2nd Week in Quito

On Monday, I went to the military hospital to spend some time in the physical therapy department there. I wound up showing the therapists the PNF (proprioceptive neurmuscular facilitation) patterns of movement that we use in the U.S. and I also got to teach manual lymphatic drainage to two therapists and three students as I treated a patient post breast cancer. I made some huge changes to her treatment plan of care that I think will work MUCH better for her (including getting her a sleeve that actually fits tight enough to give her compression) and I think everyone there was pleased. I need to improve my medical terminology because my Spanish was pretty rough when talking about lymph nodes and anastomosis but everyone understood so I was thrilled! This volunteer opportunity is just spectactular and a great fit for me - we (the PT department and I) are both benefiting from the experience.

Britton started working at the Maternity Hospital this week and luckily the doctor he is working with speaks English. He is learning more about language and culture it seems than about procedures, although the differences in procedures are interesting. For example, the total lack of epidurals and the sterilization and reuse of many metal instruments that are made out of plastic in the U.S. for one time use only. Britton´s Spanish is improving everyday! The family is starting to talk to him directly instead of always going through me. ¡Qué bueno!