Bed No. 10 is notorious for patients who stay in the ward for long duration.We usually joke when a patient gets admitted to that bed commenting how unlucky he or she is. The bed is strategically placed to be just in front of where we resident doctors sit so that we could have a quick access to the patient in case of emergency.I have seen the condition of normal patients worsening unexpectedly in that bed.
A middle aged old man who underwent a neck surgery was admitted there.His removed disease was very close to his vessels and hence he was a potential candidate for artery rupture on the 8 to 10th day of the surgery which was a very dangerous situation.We used to consider them as mobile time-bombs in the ward. I was tired after fasting and found it difficult to concentrate in the book I was reading. My eyes wandered off to the patient in bed No. 10, even though I was doing bed side duty for another patient. The man had a big bandage covering his entire neck which made his chin to be be raised up.His position reminded me of the verse in the Holy Quran which mentions people who don't listen to the Truth, 'and verily there were iron collars to their neck lifting their chin which made their heads lift up " .He was sitting in his bed.The intra venous line was connected to an antibiotic infusion.He was looking at the bottle, me and at the medicine flowing to his vein by holding the regulator of the infusion. There were roughly 3 or 4 drops left in the bottle which prevented him from sleeping. The drip had somehow stopped. He was trying his best to make these last drops fall by checking the infusion regulator, massaging his veins and squeezing the bottle,but those drops refused to obey him. I wondered why he was so adamant to get the last drops of medicine.Was it because he wanted full utilisation of his money or was he fully confident of the medicine. I knew that those last drops would not cause much difference in his case. He was not complaining to the nurse as most of the patients do. I went to him and removed the intra venous line. He just thanked me and laid in his bed for a much awaited sleep. But I was quite sure with the large bandage compressing his neck a good sleep was a far possibility for him. He did not have any relative around because we usually send them out to reduce the rush in the ward and to prevent the contagion. I closed my unread book and went to bed.
My friends used to complain to me about the state of my room. Busy schedule and my careless and lazy attitude leave my room so shabby that I sometimes prefer to sleep in the duty room. My bed consists of a pile of books and all I do is to push them aside and sleep on the other end.I remember what my sister used to say quoting her mother in law's comments about her son or my brother in law that even if a tigress gives birth in his bed he would just push it to the other end and sleep rather than cleaning it up. No wonder I have a bad backache on getting up due to my innocuous sleeping position which my friends used to call as my football kicking position.It takes at least 30 minutes for me to straighten my stiffened back . I rarely get a 6 hours sound sleep after joining the medical profession.
Seeing this patient I thought that after all at the end of the day what we all is badly in need of is a sound slumber which neither myself nor the patient is getting. May be this is life's way of teaching me that regardless of our status or position we long for the same thing.
By the eldest son
No comments:
Post a Comment