One of my favorite guys was in Bed #15 when I arrived here. I've mentioned him before. He is paralyzed from the neck down. His hame is Swapan. He speaks a few words of English. When I asked how old he was he said he didn't know exactly, but more than 40 years. He had gotten TB and went to Mother Teresa's facility Prem Dam and was cured but quickly had a stroke and one arm was paralyzed. Then he got TB again and went to another facility called Boy's Town where he was again cured of the TB, only to have another stroke and become completely paralyzed. And now he is at Kalighat at Mother Teresa's home for Destitutes and The Dying.
Bed #15 is the only actual "hospital" bed in the facility. It's higher and much more comfortable than the other beds (it also has an air mattress). When I arrived Swapan was in bed #15. On my first day I helped change him. He is rather tall, at least 6 feet, his body is complete stretched out and rigid, with the exception of one arm which is bent at the elbow. Both hands are curled into tight fists. And at the base of his spine he had an open wound, probably a bed sore. It was probably six inches long by three inches wide. It appeared that the epidermis was gone from that area and pink muscle was exposed. My favorite staff member Sunil and I took great care in changing his sheets and the small towel that covered his mid section. And the we propped him up with pillows, two under his head, two under one shoulder and one under his legs, all giving him a tilt to which ever side he preferred at the moment. I'm happy to say that the bed sore has gotten much smaller over the past few weeks.
I stop by his bed many times a day. He often calls out to me if he sees me passing by with the typical, "Brother." He often just wants his pillows to be adjusted or switched to the other side.
When it comes time for meals or biscuits I try to be the one to feed him. In the mornings each patient gets three digestive biscuits. Swapan needs to have them broken into small pieces and soaked in water to make it easier for him to chew. I love being able to do this for him. For meals, I always bring a napkin with me and makes sure he stays nice and clean. I know he doesn't like to have food all over his bed or face. Sometimes when I'm not the one to feed him and I pass by I see a big mess, so I take a damp cloth napkin over and clean him up.
Recently Swapan was moved to bed #22 so they could put the guy from bed #12 there as he has a severe foot injury as well as one of the worse bed sores anyone there has ever seen. (I plan do do a post about him as I was there when he was brought in and I've been close with him ever sense). Swapan was not happy. But he has been promised that he will be moved back soon. So I've been spending even more time with him as I know he's down about being in this new bed. I know he has a mom and dad and a sister, he's counted to ten for me in English and then helped my get through 1-10 in Bengali. Through the help of Sunil's translation I also found out that he was treated better at Boy's Town. Sunil had told me earlier that Swapan told him that the night staff here ignores him when he asks for his pillows to be adjusted. The guy lays in bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! If it's going to make him feel even a little bit better to tilt to the other side, why don't they do it?
Well, a pretty good clue came hurling my way when one day I was sitting with Swapan and I hear one of the older staff who has been here for quite some time yell out to me, "he's not sick, he's just paralyzed. Go help some of the sick people." Of corse I ignored him, but man was I upset and saddened by it all.
Overall, I think they do a good job with what they and the conditions they are working under. There is a young doctor from Australia volunteering with us now and he was just curious to know what meds these guys were being given. He asked the head nun but she refused to share any information and said, "this is not a hospital." An Indian doctor comes by once a week. He wears a stethoscope around his neck, but I've never seen him use it. He takes the small notebook that the sisters keep with information on each patient (or "inmate" as they refer to them) and walks around the room and spends less than a minute with each of them, never touching them and rarely speaking to them. The sister is giving brief updates along the way. The Italian woman that is usually in every day that I thought was a doctor is actually a nurse and despite her tough demeanor, I think she is doing a good job.
Back to my pal...
I have been spending more time with him and I leaned over to him to tell him that he was my friend and my name was Jim. He repeated, "Jim" and a big smile came across his face. Now everyday I ask him my name and he says, "Jim" followed by that big smile. What a feeling.
Although he is paralyzed, he likes to have his legs moved. So I take his right leg first and bend it at the knee and keep pressing it up towards his chest. He says, "more," and I go further. After a few more increments he says, "okay," and I put his leg back down and move to the left one. This leg is much less flexible, but we go through the drill and then repeat both legs again. That this simple act gives him any sense of comfort or pleasure means so much to me. He's really the one giving the gift here.
