Week 1

There has been so much going on this week, I hardly know what to say. All three clinics that we visit are right on the ocean-such a beautiful view. Not what I normally see when I look out the window from clinic. I will say that I will definitely be taking dramamine before my next trip to Port Antonio. I had no idea that Jamaica was so hilly. I saw a lot of typical skin issues this week: eczema, tinea, scabies, etc. I am also becoming familiar with “Deworming”. This is definitely not something I need to do regularly on my usual clinic patients. I had a 3 1/2 year old boy come to see me in clinic on Thursday who has Autism and though mom is sure she has heard that word, I don’t think her son has ever officially had the diagnosis. He has only 5 words and as expected, has many social problems which do not allow him to engage in preschool at all. He receives speech therapy only once every 3 months and has seen a psychologist for behaviors only once. After discussion with Dr. Ramos, I referred him to the child Neurologist in Kingston that usually evaluates in these cases. I actually heard on the radio earlier in the week that the social support for Autism is lacking in Jamaica, but I really hope that the Neurologist is able to provide some more appropriate referrals for this child-at least more that I was able to do. It is difficult to treat some of the children who present,simply because I am not at all familiar with the system of medical care here. I really appreciate all of the help I have been receiving from Dr. Ramos, Dr. San San and all of the other general practice physicians who have been more than willing to answer all of my MANY questions. I did get to enjoy some relaxation time on the beach this weekend as well. There is no better place to read than on a beautiful beach.