Wednesday, February 23, 2011

My 6T's not Sixtys, bySteve Trembley

I am sometimes asked to tell,
what things there I have seen.
Itʼs very hard to understand,
unless youʼve already been.

And Iʼm not a medical person,
so my viewʼs not too clear.
And Spanish is their language,
so my brain must change gear.

And for the ones who are like me
and never treated folks,
This is serious business
and thereʼs not much time for jokes.

Sometimes a smile, or simple hug
is all that we can do.
Some prayer and understanding,
and of course God Bless you.

Medicineʼs not funny,
but we still have some fun.
Because it deals with people
and laughterʼs one on one.

I think Iʼm very lucky,
to help do what we do.
A sense of humor heals the soul
and mind and body too.

Nearly every patient,
has suffered long enough.
With every kind of malady,
the living there is rough.

With very little money,
or job, or food, or skill,
Dominicans have problems.
No wonder that theyʼre ill.

1. Si means yes in Spanish,
and no means no, you know.
But si may also stand for if;
your brain might overflow.

Constipado means congested,
in your nose and head.
Estrenido is constipated,
remember what Iʼve said.

Derecha means your good right hand,
and also turn right too.
Derecho means go straight ahead,
but I am not quite through.

Por que is always used for why,
but also means because
I know that doesnʼt make any sense,
but thatʼs how Latin was.

2. Blood pressure and blood sugar,
are bad when they exceed.
The patients weight in libras;
metforminʼs what they need.

Atenolol and aspirin,
less sugar, exercise.
And daily test your blood because,
I am one of those guys.

3. Not too many hypochondriacs,
are patients that come here.
They have problems we donʼt know,
and yet do not show fear.

A handshake, hug, or warm embrace,
can break the language barrier.
Imagine if you had to switch,
would anything be scarier?

4. Everyone has lombrices,
the young and old and weak.
That might come from their water,
or swimming in a creek.

Internal parasites can be,
round or tape or hook.
Scabies, tinia, and ringworm,
make pale anemic looks.

Watch your weight and blood pressure,
try not to overdue.
Eat less sweets and more vegetables,
no drugs or drinks for you.
Take your anti-parasite meds,
and vitaminas too.

And just drink bottled water,
and you will feel brand-new.
5. Glaucoma and bad cataracts,
that make it hard to see.

Headaches that wonʼt go away,
pains in hips and knees.
Feet with extra toes(es),
eardrums packed with wax.

Hernias in places,
you kind of hate to ask.
6. Skin tags in some areas,
where I donʼt want to look.

Several nasty diseases,
not found in any book.
Eczema and edema,
Iʼm not sure which is which is.

I think one means itʼs swollen;
the other one just itches.
7. There are several stages of pregnancy,
which I donʼt understand.

Translating for this subject,
Iʼm not in great demand.
Regarding urination,
and defecation too.
One should ask “Hace pipi?”,
or else “Hace pupu?”
8. Smoking, drugs, and drinking,
I love to talk about.
I have seen what they can do,
when one canʼt live without.

Poverty is hard enough,
but these three make it worse.
Their family suffers more than them,
and ruins their lives of course.

9. You have to be real careful,
of everything you eat.
Ramonaʼs rice and beans are safe,
and even mystery meat.

Drink water, sanitize your hands,
and keep your body clean,
Because the DCP* bug, can be especially mean.

10. We hope to see the Lord someday,
but while weʼre still around,
Weʼd like to have a better life,
if medicine is found.

To cure our aches and illnesses,
and cure our spirit too.
A pill might make us better,
but the Bible makes us new.

These are observations,
from several medical trips.
But you donʼt need to write my 6 Tʼs down,
The Trembley Top Ten Trip Tips.
*Dominican Colonoscopy Prep

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