Hypertension and Diabetes Campaign

Viernes, 18-Julio-2014

Doing Doctor Things

Earlier this week we went to the Medical School to learn how to take vitals such as blood pressure, pulse, respiration frequency, and temperature. Today we put these skills to work as we headed up a hypertension and diabetes campaign at Escuela Virgen de Fátima - San Pedro. This is the same school we did our first dental campaign at!

It was definitely a full team effort and fortunately we had over 20 fellows to help out. Our numbers are a little lower this weekend since 10 people took a long weekend to go visit Machu Picchu.  We split up into several different groups: giving a presentation on hypertension and diabetes, taking height and weight, checking vitals, performing glucose/diabetes tests, and lastly a check-up appointment with the doctor if needed. 

I volunteered to work the vitals station since I'm pretty comfortable taking vitals. We only had 1 pediatric cuff so it was a little difficult to work with the young kids but I finally got on a roll and figured out a good technique to do both respiration rate and pulse simultaneously in 30 seconds! Below are some pictures that Lauren took to document the day. It's so nice to finally be in the pictures instead of behind the lens!! Thanks Lauren!

El Rosario Orphanage 

I love coming here since we've really connected with the kids and it's always a great time! Also the outdoor space and beautiful background doesn't hurt either...

We came here this afternoon to do a couple things. First we gave them a presentation on skin health and explained why it's so important to protect your skin from the sun. 

The kids were pretty well behaved and were rewarded with a modified game of freeze tag. Essentially one person who was "It" was the sun and if the sun tagged you, then you had to freeze and wait for a friend to "apply sunscreen" before you were unfrozen. 

The second reason we came to Rosario today was to get measurements for the playground. Our group has decided we want to fix some of the broken parts of the playground such as the two swings with no seat and see-saw without seats. These kids have truly touched our hearts and I love that we can give back to them in a visually permanent way. 

Chifa for Dinner

Chifa is a Chinese-Peruvian food fusion that dates back to Chinese immigrants in the late 1800s. The food retains it's traditional Chinese origins but combines local flavors and ingredients. David and Aniña sent us to their favorite restaurant, Royal Wok, for us to get a safe and delicious meal. Once at the restaurant we had no idea what to order so the waiter offered to pick 3 different dishes and a family portion if fried rice for all of us to share. Best decision ever!! 

We started off with Enrillado Primavera (spring rolls) that came with a tangy lime sauce for dipping. We ordered the family size of Chaufa con Chancho (beef fried rice). Our three main dishes were: Tay Pa a la Plancha (mixed meat and veggies), Chu Jau Kay (sesame chicken), and Chicharrón con Frutas (pork with fruit). The first two dishes were more salty whereas the last dish was very sweet. The Chicharrón con Frutas was a wonderful mix of pork, local fruits, and a sweet sugary sauce that covered all of the food. The combo of fruit and Chinese food is incredible!