Written by Deborah Jordaan
Good day to all the beautiful people that follow our blog. Hope the universe is blessing you. Today I am going to tell a story of an amputee. I did write about his experience a while back where he had an operation to have his foot removed due to diabetes. Today, I will continue his experience till thus far.
After the first amputation Urban was at home for a few months waiting for his next operation to formalise – close the foot so it could grow closed where the wound was. He went back to the hospital in January but it was not a pleasant experience.
First of all, they never prepared him for what he was to see after the operation, they had removed more of his leg till, under the knee, he was devastated. His experience in the hospital wasn’t pleasant either. With it being a public hospital the conditions were dire at times. They didnt have clean linen so he had dirty linen and they had stolen his wheelchair when he was in ICU after his operation. He was happy with the nursing staff as they tried to assist him the best they could but after seventeen days and no explanation as to why they were keeping him he signed himself out.
It’s been really hard on me as his girlfriend and caregiver because he gets more depressed and frustrated by the day. When his stitches were removed the wound tore open so I have to attend to the wound more vigilantly because it is a gaping wound. With the help of my fellow nurses at my local clinic, he is doing well. They assist me with the wound and medication. I can’t be more thankful.
I find he is more emotional this time, the reality of the situation has become real to him now. I try my best to keep him occupied and I still have to keep myself sane at the same time. If his family and children were more interactive with him it wouldn`t be so difficult for him to face every day.
Being a man of great intellectual capacity he tries to keep himself strong but some days it isn`t easy. I am the only one around him twenty-four hours a day so when he needs to vent his emotions I am the lucky recipient. Though he does apologise after his outburst, I must understand he must get his feelings out.
The unfortunate thing is I also need to vent my feelings so I share my thoughts with my friends at the clinic or I speak to the doctor.
Its nice to know I have my support system as my friends and family cant always understand but they do try to listen. The frustrating thing is he is not used to a wheelchair and tries to do normal activities and falls out of the wheelchair if I turn my back for a few minutes.
The way forward is not going to be an easy road but with our patience and perseverance, we should be able to cope. We are grateful that we do have a great support system with the few people that still care enough.
We have made wonderful new friends that are also paraplegics. Will keep you updated as we go forward.
Be blessed and stay safe.