I also massage his hands to try to make his fingers straighten. And this may sound strange, but I love it when he tells me he has to pee! I grab a urinal and make sure everything is in the right place and tell him to go for it! I ask him if he's done and I get a big smile and an "okay." I empty it and bring it back so it's close by. Another thing that worries me is that when just the night staff is around, I think they ignore all of his calls and he is forced to wet and/or soil the bed and then lay there until the morning. Sunil showed me a quick and comfortable way to clean him and change his bed. The first time I changed him on my own, he started saying something to me that I couldn't understand. I called Sunil over and he translated - "do it nice like Sunil did it yesterday." I said, "of course!" He was pleased with the results and I got a nice "thank you" and a smile.
Yesterday he was asking for something and I couldn't figure out what he was saying. I started to go through the list of regular asks...pillow adjustment? No. Arm moved? No. Legs worked on? No. I ask him to repeat it one more time and I finally make out the word...chocolate! He wants me to bring him some chocolate. I start laughing and tell him I would but we have to keep it a secret. He was so happy. Now I have to find some and get it there before it melts and sneak it into his mouth with out anyone seeing me. I'm up for the challenge! Actually' if I can find a big bag with enough for everyone, I can bring it in and won't have to be so covert.
The last thing he said to me yesterday was "tomorrow last day?" I said,"No! I have about three more weeks!" Again, that beautiful smile. And I walk away, my heart breaking that I'm not going to be able to do much more than do my best to comfort him for a few weeks more. But what happens then? He's probably in his early 40s and will live for quite some time. I just can't imagine him living out his life there. He'll probably be transferred to another facility. Apparently his family has no means of taking care of him.
I'll just enjoy the rest of my time with Swapan and the other men. I will be a far better person having had the chance to know them, if only for a brief time. They certainly have enriched my life beyond belief and I will always be grateful to them.
********
Sister Teresina: "Sweetie, you know I like you. Go get some gloves and come back to me."
I go put on glove and head back to find her. There she is at a sink stacked with dirty bed pans.
Sister Teresina: "Wash these good, inside and out. Are you okay with that?"
Me: " Of course Sister, no problem!"
I just wonder what she asked the person she didn't like to do.
*******
Sister Teresina: "Sweetie, go put on some gloves and meet me at Bed #49"
Me: "Okay Sister, I'll be right there."
Sister Teresina: "Bring a basin with water."
I grab a basin a fill it 2/3 with water and head back.
Sister Teresina: "Hurry! Put it under here."
She has inserted a tube up the nose of the man in bed #49. He's a very sweet manwho loves arm and hand massages. You get the great Indian head bobble when he's pleased with your work. His belly is so swollen he looks like he's nine months pregnant. As soon as I get the basin in place a caramel color liquid starts coming out of his nose and emptying into the basin. Sister asks me to gently rub his stomach. So I'm squatting net to the bed holding the basin and rubbing his belly. This goes on for about twenty minutes. Then Sister tells me to empty the basin and she attaches a small plastic bag at the end of the hose to collect the fluid that is still coming out.
Sister isn't done with me yet! And remember, she really likes me!
When I come back from emptying the basin she asks me to help turn him on his side. He needs an enema. Okay, I can deal with that...but I already know this poor man has probably some of the worse hemorrhoids anyone has ever had. They are just massive and EXTREMELY painful. I've changed this guy a few times so I know this isn't going to be pretty. We roll him over and he immediately starts to protest. Sister takes the first attempt at inserting the enema. Now this enema isn't like the are back home. Basically the fluid is in a bag and you attach a large syringe to the bag to fill it up, then you take the syringe and attach it to what is basically a flimsy drinking straw. Sister doesn't have much luck so she asks me to take over. I'm working it as best as I can but it's difficult to even find the targeted point of entry. I think I have it in and the straw starts bending and sliding out. I do manage to get it in and Sister plunges the large syringe and he first portion is in. The she takes over fighting with the straw and tells me to refill the syringe and inject the second and last portion of the fluid. Meanwhile the poor guy is moaning in pain. But it's now over and there will be a big mess to clean up soon. Sister did not call me over for that and the next time I passed by he was lying peacefully in all new clean clothes and sheets. I guess there is somebody she like a little less than me... or is it a little more?
