I Will Abide by Your Advice

CONQUEST OF DEATH 4

One afternoon, as usual, I was about to begin taking tuition to a batch of medical students. One of my students suddenly started talking,

“Sir, my uncle went out of town. There he developed fever and pain in the perineum. He consulted a local doctor. The doctor advised him to undergo an operation. My uncle came back and consulted his family doctor. The family doctor also advised him to undergo an operation. He got admitted into a hospital near his residence. The operation was not successful. He is worsening; his general condition is deteriorating, “she was narrating fervently.

“Worsening?,” I interrupted my student and said,

“This is perineal, perianal or ischiorectal abscess, I guess! After proper incision and drainage, and antibiotic cover, the patient should improve! If the drainage is inadequate, the operation can be revised to provide adequate drainage……" 

“Everything has been done, but instead of improving, he is worsening and deteriorating,” she started explaining to me, “the pain is incessant, the purulent discharge from the wound continues, the fever continues….. “

“Well, well! We have to change our diagnosis then!” I interrupted again!
 

“Yes! “she continued “They are also thinking on a similar note. Now he has developed chest congestion and he is breathless a bit. His chest x-ray and CT scans are done. Having viewed them, the doctors have advised him to go to a bigger, better equipped hospital. My uncle however is reluctant, very stubborn and refuses to leave the hospital. All relatives, friends, even his family doctor and his other doctor friends are trying to coax him to shift to a better hospital; but he refuses saying,

‘Whatever is going to happen, let it happen here itself!.....”

I interrupted again saying,

“But for want of proper care, what if something goes amiss??”

“That’s what…. “she sobbed and said,” we all point out to him, should not happen! We must make every attempt and avert a debacle! At any moment, my cousin brother will be here with all the reports .You view them and coax him, chide him if required, to get admitted to a better equipped hospital. Maybe, he will follow your advice.”

“I will, I will” said I in agreement.

    

 We began our tuition class. 

Her cousin brother arrived after a while with all the reports.

Viewing them I exclaimed, “The infection is spreading. He is developing ‘sepsis!’ Connect me to your uncle!”

She did.

“Uncle, I viewed your x-rays, CT Scans and laboratory reports. They are ominous! You come to a public hospital attached to a medical college. As you are approaching it, contact me, within minutes I shall be there!”

“I shall be guided by your advice,” he agreed to abide by my plan.

I examined him in the casualty department.

He was wan and pallid. His complexion was sallow, he had fever with rapid pulse, was breathless a bit (rather rapid than distressed breathing) and his B.P. was normal. He had abscess in the perineum which had already spread in the subcutaneous tissues up to the loin and deep to the muscle plane, the skin was dead at places and he had developed Fournier’s gangrene (infection in the dead skin of the scrotum).

His chest was congested, repeat x-ray of the chest showed haziness in the lung fields and bilateral pleural effusion (fluid in the lung coverings) i.e. ARDS! (a serious condition).

He was posted for an emergency surgery. The abscesses were drained, the pus sent for culture and antibiotic sensitivity test, the dead skin excised (removed) and appropriate antibiotics started.

He subsequently needed repeated excision of the dead skin, desloughing, (removal of the dead soft tissue) and drainage of the abscesses as and when required. He was not a known diabetic but due to this hyperstress, his blood sugar was raised to a level higher than the normal.

Because of repeated operations in the perineal region, he developed incontinence of stools.
These were the hindrances in the progress.

With proper management, he started showing signs of slow but steady progress. After a prolonged stay in the hospital, when his progress was satisfactory, he was discharged from the hospital.

That marked the end of an ordeal!

He required periodic dressings for his wounds. With proper aseptic precautions, his wounds healed. He became continent as well!! 

It turned out that he was professor and chief, Department of Computer Technology in a premier, prestigious engineering college.

He had undertaken a project of writing a textbook: ‘Object-Oriented Programming with C++’. His sudden, unforeseen, unexpected, precarious, serious illness had marred the project. His stay in the hospital and his recovery period had also been unexpectedly prolonged. He had therefore requested his colleagues to help him.

As soon as he recovered, he completed the manuscript. Soon the book was published. One day he came to my house. With a joy of satisfaction on his face, he presented the book to me. The field of computers was Greek and Latin to me. I still started browsing the book. After browsing a few pages of the book, I kept it aside.

I felt he was watching me very closely, for later he remarked that I should view the first few pages more closely.

I opened the book again. Inscribed on the third page were the following words:

                                               To

                                    Dr. Hemant Vinze

                               Poet, Teacher and Surgeon

A True Story in Real Life!!

A Drama in My Life!!