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“From falls?” I asked as I heard him finish pulling his pants on.
“From life,” he said with a chuckle. “People with spinal cord injuries lose almost half of their bone mass within a few years of their accident. By the time I was fifteen, I had only thirty percent bone mass, and the sports I played were proving it. After the second femur surgery, I decided it wasn’t worth it to keep playing. That’s when I switched to track and field since it was less contact than basketball. You can turn around.”
With a smile, I hung his towel on the rack for him, then walked out of the bathroom so he could follow. “I think you should just go to bed, Irving. You can start fresh tomorrow.”
He tipped his head in agreement. “I have to let Star out first, and then I will.”
“No, you’ll get into bed while I let Star out.”
“You don’t have to do that, Hazel,” he said with frustration.
“I don’t have to do anything, Irving, but I want to. It’s not a sign of weakness to occasionally accept help from someone. I’m sure you feel you’re always accepting help, but that’s not the case. You’re so independent that sometimes you push yourself too far.”
“Like today, you mean,” he said, stopping by his bed.
“That would be a good example,” I agreed, adding laughter at the end so he knew I was teasing. I let Star out the doggie door that led to his potty area and then returned to help Irving transfer into bed. His adjustable bed lowered to the floor, and he was ready to transfer over when I held his shoulder. “Use the board, Irving. Even if only for today. You have to be careful with that hand. Try not to hoist yourself until those stitches can do their job.”
“Fine,” he said with a sigh. After I grabbed it from the bathroom, I stepped back so he could position it correctly. Once he slid into bed, I lifted his legs onto the mattress and moved the board to rest across the chair so he had it if needed during the night.
He started to elevate his bed while I went to let Star in, but when I returned, he was lowering the bed again.
“What do you need?” I asked, stopping him from transferring into his chair. “I can get it.”
“It’s a bit embarrassing, so I’d rather do it.”
I paused and took a moment to look over the situation when it hit me. “You need a bag for your catheter. The hook is there, but there’s no bag. Where is it?”
“In the bathroom hanging near the toilet. That’s where I put it after I wash it out every morning.”
“Get your bed ready. I’ll grab it.” By the time I got back with it, he had his socks on and his bed situated. He lifted his shirt, pulled the capped catheter tube from his belt around his waist, and then attached it to the bag. Once it was done, he hung it on the hook by his bed and laid back.
“Thanks. It has to be gravity drained at night since I might not wake up if my bladder is full.”
“What happens if you don’t wake up?” I asked, leaning on the side of the bed.
“Best case is it leaks, and I have a mess to clean up. Worst case, my blood pressure increases and my body goes into autonomic dysreflexia.”
Autonomic dysreflexia was a common syndrome in patients with spinal cord injuries. Their blood pressure increases when the nervous system's automatic part is activated. My body would automatically fix the problem using my other nervous systems, but his can’t respond to any situation below his injury, so in layman’s term, his body goes haywire. That puts undue stress on his heart and can cause a heart attack and even death.
“It’s happened a few times, and it’s extremely unpleasant. Since I’ve had the catheter for so long, I know when to empty it throughout the day, but it’s safer when I live alone to use the free drain system in bed.”
“I agree with that assessment. Do you need anything else?”
“I’m good, thanks. I have a central remote for the lights. Is Star in his bed?”
When I checked the corner, the dog was already snoring. “He’s out,” I said with a chuckle.
“Good. Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning, Nurse Cane?”
“Don’t do that,” I said immediately, shaking my head. “That’s not what I’m doing here. I’m helping a friend who was injured by no fault of his own today and many years ago. There is room for kindness in the world, Irving.”
“So they say. I’m just not used to people helping because they want to and not because they have to.”
“Well, you can put me firmly in the want-to category, okay?”
“Noted,” he said with a smile. “I’ll try to be less of a disaster tomorrow so we can get some work done.”
“You’re not a disaster, Irving. You had a bad day. We all have them. We’re all human, no matter how we move around the earth. Let me offer up my first day in Bells Pass as an example.”