Bed #15 is the only actual "hospital" bed in the facility. It's higher and much more comfortable than the other beds (it also has an air mattress). When I arrived Swapan was in bed #15. On my first day I helped change him. He is rather tall, at least 6 feet, his body is complete stretched out and rigid, with the exception of one arm which is bent at the elbow. Both hands are curled into tight fists. And at the base of his spine he had an open wound, probably a bed sore. It was probably six inches long by three inches wide. It appeared that the epidermis was gone from that area and pink muscle was exposed. My favorite staff member Sunil and I took great care in changing his sheets and the small towel that covered his mid section. And the we propped him up with pillows, two under his head, two under one shoulder and one under his legs, all giving him a tilt to which ever side he preferred at the moment. I'm happy to say that the bed sore has gotten much smaller over the past few weeks.
I stop by his bed many times a day. He often calls out to me if he sees me passing by with the typical, "Brother." He often just wants his pillows to be adjusted or switched to the other side.
When it comes time for meals or biscuits I try to be the one to feed him. In the mornings each patient gets three digestive biscuits. Swapan needs to have them broken into small pieces and soaked in water to make it easier for him to chew. I love being able to do this for him. For meals, I always bring a napkin with me and makes sure he stays nice and clean. I know he doesn't like to have food all over his bed or face. Sometimes when I'm not the one to feed him and I pass by I see a big mess, so I take a damp cloth napkin over and clean him up.
Recently Swapan was moved to bed #22 so they could put the guy from bed #12 there as he has a severe foot injury as well as one of the worse bed sores anyone there has ever seen. (I plan do do a post about him as I was there when he was brought in and I've been close with him ever sense). Swapan was not happy. But he has been promised that he will be moved back soon. So I've been spending even more time with him as I know he's down about being in this new bed. I know he has a mom and dad and a sister, he's counted to ten for me in English and then helped my get through 1-10 in Bengali. Through the help of Sunil's translation I also found out that he was treated better at Boy's Town. Sunil had told me earlier that Swapan told him that the night staff here ignores him when he asks for his pillows to be adjusted. The guy lays in bed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week! If it's going to make him feel even a little bit better to tilt to the other side, why don't they do it?
Well, a pretty good clue came hurling my way when one day I was sitting with Swapan and I hear one of the older staff who has been here for quite some time yell out to me, "he's not sick, he's just paralyzed. Go help some of the sick people." Of corse I ignored him, but man was I upset and saddened by it all.
Overall, I think they do a good job with what they and the conditions they are working under. There is a young doctor from Australia volunteering with us now and he was just curious to know what meds these guys were being given. He asked the head nun but she refused to share any information and said, "this is not a hospital." An Indian doctor comes by once a week. He wears a stethoscope around his neck, but I've never seen him use it. He takes the small notebook that the sisters keep with information on each patient (or "inmate" as they refer to them) and walks around the room and spends less than a minute with each of them, never touching them and rarely speaking to them. The sister is giving brief updates along the way. The Italian woman that is usually in every day that I thought was a doctor is actually a nurse and despite her tough demeanor, I think she is doing a good job.
Back to my pal...
I have been spending more time with him and I leaned over to him to tell him that he was my friend and my name was Jim. He repeated, "Jim" and a big smile came across his face. Now everyday I ask him my name and he says, "Jim" followed by that big smile. What a feeling.
Although he is paralyzed, he likes to have his legs moved. So I take his right leg first and bend it at the knee and keep pressing it up towards his chest. He says, "more," and I go further. After a few more increments he says, "okay," and I put his leg back down and move to the left one. This leg is much less flexible, but we go through the drill and then repeat both legs again. That this simple act gives him any sense of comfort or pleasure means so much to me. He's really the one giving the gift here.
