Rounding on Pediatric Ward



Parden

 

Lydia



Praymore



Villa



Tadwanashe

 This week John and I have started rounding on the pediatric ward.  I think we're both excited to spend our last month with these kids. Its always very rewarding to take care of such little ones, with the  potential for long life still ahead of them. There are many sick children that we take care of daily. Some seem to recover quickly. While others are still a mystery. We are often left wondering about the true diagnosis because we lack some of the diagnostic tests needed to investigate their conditions further.

There is a special group of children that need prayers here at Karanda.  These are the children with hydrocephalus.  Hydrocephalus, meaning water on the brain. This causes them to have large heads and can also shrink the brain tissue over time.  It is usually starts because the child had a neonatal illness such as meningitis that was never properly treated.  There are instances where a child can be born with this disease, but that is less often the case here.  This week we have been especially busy caring for children with hydrocephalus. Our pediatric ward usually has about 20-25 kids. Right now, we have 11 children with hydrocephalus. Just 3 days ago a van from another region of the country, brought 5 children that needed VP shunts. We are one of the only, if not the only hospital in the country putting in VP shunts. This is a shunt that is placed to allow the extra fluid around the brain to drain into the abdominal cavity. This relieves the pressure, helps the child feel better, and hopefully prevents further developmental problems.

We have enjoyed learning how to put in VP shunts, and the challenges that come with taking care of hydrocephalus patients. Unfortunately, many of the children arrive months to years after their diagnosis and already have significant developmental delay. We have seen children 7-10 years after the procedure that are doing very well, but often their future is much more guarded. These children are very precious, I've put their names below their pictures.  If you can pick out one or two that you might pray for over the next week, months, or years, I am sure their families and our hospital staff would really appreciate it. They still have a long road ahead, but with the power of prayer anything is possible.







Tindenda




Ronyanyi





Nicholas




Justine




Tanaka



Trembinkosi