Thursday, March 11, 2021

I Heard It On the Radio

Camaraderie

My favorite moment in the operating room this year was the reaction to one spoken word by my assistant, and its aftermath. Let me set the stage. For the fistula campaign in Vanga, we operate in a larger room that accommodates two surgical teams. This works quite well for our urology-gynecology team: Dr. Paulin as urologist and fistula surgeon from Kinshasa, and I as gynecologist from the US. We each operate primarily on one side of the room, while also being able to easily stay scrubbed in and sterile while looking over the other’s shoulder to see the demonstration of an interesting finding or a different technique for repair. All fistulas are different, so there are many ways to approach them. Dr. Paulin likely has the most fistula repair experience of any urologist in western Congo, so he naturally tackles the complex ones, and I try to stick with vaginal cases when possible. As we frequently say, that is “ma boutique.”

Part of the OR team

On this particular day, Dr. Paulin had labored long and hard with a very difficult case. In that time, I was able to finish two simpler vaginal cases, taking a bow when he looked up with a mixture of surprise and pride. He has mentored me well. The next two patients presented an interesting challenge and we ended up switching sides of the room. I started the abdominal case while Dr. Paulin used his skill to reinforce a weak urethra, an operation which is typically much shorter in duration. Dr. Odjum, a senior staff doctor at Vanga, and I worked quickly on our abdominal case, and the minute we had closed the fistula, he yelled out, “brancard!” which means “stretcher!” Heads whipped around, students stopped talking, and all eyes were on us. Paulin jumped up from his seated position in front of his patient, ran over and peeked over my shoulder in disbelief. Odjum just grinned. We still had to close the bladder and finish other steps, but we had succeeded in closing the fistula, so he wanted everyone to know. When Dr. Paulin and his team finished their case and called out for the stretcher as we were still closing the fascia, they all insisted this was “brancard vrai!” Stretcher for real! Paulin remarked as we were writing our operative notes, “Tu m’a tué!” Translated, dying from laughter.

Though we worked extremely long hours, we enjoyed camaraderie

More than double

Due to our delay in Kinshasa (see prev post), we frantically saw the patients lined up for us on Saturday afternoon-evening. We had more than double the number of patients with true fistulas this year than in our campaign in 2019! I worried that we would have to turn some away or somehow triage them and choose who would get an operation this year. Here are some of their stories. *Names have been changed, and photos attached are an assortment from my collection and are simply representative of some of the sweet patients I have met over the years.

Mutala is 31yo, and her story is very similar to many fistula patients. Four years ago, she had a long labor at a local health center, her baby died in utero, and finally was stillborn weighing about 5kg. Adding to her sadness and pain, she found she could not control her urine. She went to a doctor who did not tell her the diagnosis but did give her some medicine which she tried for 2 months without improvement. She went to another health center, but no one helped her. She came to third health center where a doctor offered to operate on her, but not having confidence in the surgery, her parents refused to pay for it. She has been taunted by many, rejected, and people refuse to be in her presence. However, her family supported her to come to Vanga, and thankfully her husband stayed with her. On exam, her entire bladder was open to the vagina. Her urethra was a separate tube without use. The ureters were easily seen within the bladder tissue open to the vagina. Her surgery required a complex procedure which included using a flap of skin and fat pulled down and underneath the newly constructed bladder to support it as she did not have enough vaginal skin remaining.

Beautiful

Amaya heard about our campaign on her radio. She had been leaking urine for over 40 years, after having had a cesarean delivery, presumably for obstructed labor. Her infant did not make it. She was abandoned by her husband. Her mother and sisters supported her, and she had an attempted fistula repair in 1990, but it failed. She came in search of hope again. We found her to have 4 residual holes into her bladder. Due to previous repair, there was significant scar tissue. Both Dr. Paulin and I worked hard and thus far she is dry after surgery. Overall, fistula statistics show that first time repair has 90% chance of healing, 2nd repair is 70%, and 3rd repair only 30% chance. This is why we prefer that no one who is inexperienced attempt a repair. 

A gyn case

At 19 years old, she had suffered immensely. For the past 3 years, she had excruciating pain every month, and it was only getting worse. On top of this, she dealt with the shame that she had not yet started her period. Pressure from family to get married and have children is high, so this could make it impossible for her to find a husband in the future. She underwent an abdominal surgery for suspected appendicitis. Still no relief from the pain. Finally, she heard on the radio that there was a gynecologist coming to Vanga. She and her mom set out, on foot I presume, to come see what might be the problem. A simple exam revealed that her vagina was congenitally not open, and an ultrasound revealed a uterus full of liquid. Under spinal anesthesia, I examined her again. I poked a needle in a trajectory toward the uterus. Sure enough, dark blood oozed out. After that, it was a simple cut through the thick septum in the same direction as the needle, and THREE YEARS of menstrual blood poured out, along with all the pain she had endured.

