Guilty pleasures

Chapter 20. Jacobs procedure

Jacob was still asleep when Sarah visited him. It was still too early. He was always a late riser. She looked at his arms. They where both bandaged with a cotton wool like dressing from his palm all the way to his elbow. She could not see what his wounds looked like but she assumed it was raw and painful. His left arm was suspended in the air above his head by a sling. His knuckles were still stained with his blood. The swelling in his fingers had gone down which was a relief.

Since both his arms where operated on, his foot had a jelco inserted with an iv line attached. She could see the sodium chloride 0.9% bag attached to his line on a drip stand next to his bedside. It was infused with a xefo 4mg for pain. She picked up his chart at the end of his bed on his table and flipped through it reading the notes. The doctors hand writing looked like scribbles. After years of working in the pharmacy and studying pharmacy as well via the hospital, Sarah coukd read his notes clearly. Jacob was receiving every pain killers via iv. There was nothing prescribed to be taken orally. Cyclimorph, Perfalgan and xefo four hours apart was Dr Blakes orders. Sarah understood the intensity of his pain by just reading his medication chart. She flipped through until she found his theatre chart. It read, debridement to both arms and saline wash out. The next line was written clearly, infection severe, flesh eating bacteria, all infected flesh removed. Dressing with Actisorb silver dressing and a conforming bandage from palm to elbow. Next visit patient to be prepped for saline washout and skin graft and staples. To my knowledge debridement meant cutting. They had cut away the infected flesh from his arms.She could only imagine the pain he was in. A small cut on the finger was so painful, to have you arms being cut would be super painful. And a saline wash out. OH MY GOSH. Adding salt water to your wounds. The thought of everything that he went through left a shiver down her spine. She had goosebumps just by visualising the pricedure. Her heart cried for him. She closed his file and left it on his table. Her hands were trembling so much, she almost dropped his file onto the floor. She had good reflexes and tightened her grip before it dropped from her palms.

Sarah kissed his forehead and his eyes fluttered open. He smiled weakly. He was still drowsy from the sedatives. He mumbled to Sarah to go get bed rest.

Sarah said a small prayer and left Jacob to recover. She went back to the ward. It was on the second floor. Jacob was on the fourth floor. Sarah took the elevator. She didnt want to be on her feet too long. It took a toll on her womb.

She always knew that they would have hurdles. Maybe they were cursed to live a pained and troubled life. Was this their destiny.