Guatemala – This young man came into our clinic site on crutches and was unable to bear any weight on his right leg. At first glance it was difficult to know the extent of his injury. However, after our initial examination it was clear this child was in an immense amount of pain due to serious ongoing infection. The remote location of the aldea he lives in prevented him from receiving the medical care he desperately needed.
Once we located Efrain’s father and explained the seriousness of his son’s infection, we attempted to drain the two abscesses in an effort to give him some level of relief from the pain. We used lidocaine injection to try and numb around the abscess sites at the medial thigh and knee. Unfortunately, due to the depth of the infection and proximity to the femoral artery and vein we weren’t able to drain very much fluid from either abscess site.
We communicated to the family that Efrain needed to get to a hospital to effectively treat the infection in his leg. Unfortunately, in that moment we were unable to convince the family to allow us to drive them to the nearest hospital in Coban. Given the situation we were presented with and the fact that the infection had remarkably been walled off from spreading to the bloodstream, we decided to give the boy a month’s supply of Bactrim and Amoxicillin. Our hope was that these antibiotics would clear the infection. We also prescribed ibuprofen to give Efrain some relief from the excruciating pain of the swelling seen in his entire right leg.
The products donated by MAP International allowed us to give this family hope and more importantly give this young man a chance at recovery and a reprieve from the pain he had been suffering with for months.
Thankfully, due to the diligence of the health clinic staff in Chisec, they were able to visit the boy and his family and convince them to travel to the hospital in Coban. In Coban, Efrain was able to receive IV antibiotics and scans of his leg to determine the best course of treatment. This is a patient we continue to think about and keep in our prayers as he battles this infection and a long road to recovery. Helping patients like Efrain would not be possible without the support of organizations like MAP International. We are endlessly grateful for your support this summer and hope to continue this partnership in our future service endeavors.
Name: Efrain Che Cucul
Gender: Male
Age: 12 years old
Health Condition: Septic Hip Infection
Map Products Utilized: Ibuprofen, Lidocaine, Bactrim, Amoxicillin