They come in threes

Sana is only 10 years old. Their family heard about the campaign on the radio and were convinced they needed to help her get to Vanga. Her dad brought her. She suffered from urinary incontinence since infancy. Despite trying to toilet train and clean well, she leaked urine all the time. Her family had no idea how to help her until they heard about the campaign in Vanga.

Similarly, Munikasa is only 14 years old and has had leakage since infancy. Her classmates mock her. Her parents went from health center to health center, searching for a solution. She tried various treatments and medicines without help. When they heard on the radio that there was a team coming to Vanga for urinary incontinence, the did not hesitate a minute. They took a motorcycle to a nearby health center where they found a team from Vanga who were there to recruit patients and this is how she was able to come.

Both she and Sana were found to have a rare condition caused by congenital ectopic ureters. Simply put, the tube taking urine from the kidney was connected to the vagina instead of the bladder. Dr. Paulin was easily able to find the ureter, cut it from its connection to the vagina, and reimplant it into the correct position in the bladder. We expect a full recovery and normal life hereafter for both girls. Believe it or not, a third young girl presented on the last day of our campaign, and she will be taken to Kinshasa where Dr. Paulin will be able to perform surgery there.  

In summary

I am so grateful to report that we were able to include all the fistula patients who presented (on time) into the schedule, although it was packed! We did 8-10 operations a day M-F and then 4 more on Saturday, for a total of 51 operations. In addition, 2 operations will be paid for but done by the local team next week (a colostomy and hysterectomy), and 2 patients that came in the last day of the campaign and were confirmed to have fistulas will be sent to Kinshasa for a fistula campaign which will start March 16 with the urologist and a team from Belgium.

Postop, we had 36 in one room, and 8 in another

Post op care team at the maternity

The patients ranged from age 10 to approximately 85. They were leaking urine for a range of 6 months to over 40 years. All but two appeared malnourished to some extent, and we have in our procedures to feed them well for the duration of time they are with us and healing after, which can be up to a month. Now we wait for the healing that only comes from the Lord, and we pray they will go home with the knowledge that they are not forgotten, that God loves them, and that they can trust this mission hospital if they have needs in the future or become pregnant again.

Until next time...

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

Parting the Waters for a Fourth Fistula Campaign

 Preparing in earnest amidst uncertainty

Planning a fistula repair surgical campaign in the era of COVID was ambitious. While it is essential to plan quite far in advance, making announcements about the free surgery provided in remote villages only accessible by motorcycle or on foot or by boat, it is also very difficult to know for certain that all the pieces will be able to come together to be successful. At any moment, we had to both continue these preparations and realize that one misstep or change in protocol could cause it all to be for nothing. Just a few of the pieces were my ability to get time off work in the US, the availability of the Congolese urologist in Kinshasa and his willingness to travel, negative covid tests at multiple junctures, the recruitment of the patients, and the procurement of the necessary materials. It was especially hard to hear that 12 (TWELVE!) women had come to Vanga for the fistula campaign which was cancelled in May 2020 due to COVID. I can only assume that they had no communication about the global pandemic and the impossibility of travel at that time. It breaks my heart. I hate that women are suffering from constant urine leakage and childbirth injuries, much less that they had made such an effort to get to the hospital only to find everyone masked with precautions in place and no possibility of a cure at that moment. I prayed that these women would have the courage and faith to return amidst uncertainty.

Ladies gathered, waiting for the surgical team to arrive

We had been tentatively planning this since November, even as cases in the US were rising rapidly and no vaccine had yet been released, and it seemed like it may not happen. Even by the end of January with a significant delay in the documentation from the Congo side, I was skeptical that my visa would be back in time to be able to go. My other proposed teammate was forced to back out, and I was getting discouraged. However, I had peace to continue pursuing the visa just in case, so I sent all the documentation and my passport to the Congolese embassy in Washington D.C. on a Thursday morning. We were startled with a knock on the door on Saturday morning, and my heart sank as I saw the familiar envelope in the USPS worker’s hand. I must have forgotten some postage. But when I touched it, I only felt a passport. I ripped it open to find my passport with a visa stamped inside!! It was unreal, especially when it has taken months sometimes, and caused cancellations of other trips. One day. Perhaps I am one of only a few that were crazy enough to apply right now.

