Farewell to My Brave Patient

Yesterday Doris died after 14 days in the ETC.  By report she started having bloody diarrhea.  The night before she had been hearing voices and reported that she saw four of her dead relatives; her mother, grandmother, aunt and cousin, calling for her, like an eerie premonition.  Looking back I often wonder what we could have done differently here to stop the natural course of the Ebola infection.  Doris came in looking perfectly well, without a fever but had contact with her mother who died of Ebola.  About three to four days later she started having the retching, abdominal pain, and diarrhea when we started her on antibiotics, vigorous hydration, and replenishment of potassium.  She followed with rash and sore throat, loss of appetite, weakness. A day or two before she died she developed respiratory distress with pedal edema, IV fluid was decreased. Other than a little nasal crusting of blood she did not show signs of hemorrhaging until shortly before she died.   I think we did all we could to save her life but failed.  All the while this brave young lady kept on saying she was fine!

I was at St. John.  I would have liked to attend her burial to bid my last farewell to this brave young lady.