The Rituals of Love

Written by the professor of the pediatric department, on the experience of his own, hospitalization for a major surgery, off of the Newspapers, translated…

When I was thirty-three, I had a major operation. The sound of the ventilators buzzing rhythmically was the sound I’d awaken to out of my comatose, that was, the most, beautiful sound I’d, ever, heard.

I sensed that someone was moving around me, someone coughing in the distance.  Also, I’d heard the pop of a bottle cap, felt thirsty.  I’d, fallen asleep, waken up, the process of becoming completely alert out of the comatose, was, by stages.  A lot of “voices” had, helped me “settle down”, gave me that sense of, comfort.

I seemed to have caught a man in a white coat standing by my bed, focused on reading my records.  I’d tried to speak but no sound came.  The doctor saw my lips moving, tried soothing me, “you are still intubated.  Slowly now, don’t hurry yourself, I will be with you, every step of the way!”

I was still in a daze, a lot of people looked like, shadows, surrounding my ventilator.  Sometimes, they’d, taken me off of the ventilator, placed the oxygen mask on my face, but my lungs were functional, no air was, getting, in.

They’d rhythmically pumped a ball-shaped thing, forced oxygen into the mask on my face, then, placed the tube into my throat……….then, I’d heard the buzzing sound from the ventilators shortly afterwards.

I’d slowly come to, but I couldn’t speak with the tube in my throat.  As the nurse came towards me with another tube, I knew, it was time, to get the phlegm out of my lungs, I’d hurried to write, “do go easy” she’d smiled and lightly, nodded at my, requests.

how he was visited by his, surgeon after he had his surgery, like this…

photo from online

As things started to look better, I was successfully, off my breathing tune.  The doctor told me, “You can now, finally, speak.”, I got transferred out of the I.C.U., but as soon as the anesthesia wore off, my wound started hurting like crazy.  “Do you need more pain killers?”, the nurse asked, “if the meds aren’t strong enough, I can put a little more in”.  her angelic voice settled me a whole lot.

I will forever remember, when I got the feeding tubes in, the hand of the intern that was gentle, as he took my hand in his, how I’d, hurried to grab his hand with my other hand, like how I was, holding on to, dear, life.

One night, I was trapped in the nightmares, started sweating cold sweats, became completely, drenched, I’d not rung the bell, but as the nurse passed by my room she saw me, and came right in, wiped my body off, and changed my sheets, and changed me into a clean gown, this wasn’t her responsibilities.  That was the best night of my, stay.

And, this is the encounters of a physician who himself, was under treatment by surgeons, nurses, and the kindness shown to him was, memorable, and he will, take that to heart, and use the same gentle kindness to treat all of his own, patients that came to see him for treatment too.