Hospital Diaries : apraxia

So I saw a young man today who presented to the hospital following a motor vehicle accident. He could not speak following his accident, and doesn't seem to be comprehending much either. He could vocalize, but couldn't speak spontaneously. He could repeat the word "pen", but couldn't identify a pen. When asked to smile, he would simply repeat "smile smile smile", for he does not understand the commands. It was devastating if you imagine your soul being trapped inside a body, in which you are not sure what to do with. All your previous memories essential to your survival was wiped out, ie he would not be able to use any tools presented. This is what they call ideomotor apraxia.

I dozed off while writing this yesterday, and here is an update : the patient was able to hold a pen and use it to write a word (that doesn't make sense), but was unable to write a full sentence, still could not name a pen, but is able to talk now. I am so happy for him, and I hope he will be back to his functional state soon :)

At times when you question yourself if this journey is worthy of all the sacrifices that you make, having witnessed such miracles would convince you that this is the right path. Now just keep going :)

Shit pies ! :)

I guess work is the only way that can maintain my sanity at this moment. I can't explain what is going on in my life right now, but I know this is not the end of the journey. I  believe that everything happens for a reason, and if life throws shit at you, just make them awesome shit pies.

Hospital diaries : Multiple sclerosis

Knock knock. An old man pushing a young man bound to a wheelchair entered the room. The first thing I noted was a bag for containing urine hanging out of the man's legs. It was a follow up session for this young gentleman with multiple sclerosis, who had been diagnosed at age of 22, but the specific variant of multiple sclerosis that he had was a bad one and the disease progressed beyond its control. It is called tumefactive multiple sclerosis. 

It is the first time I saw a male patient with multiple sclerosis, as they are more common amongst females. To my surprise, it is 1 out of the 3 cases that they saw in the hospital. How lucky I am. This gentleman had a suprapubic catheter placed because he had developed a fistula (meaning a connection between his bladder and his bowel), and couldn't urinate through the normal route (ie. the urethra). He also developed a sacral sore which I am guessing from the pressure sores from having been wheelchair bound for the past few years. As a result of his sacral sore, he had to have a stoma inserted in his bowel for feces elimination. He spent his past year in ICU undergoing all sorts of operation to get his catheter and stoma in place. 

The thoughts that came into my mind was : I couldn't imagine what sort of life I would be living if I couldn't walk, couldn't talk, couldn't urinate / defecate and had to rely on other people for the rest of my life. I salute the father as well, for he appeared cheerful, and was constantly reassuring his son throughout the interview. I am not that brave to be able to dwell through whatever that the gentleman is facing, and I laughed at things that I usually fret about / worry about. What are my problems compared to theirs anyway?