(Tuesday) Today I spent the morning in with the Occupational Therapist (OT). She only had one patient booked, so I got to spend some time talking to her about the job. It seems very similar to the UK, although like nursing it is a 4 year course! They have a lot of good equipment, although not to modern as that I've seen in the UK. The patient I got to see was a young girl who had had 2 strokes in 2009 & 2010. She is making remarkable progress. At first she couldn't speak for nearly 2 months, and now she speaks SiSwati & English very well indeed! It was great to see the things the OT did with her, mostly stretching based. Again very similar things I have seen on neuro patients in the UK, mostly getting the muscles in her arm and leg (as her left side was affected both times) to loosen. She also helps her with her memory and school work. It’s very rewarding to see. The biggest problem the OT has is keeping up with patients. Follow ups in a rural area are rare, and patients struggle to get to the clinic regularly. Therefore, simple stretches they can do themselves at home are the best type of therapy for them!
Whilst in with the OT, we saw a monkey on the roofs outside! One of the men was telling me they are a nuisance as they are always around, and like to try and get in the window if you leave them open! He told me not to leave my window open at night or I would wake up to find a monkey snuggled in bed next to me hahahaha!
I spent the afternoon with the Dr, again with follow up patients. Some had TB and needed their follow-up meds. TB is a common problem in HIV+ patients, and is a notifiable disease so patients need to have a green card with their details on. I also saw a man who had turned white! His skin had peeled off a few years ago, and so he had lost all the pigment in his skin. It was very strange to see, and they have no idea how it has happened. They think it may be related to the HIV, or be something like Michael Jackson had! He also had alopecia (hair loss) so had no hair and very little eyebrows! Certainly an image I will never forget.
In the evening I went to a home bible group with the OT. It was actually very interesting, although I felt a little out of place! Christianity is the main religion in SA, and ACTS is a very spiritual and religious place. It was great to see young people my age meeting up to have some discussions about their faiths, and to sing and pray and preach. It is interesting to see how much faith has an influence in these peoples lifes, despite the many diseases and illnesses around them.
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