500) as bride price. Don’t know where they get the money. I was able to pray with the husband and the family. Then the chaplain came and talked with them and I’m told that the wife said the sinner’s prayer. She actually does not look very ill anymore since all the prayers. A couple of days ago I thought she would not last a few days or weeks. She has been bleeding from this cancer continuously the last 3 months and has become so pale. There is only one oncology centre in the whole of PNG, it’s in Lae and their radiotherapy does not work always as well. I’m probably going to send this patient home to her village and give morphine to her husband who can inject it when the pain becomes worse. She will probably die from anaemia (as no blood transfusion available) or infection. Her name is Tibere if you would like to pray for her.

I’ve moved room in the house and it’s a quieter room. So I don’t hear this crazy, noisy rooster as much now. I do enjoy listening to the frogs, crickets, cicadas. It’s very noisy at night actually. Last night, we had a few hours of thunderstorm which roared and trembled the earth. It’s like a ‘rolling thunder’. Tonight is fellowship night. This place has so many opportunities for Christian activities. It’s great and I’m loving it. I love being able to pray with patients. People seemed quite open. I found out that at the mouth of the river that runs in front of the house is where the missionaries that first arrived about 100 years ago were killed and eaten. Apparently, they had never seen westerners before and thought the leather boots the missionaries wore were part of them, so they boiled the leather shoes for several months and manage to eat the boots as well.