when the doctor becomes the patient

About 5 months ago, I was sending a video to my sister in my office when and I noticed some drooping in my face . . .I had had some numbness in my face for a couple hours, but the drooping was new, and then the numbness in my arm . . . I have no medical history other than two normal pregnancies, but the emergency room doctor in me knew the differential of the bad things that could be happening. . . tumor, stroke, heart attack. . .

so, I walked the 200 feet from my office to the ER and talked to one of our doctors. From that moment, things moved quickly. I was in a bed with my vital signs taken in less than 5 minutes, had a CT scan to rule out a bleed or a stroke, and EKG and an IV started and my labs done in the next 10 minutes.

Before I could even get a hold of David, the chaplain had come to pray for me, the charge nurse had settled me in a bed, and the cardiologist was calling for me to get an echo.

From the moment I felt my first symptom to my admission to the ICU, it took 45 minutes. I doubt there are many places in the world who would even have had me checked into the system by then . . I was scared, but also marveled at the seamlessness with which the system was working – to see how strategy meetings worked in real life.

I felt loved. I felt safe. I felt incredibly grateful.

One of the senior anesthesia residents took my history and put in orders. Our radiologist read my CT the second it was done. The nurses I have worked beside on children countless times guarded my privacy, got the IV on the first stick, and rushed my labs. They firmly let me know that they were my caretakers and I could trust them. . .our kitchen staff made a meal just for me and the interns came to pray for me. The chief nursing officer and chief medical officer came at 10 pm just to check on me. . .

I spent the night in the ICU and at 4 am one of the PICU nurses took me to the hospital ambulance for an MRI in Nairobi. (there had been protests blocking the roads the night before). The driver wove through debris on the road and expertly checked me in and maneuvered me through the system. When I panicked in the middle of the MRI, our nurse talked me through it, dried my tears, and calmed me down – staying in to hold my hand until it was done. When we returned, she made sure I was cleared by all the doctors when I begged to be able to go home. . .

All the labs, the MRI, the CT, the EKG, the echo, and my numbers for my whole night of monitoring were normal. The entire bill was less than $800. My facial drooping resolved in 8 hours but the numbness still remains. I know for so many of our patients each of those tests can bring devastating news. We are still working through what caused my symptoms, and I am listening (most of the time) to my team to take care of myself.

And for that 24 hours where I was a patient in Kijabe, I was incredibly grateful for the systems that surround me that we have had the privilege to watch and help grow. I was humbled by the community that held us and carried us in the midst of it and carries us still. And I am grateful for