Tuesday, January 24th clinic

Tuesday started with an inspirational message from our very own Janelle in chapel.  It was very moving.  We saw over 50 patients on Tuesday but it seemed like more.  We have determined that it is not just the number of patients seen but also the amount of work needed on the patients.  There were some particularly tough cases.  Dr. Justin had a patient who's teeth were so bad that all 32 teeth had to be extracted.  Dr. Sally had a patient with an unusual lump under her chin.  My wife Lisa was assisting Sally and had a suspicion of what caused the lump.  By gently trying to manipulate the area on the outside, Lisa was able to express a Bot fly larvae from the wound.  The Bot fly bites a victim and lays an egg under the skin.  After it hatches, the larvae continues to burrow under the skin until it forms a home under the skin until it matures and emerges as an adult fly.  Before you think this is an "Africa Thing", you should know that we have Bot flies in Minnesota too.  (We had a cat a few years ago that had one.)  More later.