THE TRAVELING POD

August 2022

Sunset in Chivay, Peru.

Sitting on a bus with Peruvian doctors on my way to communities I know nothing about in an area far away was the adventure I was looking for.

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Chivay and Caylloma are small towns 4 and 6 hours away from the city of Arequipa. There was an English-speaking American doctor that had influenced the trip and I was lucky enough to jump on board for the ride. Medical Ministry International Peru had allowed me to join the trip, which was organized by the local government.

Once we reach Chivay after an early morning start, we had a delicious meal together. The Peruvian food is delicious, people had told me but experiencing it is another thing. However, at this point, I am yet to try the famous ceviche that Peru is well known for. After our meal, we went to Chivay’s community hall where a mass amount of the community were sitting and waiting for us. This campaign was organized to access the disability levels with the community, however, I just worked like I had always done, treating foot and leg pain.

The patients that I saw complained of various issues from foot inflammatory pain influenced by unstable gait and poor foot wear. Also, chronic lower back issues that have led to problematic sciatica issues in the lower limb. As well as general foot care and ingrown nail issues. Treatment ranged from providing prefabricated orthotics, shoe education, lifting and technique for lower back health. Suggestions for a physical therapist involvement for ongoing muscle strength activities. The most interesting patient was a man who came to me with huge venous ulcer on his leg, that he had not shown his doctor. Treatment was assessing the wound for local infection, which was positive. Also, cleaning, dressing the wound and introducing him to a doctor for antibiotic treatment.

One of my favorite time of the day was lunch time. We had a late lunch before we got back into the bus and went to Caylloma, where we ate dinner and slept. The accommodation was very basic, it had cold showers and the hostel itself was cold. I shared a room with two friendly doctors, and I wore my thermal wear to bed as it was so cold, as I was previously warned.

The next morning, we met in Caylloma’s function center for breakfast which we ate a typical Peruvian breakfast, and it is the size of a foreigner’s lunch. We ate alpaca meat with, potatoes, corn, chuno and salad. It was delicious but very heavy for what I was used to for breakfast.

Our clinic day, was a similar set up to Chivay, as we were in the towns hall and people gathered in quickly, waiting for the professionals. My day was quite long, I ended up being one of the last professionals working, because I had spent a lot of time with patients who had inflammatory pain due to unstable gait and poor footwear. The local government had brought a long brand new shoes to give out to people who required it, and I was able to influence that process, as a lot of my patients needed to wear supportive shoes to help support their unstable feet during various activities. I continue to see patients with sciatica issues and chronic back pain, and they were individuals with weak legs muscles and poor working techniques regarding lower back health.

After clinic, we had a long 6-hour journey back to Arequipa. We were able to leave with great stories, new friendships and a deep satisfaction that you naturally get when helping someone else. I got on well with Dr Santi, the American eye doctor, he and his fiancé was funny and fresh breathe in a situation that can be mentally fatiguing without speaking the local language.