Day 319, There but for the grace of god....

Day 319, Not that long ago I was unfortunate enough to be very sick. I was an inpatient in hospital for a prolonged period of time and it has had a lasting effect on me. Working at Mseleni has made me realise just how much of an effect it has had.

I have a 7 year old boy on my ward who was admitted on my birthday. He is an orphan who was living with his alcoholic grandmother and psychotic uncle and had been neglected for a while. He was quite malnourished and came in unable to walk or communicate. We were convinced he was HIV positive but tests proved otherwise.

A lumbar puncture revealed that he was suffering from meningitis cause by tuberculosis. Not that unusual in the grand scheme of things in this setting but his general demeanour was even more debilitated than I had seen. I have had adult patients who have succumbed to this but they have often been unwell for a long time and usually suffering from multiple ailments. When he wasn’t improving we organised for a CT scan several weeks into his treatment. It revealed that he had essentially had a stroke as a result of the infection.

The therapists have worked with him and he has managed to sit up with assistance and he manages to swallow his food now. Yet he is not going to walk again and his communication is limited to gestures and groans at present. We have contacted other members of his family and are slowly making them realise that he will go home not the boy they remember but one that will require constant care.

When I had the same condition I was horribly ill and bed ridden for 7 weeks. I cannot really remember the pain but the overwhelming memory is feeling feeble, like the strength had been sucked from my soul. Eventually, through what felt like a herculean effort, I managed to stand up, only to find that I could not see straight. The muscles in my eyes did not want to coordinate and I constantly saw double.

Getting meningitis has had a significant effect on my life since. Aside from leaving me with occasional double vision, it is not a stretch to think that had it not happened I may have never ended up in Mseleni. For my patient, his life has been permanently altered by it. I have been lucky enough to recover and continue on with my life and career, but I fear despite my best efforts he will never be able to do the same.

I don’t do what I do out of some sense of needing to make up for being fortunate enough to be in a position to make a difference. But every morning on the ward round he manages to high five me and for a brief moment I consider how it could easily have been so different.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmC3kpM3C_k