I also massage his hands to try to make his fingers straighten. And this may sound strange, but I love it when he tells me he has to pee! I grab a urinal and make sure everything is in the right place and tell him to go for it! I ask him if he's done and I get a big smile and an "okay." I empty it and bring it back so it's close by. Another thing that worries me is that when just the night staff is around, I think they ignore all of his calls and he is forced to wet and/or soil the bed and then lay there until the morning. Sunil showed me a quick and comfortable way to clean him and change his bed. The first time I changed him on my own, he started saying something to me that I couldn't understand. I called Sunil over and he translated - "do it nice like Sunil did it yesterday." I said, "of course!" He was pleased with the results and I got a nice "thank you" and a smile.
Yesterday he was asking for something and I couldn't figure out what he was saying. I started to go through the list of regular asks...pillow adjustment? No. Arm moved? No. Legs worked on? No. I ask him to repeat it one more time and I finally make out the word...chocolate! He wants me to bring him some chocolate. I start laughing and tell him I would but we have to keep it a secret. He was so happy. Now I have to find some and get it there before it melts and sneak it into his mouth with out anyone seeing me. I'm up for the challenge! Actually' if I can find a big bag with enough for everyone, I can bring it in and won't have to be so covert.
The last thing he said to me yesterday was "tomorrow last day?" I said,"No! I have about three more weeks!" Again, that beautiful smile. And I walk away, my heart breaking that I'm not going to be able to do much more than do my best to comfort him for a few weeks more. But what happens then? He's probably in his early 40s and will live for quite some time. I just can't imagine him living out his life there. He'll probably be transferred to another facility. Apparently his family has no means of taking care of him.
I'll just enjoy the rest of my time with Swapan and the other men. I will be a far better person having had the chance to know them, if only for a brief time. They certainly have enriched my life beyond belief and I will always be grateful to them.
********
Sister Teresina: "Sweetie, you know I like you. Go get some gloves and come back to me."
I go put on glove and head back to find her. There she is at a sink stacked with dirty bed pans.
Sister Teresina: "Wash these good, inside and out. Are you okay with that?"
Me: " Of course Sister, no problem!"
I just wonder what she asked the person she didn't like to do.
*******
Sister Teresina: "Sweetie, go put on some gloves and meet me at Bed #49"
Me: "Okay Sister, I'll be right there."
Sister Teresina: "Bring a basin with water."
I grab a basin a fill it 2/3 with water and head back.
Sister Teresina: "Hurry! Put it under here."
She has inserted a tube up the nose of the man in bed #49. He's a very sweet manwho loves arm and hand massages. You get the great Indian head bobble when he's pleased with your work. His belly is so swollen he looks like he's nine months pregnant. As soon as I get the basin in place a caramel color liquid starts coming out of his nose and emptying into the basin. Sister asks me to gently rub his stomach. So I'm squatting net to the bed holding the basin and rubbing his belly. This goes on for about twenty minutes. Then Sister tells me to empty the basin and she attaches a small plastic bag at the end of the hose to collect the fluid that is still coming out.
Sister isn't done with me yet! And remember, she really likes me!
When I come back from emptying the basin she asks me to help turn him on his side. He needs an enema. Okay, I can deal with that...but I already know this poor man has probably some of the worse hemorrhoids anyone has ever had. They are just massive and EXTREMELY painful. I've changed this guy a few times so I know this isn't going to be pretty. We roll him over and he immediately starts to protest. Sister takes the first attempt at inserting the enema. Now this enema isn't like the are back home. Basically the fluid is in a bag and you attach a large syringe to the bag to fill it up, then you take the syringe and attach it to what is basically a flimsy drinking straw. Sister doesn't have much luck so she asks me to take over. I'm working it as best as I can but it's difficult to even find the targeted point of entry. I think I have it in and the straw starts bending and sliding out. I do manage to get it in and Sister plunges the large syringe and he first portion is in. The she takes over fighting with the straw and tells me to refill the syringe and inject the second and last portion of the fluid. Meanwhile the poor guy is moaning in pain. But it's now over and there will be a big mess to clean up soon. Sister did not call me over for that and the next time I passed by he was lying peacefully in all new clean clothes and sheets. I guess there is somebody she like a little less than me... or is it a little more?
Jim....you never cease to amaze me! Don't know how you do it...God Bless You,!!!!!!!
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