A short Story: Personal matter

Everyone wants his or her conjugal life a happy and sweet but it does not always happen to everyone. Moreover, they seek trust, faithfulness and understanding from each other. Life is short and nobody knows how it continues and how it ends. Sometimes, all the swear they made will be broken and devastates life which is not expected to every couple’s life. When something goes wrong we hardly prepare for solution we rather blame each other. When it is already late, we started thinking about repairing life when life is irreversibly damaged by that time.

He is now in ICU bed with oxygen mask on his face. His wife is nearby him with somber face. It seems he is ready to leave forever. His respiration is deep and slow. Indicator is showing heart rate is slowing down. There is tick-tick sound of indicator showing he has no adequate oxygenation.

He just opens his mask and starts talking very slowly with his cyanosed lips.

‘Well dear, you asked me yesterday, why not I told you about my condition. Well, it was personal matter. As you mentioned me a personal matter should not be shared even between husband and wife. I told you that time there is nothing personal matter that should be hidden from each other. If it is so, definitely it won’t work in our life. Everything should be clear and open between the husband and wife. When you were caught with some personal matter that were supposed to be hidden from me, you answered that way. At that very time, I was diagnosed to have Non Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and I was about to share this with you but to respect your feelings, I did not share with you since I thought it was merely a personal matter in your definition. Since then, I knew what personal matter is; I thought it should be kept within me. I did it since then. I did not want to be a dead alive by seeking chemotherapy.  I know that I was going to die shortly so I did not try a consult for chemotherapy. I thought it will be burden for you because I am the person who is going to die then why my wife should suffer from that.  You are free from me, dear, I wanna sleep forever peacefully.’

He took long and deep breath.

Nothing is seen in monitor, all the graphics for the function of vital organ were flat.

Devastated Dolakha, shattered Shailung

We all have experienced the physical and psychological trauma after earthquake but no one stayed there waiting for help from others rather we stood up and started rebuilding our structure inside out. The inner energy helped us rebuild ourselves and give helping hands to our brothers and sisters. We might have accomplished a tiny drop of help but this was among million drops that helped whole country move on.

After visiting Sindhupalchowk and Dhading, I was regular for my posting in Bir hospital. After earthquake in 29^th Baisakh in Dolakha,  I was thinking about going Dolakha. Last Saturday, I got a call from my friend Binod Dhungana who is now internist in America to join his team for Dolakha. He and his team have been supporting earthquake affected sites. I just said ‘yes’ without thinking my schedule in Bir Hospital. I did bag pack and was ready for Dolakha. Our team has planned to provide relief materials and medical support. Next day in the morning we left for Dolakha. I found my batchmates, the 21^st batchers from IOM, Rashmi Thapa (cardiologist), Prashant Tripathi (ENT surgeon), Binod Dhungana (Physician), the team leader; it gave me extra strength to move for Dolakha. Others were Sait Pradhan Dai and his wife, Kiran Thapa, the coordinator, and Elizabeth from America.

We reached Charikot at 3:30 PM; no one was staying inside the home. All the farms and playground were full of tents and we became part of it. On the way, the earth was cracked; landslides in multiple places, the buildings were demolished and people were under temporary shelters with hope and determined face though. I can feel them inside out. The day is not far away with peace and prosperity, their faces were saying. I could not cry rather I was determined to spread my strength to help them from my side though it is tiny help.

Next day early in the morning we moved for Shailung after coordinating with CDO. We did not know where Shailung VDC is and the road was unknown to us. Our leader was coordinating with local leaders there in Shailung. We drived down to  Nayapul  on the bank of Tamakoshi river where the bazaar was devastated by fires due to earthquake. We ascended up towards Shailung asking some passersby. The road was full of mud ridges and it was challenging to move forward. We did push our jeep on multiple sites putting gravels and some bushes to increase friction but it did not work at the last in Zero kilo that is two hours before reaching Shailung. The local leader sent us a truck that carried us to Shailung and it was adventurous standing behind on trolley and jolting every single minute along the off-road.

 Finally we reached Bhainse, Shailung VDC and every one of us has glow and smile on their face. We are saying, yes we accomplished our journey. All people are outside the demolished houses. When I moved my eyes around 360°, nothing could be seen except for demolished houses, landslides crumbled roads.

