Came to work on Sunday last to find out that Jerome had a slip the night before; at about 8PM. I was surprised to hear about it so late, sense I am supposed to be notified immediately if such an occurrence happens. So I figured that since it was a turned ankle, the nurse assistant on duty did not think it serious or in need of consideration. His left ankle was swollen and painful to the touch. My fear was that it could be a fracture. Of course it was a Sunday, so no doctors where available, also his family was visiting him. I hated to send him to the ER; it would ruin his last day with his family. Since he was in bed, and there was no pain in the position he was lying in, I decided to wait until Monday to look into it. So we iced it up, twenty minutes on, an hour off, for the day and waited until Monday.
On Monday, after consulting with the Rose our RN, it was decided to send him into the ER, to go to a doctor’s office would be extremely inconvenient for Jerome since he can’t stand, and to move him around from one table to another at the doctors would put not only him in jeopardy but also those moving him. He is overweight, and not strong enough to give much help in the process of moving him.
While in the ER, I noticed a young man next to us in Green 1, who seemed to be in a great deal of pain. I asked him how he was doing, and he told me that for the past 14 years he has had some severe problems with his pancreas, and flare ups were very painful for him. I told him I was sorry, and hoped that he would be able to go back home, that it was not too serious. As I was sitting with Jerome, I could hear his moaning, his calling the nurse for pain relief and the nurse telling him that the doctor has been notified, so please try to be patient. With Jerome I felt good that I could do something for him, which would in the end relieve some of his suffering, while for this man there nothing I could do. Well I did pray, but on a practical level, I was helpless. As I get older, it still bothers me that I can’t do more in certain situations, but I am learning to live with it. The good news is that he was able to go home, that his flare up was not serious, and they were at last able to give him some pain medicine.
Jerome had good news also; he had a bad sprain, but no fracture in his ankle or foot area. So he is back home and we have to use the lift to get him in and out of bed, also for bathroom breaks, but he works with us so it is not much of a problem. We also give his ankle a Epson wrap two times a day, which he says helps.
Yesterday, Tom started to get sick; it looks like he caught a bad cold, one that is going around; very nasty. He did not have a temperature, but I gave him some Tylenol anyway to forestall any sudden jump in temperature and also discomfort. He is also heavy, and he was starting to have some serous congestion. So I put him on 2 liter’s of oxygen, and give him some Tussin DM to help him to expectorate any mucus build up in his lungs, also forced liquids, not too much but every hour tried to give him something to drink. After I got that squared away I called his doctor’s office, and they called in an antibiotic for him; he has been through this many times, so the doctor likes to start meds as soon as possible. So in circumstances like this, I am happy that I can do some little thing to help those in need.
I don’t believe in coming back to live another life, but if it does happen, and I get a choice, I would love to come back as a doctor, a healer, someone who could make a difference in more lives than is possible for me to do now. I can’t think of anything more important than the alleviation of suffering in others, to try to make less the pain of the world already overburdened.
Br. Mark Dohle, OCSO
Holy Spirit Monastery
