The Strike

I was expecting today to be really really hectic, and constantly running around trying to fill in for all the absent nurses but it wasn't half as bad as I thought it was going to be. There were a good few nurses on each floor so it wasn't much different from a normal day expect we had to be up earlier to help serve the food. We had an pleasant surprise too in the form of 3 volunteers from Uthombo (I think thats how you spell it!), one of whom I knew from England so that was really good. It was a shame I couldn't have spent more time with them because we had to work, but they had a volunteer who has been here before so knew their way around.
The morning was a bit uncomfortable though because there is a lady on the sixth floor who has a urine sac and cannot stand at all. I was going around the sixth floor with another volunteer, checking that the beds were made and she called us in and asked us to get a nurse. The other nurses were busy so we had to help her ourselves. She had deficated all over the bed and we had to clean her up, which is not easy because she is completely immobile. There was so much faeces and we had to use about 6 plastic bag things to clean it all up and I had to really get into all the crevices to clean her up as best I could. It wasn't a great job but it was the best I could do. She was so embarassed by it and started crying. She said that she didn't want to eat anymore because she didn't want this to keep happening. She kept thanking us and apologising. I told it her it wasn't necessary and was going to keep coming back to check she was eating. I felt really bad though, it was possible the grossest thing I've ever had to do to be honest. She said she never gets cleaned apart from when her children come to visit, the nurses tend to tell her to do it herself. Whether thats true or not I don't know, but thats what she said. Either way she was very distressed.
So after that I just helped out at the laundry for a while and also sat talking to Edward. He likes talking to us, but he's a bit deaf and he definately has some postraumatic stress issues. Not sure what's being done about that. Vincent says they are waiting to put him into a care home which is why he has been here so long. I think Edward has other ideas though. He keeps saying that as soon as his TB is cleared he is going to be a plumber again (what he did when he wasn't in the army). I don't question it, its not my place really. One thing I will say about Edward is that he is very open and honest. He admits that he got his illness from a prostitute and he doesn't mind talking about his illness. Some are a bit more cagey and say that they have TB rather than HIV. I feel so bad for him, he is SOOOOO bored here. He has a TV and radio, but he's the type of person that likes to be up doing something. But because of his mental problems there is very little I can do for him. I think I'm going to teach him how to play sudoku or some card games. He took me to the library earlier and asked me to choose him a book. There weren't many and I was desperately looking for one that wouldn't involve war or dead bodies, which was quite tough. But I think I found him an okay one. I don't think he'll read it, he hasn't got the concentration for it.
Anyway, will write again soon!

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