Medical Articles
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Valley mom and daughter travel to Uganda to aid orphans
BY BONNIE BRUCKHEIMER As the mother of a 15-yearold daughter, I’m not surprised when most conversations with Miranda and her friends revolve around the topic of “I wonder what kind of car I’ll be getting for my 16th birthday.” So, the day I walked past my daughter’s room earlier this year and heard her say, “Mommy, I want to go to Africa and volunteer” was an incredibly happy one for me. I immediately got on my computer, emailing various friends involved with Africa -
Obstetric Fistula: An East African Tour of Awareness
by: Becky Richards, RN, MSN Delegate 2005
My first exposure to obstetric fistula was over twenty years ago in a rural medical clinic where a post partum patient presented with a condition that she described as “a bowel movement out my vagina.” Though this may sound shocking and nearly unheard of in the United States, obstetric fistula is all too common in East Africa. Fistula is defined as an abnormal hole that opens between the urinary bladder and rectum (sometimes both) as a result of traumatic childbirth. In the U.S., most women have access to a skilled health care provider and/or alternative means to vaginal delivery. For example, a cesarean section intervention prevents the trauma of damaged tissues (fistula) caused by an obstructed and laborious childbirth. In African countries, however, the lack of modern medicine, supplies, and education contributes to the overwhelming number of women suffering from obstetric fistula.
