Gunshots are just a part of life in this remote mountain. Sometimes, it is an accident, but most of the time it's due to crime. Once in a while, it's even due to vengence. In a place where there is no police presence, people often take the law into their own hands. On Friday, a fifty-something woman came to the clinic after having been shot in the right thigh the night before on her way home from church. She couldn't or wouldn't give very many details about the accident. For whatever reason, she seemed to be frightened.

Thankfully, the bullet did not touch any important structures. It only did a small amount of soft tissue damage, finally coming to rest just below the skin's surface. It was relatively easy to remove the bullet, then the wound was thoroughly cleaned and damaged tissue removed.



After that, a drain was placed and the entry wound was closed. This quiet woman from the mountain smiled after it was all over and promised to return on Monday to take out the drain and check for any signs of infection.


She returned as promised today. the drain was removed. The wound is healing nicely. The woman's only request was a before picture of her leg with the gunshot wound so that she could show her pastor the lengths she is willing to go, to be present at church. Nothing like living in the wild, wild west ... of Honduras that is!