‘Winnie’ not her real name, a 56 old lady was admitted to our institution with broken legs following a tragic road accident. The right leg was severely crushed and needed amputation. Palliative care and counselling sessions were integrated as part of the management at the Rift Valley Provincial General Hospital- Nakuru.
First, she went through a below knee amputation surgery. There arose a complication that the stump did not heal well because of poor blood circulation therefore, the surgical team planned for another surgery leading to above knee amputation. “This situation is so tough for us as a family. We are going through one of the most trying moments in life,” said one of the family members. Winnie’s left leg was also badly injured. This required another surgical intervention to try and save it. Following the many surgical interventions, she was trained on how to use a wheelchair to aid her movement for six months and is now well recovered. The palliative care team provided holistic care including symptom control, psychological and spiritual counselling and rehabilitation.
Narrating to the counsellor she shared her devastations of not being able to provide for her family since she was the bread winner. At the time of discharge, her brother thanked the palliative care team. “Thank you for supporting my sister and the encouraging words you have been giving us” said Winnie’s brother. We are going home looking forward to get new experiences and challenges but with a strong will to overcome.