Ryan brought me to the airport. My superman has been so supportive. 

Another snafu

Travel to Kinshasa was uneventful other than a 2 hour unexplained delay in Togo. Having a negative covid test was certainly helpful. Masks were required except when eating. When we got off the plane in Kinshasa, we descended the steps, our temperature was taken, and we were herded into a crowded bus. The bus took us a short way across the tarmac to a temporary tent that had been set up. This was also crowded, but the process was to get our official covid test registration paper. After that bottleneck, we were led to a second tent where there were health workers in full PPE to take the mouth or nose swab. It was very efficiently done at that point. I exited that last tent and found myself outside in the dark, without clear indication where to go next. The building with lights on was a few yards away, and I remembered it was where our bus normally dropped us off for customs. Normal procedures here, stamping passports, etc, but NO line. Next was the health stop where they normally check for our yellow fever vaccination card and take our temps. It was all about covid now. No one checked for my yellow fever card. 

Ahh COVID

A prearranged taxi driver helped me get a luggage cart. We waited for luggage. In Africa, many people wrap assorted packages with rolls of plastic, like Saran wrap. This particular flight from Togo had more random balls of plastic than traditional suitcases. The result was that the normal luggage carousal was not well suited for rolling plastic balls. It became quite comical for me to watch as the conveyer belt spitting the luggage and plastic balls became clogged with the balls of plastic. Everything would stop. They’d extract the balls from the conveyer and restart, only to have the next round of balls clog it up again as they rolled cattywampus down the belt and encounter a normal suitcase. Eventually, they took the plastic balls to the overweight baggage area and the process normalized. All my bags arrived.

As we approached the place where they run our luggage through the machines one more time, to extract taxes where appropriate, I was bracing myself. Last time I brought an electrocautery machine into DRC, I was taken aside to a separate room and questioned. At that time, I had offered to give the machine to them if they wanted it as I was not trying to sell or gain anything from it. I had simply told them I was using it for the surgeries I was undertaking. They had let me go. This time, to my great relief, the passenger just before me in the luggage line made quite a stink about something, and they quite ignored my bags as they went through. We picked them up and got out the door without incident.

A beautiful place to rest

We drove through Kinshasa toward the house where I would be temporarily staying until I flew to the village. I noticed many people rushing about, more hurriedly than normal for this time of night. Then I saw groups of policemen and barricades. My taxi driver informed me that our plane had been 2 hours late, and thus we were fast approaching the curfew of 9pm set by the government. They were closing the highway as we were driving, right behind us. We passed at least 5 roadblocks being put up, and I found out that we would have been stopped and proof of flight required to get through. I was so grateful to avoid that step and additional time on the road, but I realize that my driver then was forced to sleep in his car as he could not return back to the airport through the barricades without a passenger. 

I had a day to rest and enjoy reconnecting with long-term missionaries at their house. The flight to the village was scheduled for the following day. The urologist, Dr. Paulin Kapaya, was prepared to leave as well, with a negative Covid test in hand. However, the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) pilot for our flight to the village received a positive covid test the evening prior to our flight. We scrambled to decide what our options were. We could attempt to drive to the village, but it was too late to arrange for this. The simplest solution was to take another test and hope the first was a false positive. Due to the number of patients waiting for us, we could not afford to be delayed longer, so we also made preparations to drive. We would arrive exhausted and worn out, and thus, the road was not an ideal option. In the end, we received word of a negative test from the pilot, and we were able to get on a flight only 1 day delayed.


Just after landing, this was our crew. Top right: Vanga Hospital is close to the river

Moses

After touching down on the grass runway in our tiny, 4 seat airplane (including the pilot!), we were met with the usual crowd of village children and hospital personnel. However, there was not the usual Landcruiser. They informed us that the road had washed out. Good thing we hadn’t attempted the road! 

We then walked from the runway to the hospital, and a half a dozen people carried our suitcases and packages on their heads to help us. We went by the hospital, where there were joyous reunions and smiles all around. (The urologist was born in Vanga, went to nursing school there prior to med school, and still has family there. Likewise, I had lived in Vanga with our family for over a year.) 

The fistula patients and the family members who accompany them were waiting for us. During our introduction to the patients in their local language, I kept hearing the word, “Moses.” Indeed, like the Lord parted the water of the Red Sea for Israel to cross over on dry land, it felt like the Lord had parted the waters of Covid restrictions to make it possible for our team to arrive.