LIFE - COLORES INFINITUM (8)
I could photograph her this morning standing on her own, something that I was looking forward to after her knee-cap replacement surgery in March but certainly not in the condition she was in.
Even then her courage was exemplary, something I thought to capture when she said she could sit in the car from the wheelchair on her own. Though not fully successful in her attempt, she was able to stand on her own taking help of wheelchair and car and could walk those four-steps, a big leap from her position last Monday (June 4).
After leaving the hospital in early April, she was progressing well with regular physiotherapy session and was expected to walk on her own by July-August.
Doctor Pradeep Sharma, who performed the surgery, was so impressed by the outcome of this 76-year old lady’s case that he asked his junior to prepare a portfolio sort of thing for Mrs. Mehta’s case.
And then it happened that has derailed her post-operative recovery. Initially, she was having fever (around May 20 onward). She took some medicines on recommendation of a doctor visiting the old-age home she was in. The fever persisted and the doctor increased the dose with antibiotics not knowing the real cause.
An infection was developing in her knee area that was causing the fever. By the time, I came to know about it, the infection was oozing with puss. We tried to contact Dr. Pradeep Sharma but he was out of India
We decided I would take Mrs. Mehta to the Holy Family hospital on Monday (June 4). By the time, Dr. Sharma would be back. Also, it would meet the prerequisite of not taking antibiotics for the culture sensitivity test.
The Monday morning (June 4), I spoke to Dr. Sharma. He was surprised at this development. Even while being a doctor, he said he couldn’t understand what was this with Mrs. Mehta – bad time or bad planets? According to him, after such a brilliant response, this infection was unexpected, and could render Mrs. Mehta’s knee lifeless for whole of the life. He also said that doctors were blamed as culprits in such cases. But I know Dr. Sharma that much that he cannot be said culprit in the case. He has gone out of the way to help Mrs. Mehta walk again and so the Holy Family hospital.
I was deeply worried but this thing that her knee could be lifeless for the whole life came as a shocker. He was worried and that left me speechless. Now the next thing was to get the infection diagnosed to know the real situation.
Thus began the Monday, a hectic day. Blood, puss and other clinical pathological tests were done. Blood reports were almost normal. Puss culture report was to be available by Friday (June 8). X-ray and physical examination of the knee-cap area confirmed that the infection, though still superficial, was moving inward. So the situation was grave but there was a chance, too.
Dr. Sharma wrote a prescription of high-potency medicines to tackle the situation coupled with daily dressings, intravenous injections twice a day and ice-pads. It was to be for a week. He didn’t prefer hospitalization as the situation could be easily managed at her place by calling-in some nurse daily. But he said he needed to see her every Monday for some weeks.
Thankfully, the treatment looks to work. Every weekday since last Monday saw her infection going down. Though it was a tough week of heavy medicine regime, the puss and fever are gone now. And she was feeling more confident this morning.
But as the doctor says we need to be extra careful as this infection was ‘an out of the blue’ development, and she still needs some time before coming back the physiotherapy sessions, we need to go along cautiously. The intravenous injections are not needed anymore. But culture sensitivity report stresses the need for strong antibiotics. This time, a medicine treatment regime of two weeks has to be worked out. The doctor is hopeful now that this particular problem might be cured by thee-four weeks. But that delays the prospects of Mrs. Mehta walking again by another two-three months.
But I know she is courageous enough to do it. She is going to walk on her own.
©/IPR: Santosh Chaubey - http://severallyalone.blogspot.com/
