Swapan is still in bed #22 and hasn't been asking to move back to #15 lately. He's actually been feeling better and we've been putting him in pajamas and sitting him up in a wheelchair and moving him into the second room with the other patients for portions of the day. The sore on his back continues to get smaller. I did sneak him a Cadbury candy bar and he was SO happy and thankful. I had to break it into pieces and carefully put them into his mouth without anyone seeing. What a smile I got from him, as well as a big, "thank you!" Made both of our days!
The guy that is currently in bed #15 is in pretty bad shape but does appear to be making some improvements. His name is Hamit and he's 46 years old. I was there the day they brought him in more than three weeks ago. We took off all of this clothes, bathed him and shaved his head and face. His right foot was wrapped in dirty bandages and he had terrible bed sores on his butt and he screamed in agony when we tried to wash his groin area, where his skin was raw. We kept the bandage on his foot temporarily until the nurse could take it off and re-dress it, so I had no idea at the time the extent of the problem there...nor with the severity of his bed sores.
We got him into pajamas and into a bed. I sat with him for about an hour, during which time I clipped his nails and tried to keep his calm. I could tell he was very appreciative and we've been buddies ever since.
When the nurse finally got around to taking the bandage off of his foot, it was clear how bad it was. He was missing his big toe and the one next to it. The wound was so deep you could see the bones of what was left of the two toes. It was quite gruesome and a few days later I asked the volunteer doctor and veterinarian from Australia when they saw it if they had ever seen anything like it. The doctor said no, the vet said he had seen something like it with animals. The nurse packed the wound with what looked like iodine soaked gauze and put antibacterial gel all over it and dressed it. Then we rolled him over and I got my first real look at the bed sores. It was truly unbelievable and I don't know how I did it, but I kept watching (I can't even watch when the nurse at home draws blood from my arm!) as I held his hand and talked to him to try to keep him calm. The sore was the size of a dinner plate and you could basically see right inside of him. The nurse cleaned it all out and stuffed gauze into some of the deeper cavities. She cut away large pieces of skin. Basically as Lee, a volunteer from the U.K. put it, his entire butt was missing.
Now, as a few weeks have passed, he's had good days and bad. His foot is healing rather well. His bedsores are improving, but there is still a long way to go. He's often in a lot of pain.
Sister Teresina came by his bed the other day and made him repeat after her, "Thank you Uncle for taking good care of me. I love you Uncle!" He did and smiled and then gave me the Indian head bobble, a sign that all is well.
Today when Hamit saw me he reached out both arms and when I took his hands he pulled me toward him and wrapped his thin arms around me and held me tight. It's the first time we've hugged and it was an incredible moment. He did it a few more times during the morning hours. He asked me to massage his arms and later as he squirmed to find a comfortable position, I gave him a back massage which he loved and actually fell asleep during.
A young Indian guy who has been around volunteering for a few days came over to the bed and started to talk to him. Come to find out, he pulled a rickshaw for many years and never wore shoes. I'm guessing that he injured his right foot and it became infected and just got progressively worse. And I'm assuming the bed sores developed from just laying or sitting on the ground for long periods before the team from Mother Teresa's found him and brought him in.
I hope Hamit will recover and be sent to another facility eventually. He is just one of the many guys that I will always remember and be thankful to have known. I'll spend as much time with him as possible in my last two weeks and just hope for the best for him after I leave. It's really all I can do.
The guy that is currently in bed #15 is in pretty bad shape but does appear to be making some improvements. His name is Hamit and he's 46 years old. I was there the day they brought him in more than three weeks ago. We took off all of this clothes, bathed him and shaved his head and face. His right foot was wrapped in dirty bandages and he had terrible bed sores on his butt and he screamed in agony when we tried to wash his groin area, where his skin was raw. We kept the bandage on his foot temporarily until the nurse could take it off and re-dress it, so I had no idea at the time the extent of the problem there...nor with the severity of his bed sores.
We got him into pajamas and into a bed. I sat with him for about an hour, during which time I clipped his nails and tried to keep his calm. I could tell he was very appreciative and we've been buddies ever since.
When the nurse finally got around to taking the bandage off of his foot, it was clear how bad it was. He was missing his big toe and the one next to it. The wound was so deep you could see the bones of what was left of the two toes. It was quite gruesome and a few days later I asked the volunteer doctor and veterinarian from Australia when they saw it if they had ever seen anything like it. The doctor said no, the vet said he had seen something like it with animals. The nurse packed the wound with what looked like iodine soaked gauze and put antibacterial gel all over it and dressed it. Then we rolled him over and I got my first real look at the bed sores. It was truly unbelievable and I don't know how I did it, but I kept watching (I can't even watch when the nurse at home draws blood from my arm!) as I held his hand and talked to him to try to keep him calm. The sore was the size of a dinner plate and you could basically see right inside of him. The nurse cleaned it all out and stuffed gauze into some of the deeper cavities. She cut away large pieces of skin. Basically as Lee, a volunteer from the U.K. put it, his entire butt was missing.
Now, as a few weeks have passed, he's had good days and bad. His foot is healing rather well. His bedsores are improving, but there is still a long way to go. He's often in a lot of pain.
Sister Teresina came by his bed the other day and made him repeat after her, "Thank you Uncle for taking good care of me. I love you Uncle!" He did and smiled and then gave me the Indian head bobble, a sign that all is well.
Today when Hamit saw me he reached out both arms and when I took his hands he pulled me toward him and wrapped his thin arms around me and held me tight. It's the first time we've hugged and it was an incredible moment. He did it a few more times during the morning hours. He asked me to massage his arms and later as he squirmed to find a comfortable position, I gave him a back massage which he loved and actually fell asleep during.
A young Indian guy who has been around volunteering for a few days came over to the bed and started to talk to him. Come to find out, he pulled a rickshaw for many years and never wore shoes. I'm guessing that he injured his right foot and it became infected and just got progressively worse. And I'm assuming the bed sores developed from just laying or sitting on the ground for long periods before the team from Mother Teresa's found him and brought him in.
I hope Hamit will recover and be sent to another facility eventually. He is just one of the many guys that I will always remember and be thankful to have known. I'll spend as much time with him as possible in my last two weeks and just hope for the best for him after I leave. It's really all I can do.
Wow...thanks for sharing your experiences.
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