TALES OF THE HE NOCENT VIRGIN CALLED VIRGINIA Part II

By Uchenna Ezenwa Akujobi

OK, after they took mama out of the casualty unit to the reception area. I could still hear her screaming and calling on her God. I wiped my tears and closed my eyes and took a deep breath…”Dear Lord, if it is by only me, this poor girl dan die finish. But it is not by me and nothing is difficult for you Lord. Lord all I ask is that you use me as your instrument today, to the glory of your name …”

Student Nurse: “Dr.!! Dr.!!! Her systolic is 50mmHg, I can’t get the diastolic”
Head nurse: Shhhhh!
Everywhere was silent again.
Now I was distracted. I stretched my hands to check her pulse. I could barely feel it. I opened my eyes. Chie!! My poor little Virginia, she was so pale, lying lifeless before me. I touched her and she was becoming cold.

Any Doctor who has at least completed an internship can actually tell when someone is dead just by looking at them. Yeah of course You’d still examine your patient fully, battle and resuscitate; but finally person wey dan die dan die.

But there was a systolic BP, a faint pulse and most importantly a very big God. But still, my Virginia was looking very dead and if I didn’t know any better I’d be pulling out my pen torch to look at her beautiful pupils. So I gave student nurse a look. The message in my eyes was clear as crystal “If you interrupt me again, you will feel raw wrath, if na devil send u, tell him you’re not feeling fine”.

So I closed my eyes again and started afresh, I completed my prayer with thanksgiving.
Student nurse must’ve been wondering why I wasn’t running helter-skelter, she must’ve been wondering why I wasn’t freaking out…I could see fear in her eyes and I understood and appreciated her concern but I’ve learned from experience that this was the most important part of my work; The short prayer before anything else. I’ve learned the hard way that taking on some medical emergencies all by myself is a recipe for packing. 

I understand why surgeons always say a prayer before any procedure. It’s not beans something ooo.
When I opened my eyes I knew it was as good as done. But Devil na bastard sha, even when the battle is won he’d still put up a useless fight. Na him know sha, me I wasn’t gonna let my guard down.

Me: Oya nne set me a tray. I’d need an airway, two of all the sizes of IV cannulas you can get and get some normal saline drip. I’d need some ergometrine and call me the lab. I need at least 2 pints of blood, I was blabbing.
Head Nurse: Dr there are no veins here ooo I think they’re all gone.

Shebi una dey see devil korokoro.

Me: Ma but I didn’t ask you to look for veins for me na, where did they all go to, a night vigil?

Well since we’re all tryna be useful, set me a tray for femoral cannulation.

Student nurse was back, “Dr. there’s a problem. The lab said our blood bank is empty”.

Ghen ghen! which kind wahala be this?

Soon the lab scientist walked in “Dr they said you need blood”
Me: No my brother, I don’t need blood, I’ve a patient who needs blood.
He laughed.
“Well doc, we don’t have, our blood bank is dry. You know we’ve had a very busy week.
Me: Don’t worry my brother, I’d meet you in the lab so we can check together.
Lab Scientist: Check where now? We don’t have oo Doc.

I didn’t answer him again. He probably wanted to discharge me and go back to bed but we were going to find blood in that bank any which way.

True true no veins oo. Well what did I expect sef. I no even get time to waste dey find peripheral veins so… Before long I managed to cannulate her left femoral vein and we were rushing some fluids in. Then I went to the Lab to scatter the place for blood.
Lab Scientist: “Dr U, you no dey #HearWord”, as I ransacked the blood bank.
Me: Oya Oya Oya, call your donors, let them come.
Lab Scientist: Chief, you dey look time? Which donor wan come by this time?
Me: Oya come and bleed me.
Him: No na, you donated just last month (He opened his books and checked) next time we’re bleeding you is in a month’s time.
Me: See I need blood now!!! Sorry, my patient needs blood… And I’m going to get it, either you bleed me or I bleed you or I bleed myself but there must be a bleeding and there would be blood.
Lab Scientist: Doc I can’t bleed you, you know it.
Me: Oya call your madam, make I talk to her. I know it’s too early but I wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t desperate.
He called madam and unexpectedly she said “No way!!! no one is bleeding her donor twice in two months”.

We tried other options ooo. We gathered virtually everyone on Night shift to the lab for screening but for one reason or the other they were not eligible to donate. The Lab scientist himself donated about the same time I did. How I managed to convince them to take the blood from me was just a miracle. These lab scientists can be rock solid on what they know is right. Well, that one dey sha, nobody wan lose him license.
At this point Virginia was already in the procedure room. We had managed to clinically rule out an ectopic pregnancy well, Kind of, maybe I was just ahead of myself. I really hoped it wasn’t an ectopic though’.

Got something doing now, let’s wrap this story up, later, I need to go feed my ? ?.

DISCLAIMER

Any similarity with persons in the above story and any other person living, dead or in between is surely a coincidence.

#HearWord #HearWordSeries

Uchenna Ezenwa Akujobi studied Medicine and Surgery in the University of Port Harcourt. He is a stock trader, a practicing doctor; and writing happens to be one of many things he is very fond of. He is passionate about sharing authentic and useful health information with the public in forms that are very interesting, easy to read and relate to. When not relating with humans he spends time grooming and raising his dogs.

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