An encounter with destiny
It was Friday evening 27th Nov 2009. Next day is Eid. People were in mood for returning home for weekend as well as for Eid festival. I was one of the people intending to rejoin my family on Eid occasion. I reached Sealdah around 5.45 pm.Sealdah rail station complex was not as crowded as I expected. I was walking lazily along with my friend Bashir to catch Bhagirathi Express scheduled for 6.25 pm departure. We still had more than half an hour in our hand. Suddenly few people rushed from behind and from right side and somehow I get pushed down to ground. Usually I can take reflex action whenever I fall or about to fall. But this time it was so sharp that I could not take any action. I even fall unconscious for few moment. Bashir and People around helped me to recover from ground. When I again got my crutches in place and ready to move forward I felt acute pain in my right leg. I thought of waiting few moments before proceeding again. But the pain was showing no sign of recession. I tried to get a feel and perhaps to rub off the dust from my jeans pant. Only then I realized something serious happened. Perhaps the right femur got broken. Bashir helped me to nearby railing to stand there for few minutes before we can decide what to do next.
I again tried to get a feel of my leg. This time I became certain it indeed broken into two pieces. Luckily it was my polio affected right leg. I informed my family and office colleague who gleefully wished Eid Mubarak few minutes back. I called my nephew Dicken who was waiting for me in Sealdah complex. Dicken went to call a cab but surprisingly he could not manage to get a cab. Bashir went and finally managed to get one. Getting into the cab was really painful. Now I already knew that leg is broken so pain increased – perhaps consciousness increased pain. The driver carefully drove us to city’s famous Apollo Gleneagles Hospital. To our surprise we found emergency section did not have any orthopedic doctor at that time and they also have first pay, then admission and after that medical care policy.
The admission process was slow. Anyway when they make an X-ray I could see the broken femur. Officially I got at least 207 bones. Then they make a temporary plaster on my leg as I may have to wait for my operation slot for at least one more day .They had to use knife to remove the jeans pant I was wearing.Though we booked a private cabin I got admitted in a twin shared cabin. I was finally got into my bed at around 10.30 pm. I was placed in bed no 478 to accompany another patient at bed number 479.
Night 1 - 27th Nov Friday:
The other patient peeped out of the screen separating the two beds. He did not ask me any question neither did I. The nurse and other staff were very helpful. They got me introduced to the basic things. The senior doctor gave me a visit late at night. After having food I tried to sleep. I discovered the room is too noisy for me .Patient at 479 was snoring, sound was coming from lobby. The light was enough to keep me off the sleeping zone. I was feeling frustrated. I discovered the room had another person – employed as aya (fulltime nurse) for my fellow patient. The lady (K. Kumari) was at 22 (I came to know about her age later from the conversion I overheard) and had a female child baby of age 3 at home. She had a love marriage. I also came came to know about relative monetary benefits of diamond work in Surat to ayagiri in Kolkata. She had sacrificed the lucrative jewelery career for love and marriage. She used to earn 7 thousand to 8 thousand as jewelry worker and as aya she managed to get only around 3 thousand. She was really fatigued and working for last five days uninterruptedly – 3 duty per day each of 8 hours. She perhaps fell asleep and near her patient’s bed. A rotating almost caught her sleeping with her patient.The 479 came defended her. At around 4 am just after I get off mild sleep I saw blood was coming into the saline tube as saline water finished .The aya stopped the saline tube and perhaps any further damage. I did not know that patient needs to keep track of saline status and inform nurse accordingly for change. The night passed eventless except I had to hear the all the heroics of neighbor patient from his conversation with his aya.
To be contd:
It was Friday evening 27th Nov 2009. Next day is Eid. People were in mood for returning home for weekend as well as for Eid festival. I was one of the people intending to rejoin my family on Eid occasion. I reached Sealdah around 5.45 pm.Sealdah rail station complex was not as crowded as I expected. I was walking lazily along with my friend Bashir to catch Bhagirathi Express scheduled for 6.25 pm departure. We still had more than half an hour in our hand. Suddenly few people rushed from behind and from right side and somehow I get pushed down to ground. Usually I can take reflex action whenever I fall or about to fall. But this time it was so sharp that I could not take any action. I even fall unconscious for few moment. Bashir and People around helped me to recover from ground. When I again got my crutches in place and ready to move forward I felt acute pain in my right leg. I thought of waiting few moments before proceeding again. But the pain was showing no sign of recession. I tried to get a feel and perhaps to rub off the dust from my jeans pant. Only then I realized something serious happened. Perhaps the right femur got broken. Bashir helped me to nearby railing to stand there for few minutes before we can decide what to do next.
I again tried to get a feel of my leg. This time I became certain it indeed broken into two pieces. Luckily it was my polio affected right leg. I informed my family and office colleague who gleefully wished Eid Mubarak few minutes back. I called my nephew Dicken who was waiting for me in Sealdah complex. Dicken went to call a cab but surprisingly he could not manage to get a cab. Bashir went and finally managed to get one. Getting into the cab was really painful. Now I already knew that leg is broken so pain increased – perhaps consciousness increased pain. The driver carefully drove us to city’s famous Apollo Gleneagles Hospital. To our surprise we found emergency section did not have any orthopedic doctor at that time and they also have first pay, then admission and after that medical care policy.
The admission process was slow. Anyway when they make an X-ray I could see the broken femur. Officially I got at least 207 bones. Then they make a temporary plaster on my leg as I may have to wait for my operation slot for at least one more day .They had to use knife to remove the jeans pant I was wearing.Though we booked a private cabin I got admitted in a twin shared cabin. I was finally got into my bed at around 10.30 pm. I was placed in bed no 478 to accompany another patient at bed number 479.
Night 1 - 27th Nov Friday:
The other patient peeped out of the screen separating the two beds. He did not ask me any question neither did I. The nurse and other staff were very helpful. They got me introduced to the basic things. The senior doctor gave me a visit late at night. After having food I tried to sleep. I discovered the room is too noisy for me .Patient at 479 was snoring, sound was coming from lobby. The light was enough to keep me off the sleeping zone. I was feeling frustrated. I discovered the room had another person – employed as aya (fulltime nurse) for my fellow patient. The lady (K. Kumari) was at 22 (I came to know about her age later from the conversion I overheard) and had a female child baby of age 3 at home. She had a love marriage. I also came came to know about relative monetary benefits of diamond work in Surat to ayagiri in Kolkata. She had sacrificed the lucrative jewelery career for love and marriage. She used to earn 7 thousand to 8 thousand as jewelry worker and as aya she managed to get only around 3 thousand. She was really fatigued and working for last five days uninterruptedly – 3 duty per day each of 8 hours. She perhaps fell asleep and near her patient’s bed. A rotating almost caught her sleeping with her patient.The 479 came defended her. At around 4 am just after I get off mild sleep I saw blood was coming into the saline tube as saline water finished .The aya stopped the saline tube and perhaps any further damage. I did not know that patient needs to keep track of saline status and inform nurse accordingly for change. The night passed eventless except I had to hear the all the heroics of neighbor patient from his conversation with his aya.
To be contd:
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