Though local people were asking us for meal to take but we decided to distribute relief materials. Friends did it and distribution was well coordinated and we must thank those local leaders who made it happen smoothly. It was for ward no. 3 where most of the people were dalit. After meal we conducted 4 hour health camp till 7PM. Next morning we conducted health camp from 7 to 10 AM. Some of our friends went to distribute relief materials in next ward.

We’d like to thank the local leaders who coordinated very well, health post staff, army personnel and local people.

The grandma

Sanimaya, 61 years old grandma, from Chakoti village was buried under her collapsed house while saving her grandchildren. Her house that suffered from heavy cracks in first earthquake attack got collapsed in second one; epicenter was nearby Kodari, Sindhupalchowk.

She uttered that she was with her grand children after having meal. Though she could not run away as the earth shook hard she just threw her two grandchildren onto corn farm; luckily they did not have any trauma. After the moment she tried to lift herself up but could not, she realized she was severed by stone block that fell on her right leg; strong she crawled away from collapsed house with her injured, bent leg. She was later rescued by her sons and her leg was splinted with local materials.

Some local leaders mentioned that helicopter was coming to uplift people alike; unfortunately she could not reach to helicopter as it left before she could reach it. She waited and waited bearing pain but no other helicopter came to fetch her. On 7^th day aftermath, hopeful she, full of spirit to live, came to us when we were at Budepa, Sindhupalchok.

As we examined, her right leg was deformed and with open wound and blisters but the distal neurovascular bundle was intact, which leaves the hope of being reconstructed. The wound washed and dressing done; splinted with back slab above knee by the team. She has been referred to the Trauma Center, Kathmandu….

Near Dead Lady and Nepal Bandh

                                    

Yesterday in the evening, I was with my friends in Okhaldhunga chatting about Nepal’s current political scenario and the insignificance of Nepal Bandh. Nepal Bandh is people’s unwanted theme but still the political leaders launching this in the name of people for the sake of people. It is becoming as if it is the essential part of our 12 month calendar in a year. It is raising false perception that it is our essential one by putting on us the Goebbels’s theory.  I don’t know when will we get rid of it?

I got call from hospital to support on call doctor. I just reached hospital in no time. This was a 19 year young lady who delivered her baby in her home and now in hypovolemic shock secondary to placenta retained in her womb and the womb was not contracted since placenta inside the womb. Literally she was in near death condition. She was in OT table intubated by anesthesia assistant and on call doctor had been trying to remove placenta. I was called for anesthesia support. While observing her vitals and anesthesia support, she suddenly went in asystole (heart not pumping). It is just like the time was paused meanwhile and everybody was shocked what happened to her. I started chest compression and asked anesthesia DD to load adrenaline and give 1 mg intravenous stat. she did it quickly. After 2 minutes CPR, her heart started pumping blood. Blood Pressure came to normal range and but pulse rate was 220bpm suggestive of supraventricular tachycardia so I asked anesthesia DD to load verapamil she gave it slowly meanwhile I was doing unilateral carotid sinus massage .The pulse rate came down gradually in normal range. By this time she had already received 3 pints of blood. The Placenta also delivered and the womb already started contracted and bleeding stopped dramatically. The paused time again started to beat normally and we realized by then that we were in real time.

Today in morning round, her hematocrit was 22 and this is encouraging for stable patient.

‘How are you?’

She smiled,’ I am ok doctor.’

‘This is your second life.’

‘Yeah I know doctor, I am born again.’

She started to take usual meal. She received 1 more pint of blood.

She was brought here in Okhaldhunga Community Hospital 12 hours after baby delivery and placenta retained in her womb and was bleeding from birth canal. We can imagine how much blood she lost during this period. She was paper white with loss of consciousness. She was just 1 hour far from here on vehicle. Because of Nepal Bandh, she was delayed to seek essential health service here and she waited 11 more hours to receive the service. Had she been brought in time, she would not have been remained amidst the life and death situation.

Every moment is critical in everyone’s life; nobody knows when the crucial period for life and death situation is. While writing this, how many patients were deprived of getting emergency treatment and lost their lives. Please do not snatch the right of people to seek their essential health service by launching Nepal Bandh in the name of people.