My War - Installment 42

The hospital layout was basically all on one level, with long interconnecting hallways joining the buildings. The long halls had trim that similar to a chair rail that ran along the walls, this trim was used by the blind to find their way around. There were many other interesting details about the hospital. I wondered how much was true. I do not remember the story well, but the information about the hospital made a lasting impression on me.

Being alone in the room was nice, there was little to do other than watch TV, so that was what I did and how I spent my first weekend back in the States. Monday would come soon enough and with it another move, the one coming up would be to my final resting place, hospital resting place that is.

We arrived at Valley Forge on a Monday afternoon. The hospital was the military installation, there was no Army Post or any thing like Fort Dix, the hospital was the installation, in its entirety. I never really got to see the outside of the hospital that day, other than the entrance to admissions. I was taken to admissions, and after being processed, I was rolled to Ward 3AB. Just as in the Valley Forge Hospital movie, there were the tremendously long halls connecting what looked like two story buildings. As I was pushed along I could see that even the two story sections, at least some of them, perhaps all, had long ramps to the second floor levels.

I arrived at 3AB and quickly glanced around from my vantage point. The wards took up the entire space of one of the two story buildings. Two wards were on the first floor and two on the second floor. The hall ways bisected the buildings so that there was a ward on either side. The nurses’ station covered both wards; it was located on one side of the building, like space on the other side was set up as a cast room. I was moved onto the “A" ward and pushed down a hall past a number of small private rooms, each room displaying the name of its officer tenant. All the rooms were full so I assumed that I would not rate getting one of them. I was moved into the open ward area which was divided into sections, with four beds per section.

I was placed on a bed in the last section on the left side of the ward. There was a frame on the bed. Surely I was not going back into traction, I thought. I was placed there in the bed and then left wondering what was to happen next. There was nothing first class about this place. It was clean and nice in a way, but it was definitely old. Institutional green walls, old cast iron radiators putting out too much heat, double hung sash windows all stuck shut, nothing very impressive.

The center area at that end of the ward was set up like a day room. There were tables and chairs and they were all full. Men sat in chairs and wheel chairs around tables playing cards. They paid little attention to my arrival, continuing the play of the games. Here was another new place to get use to, new people to meet and try and get to know. I had to start all over again, and these guys did not appear to be all that friendly. Probably a misconception, I thought. I decided to take a nap.

When I woke up that afternoon I was greeted by some new doctors, new to me, Jim Sargent, Rick Sullivan and Major Gunderson, all orthopedic specialists, but then this was an orthopedic ward.

They informed me that I would be removed from my cast and would be placed in a Thomas splint, the same type as when I was in traction, but there would be no traction weights. I would spend at least a week in the splint, in bed, and then some more x-rays would be taken. Some were taken later that afternoon, so that they would have a record for reference. My x-rays from Japan had not arrived with my other records.

After the doctors left I practiced my self hypnosis to pass the time. I had my mind set on not waiting the full year to be walking again. The other aches and pains were hanging on, like my lower back and almost every joint in my body, but then I just figured that my whole body had been through a great deal of trauma, I hoped that all the other aches would pass with time.

The food at Valley Forge General Hospital was pretty good, even if the accommodations were a bit shabby. I was told by some of the ambulatory patients that the food in the mess hall was even better than what was served on the wards. In the mess hall there were choices and as much as you wanted to eat. There was also whole milk, chocolate milk, tea, coffee, and usually some other beverages. I wasn't sure if they were telling me all that to torture me or just to inform me. No matter, it was all something for me to look forward to.

I slept uneasily that night, probably too much rest during the day. It was some time after breakfast when the boys from the cast room came to remove my cast. Within a short space of time I was in my Thomas splint and able to bend at the waist again. With my torsional freedom came the loss of vehicular mobility, that being gurney riding, but I figured the doctors knew best.

I inquired about the use of a telephone, and found out that I would be able to make one free call from my bed, via a portable telephone. I made arrangements to call home later that day. I planned on telling my folks that I was at Valley Forge General Hospital in Phoenixville and would ask them to relay a message to Emily. When I did talk to them they told me they would come down to see me in a few days, most likely on Saturday.

A few of my fellow patients on the ward came by and introduced themselves to me, before the morning card game, but didn't stay long. I could appreciate that. They already had their friends and I made them a bit uncomfortable after they found out that I was an officer, time would tell.

I was unable to see very far in the ward, but I could see that there were a variety of orthopedic problems. One of the fellows I had met had drop foot, a problem which I didn't quite understand. He said that his wound had left him unable to raise his foot so he was undergoing a series of corrective surgical procedures. He told me that there were a variety of patients on the ward. There were patients that had under gone arm amputations, and leg amputations, there were head injuries, broken bones to include necks, joints that were mangled, broken backs and on and on. I would get to meet them all in time, and hopefully get to know them, or at least some of them.
There were about thirty two men on the ward. I had counted, on my trip through the ward, four beds per cubicle and there were either four or five cubicles per side of the ward, that part I was not too sure of. So by my count, it looked like there was between thirty two to forty beds on each ward. That was not counting the officers rooms, which were all occupied. I wondered how many wards there were and how many patients were at the hospital. I guess it really didn't matter how many there were.

I needed someone to talk to, somebody to say something, anything....a positive remark....a nasty jib, anything; anything at all. Being in bed was getting to me. Especially since I could lay there and watch the other men doing things. It was not so bad in Japan where everybody on the ward was stuck in bed. If I could go visit some of the officers, develop a bit of camaraderie with...I decided I'd better stop feeling sorry for myself, there were plenty of other men there that were worse off than I was.

My parents came to visit me that first Saturday, they even brought Emily with them, which I thought was very nice....seeing that they didn't know her from a hill of beans. I had been snoozing quietly; they had passed me by a few times not recognizing me. I found it hard to believe that I was that beat up or different looking, but then I had not looked at myself that often, and then only when shaving and then in a small mirror, seeing only little parts of my face at a time. It must have been the mustache that I had been growing since entering the hospital. Originally I had the idea of growing a handlebar mustache, but had soon given it up, because it required far too much attention and care, not to mention that without mustache wax, every time I would wake up from a nap the ends would be in my mouth.

Emily, to my dismay, had cut her pretty, long, brown, hair. She still looked good though. It was great to see Dad and Mom. I could tell Dad felt out of place there in the hospital. Everyone, but Emily gave me a hug and a kiss. I remembered that she had decided to like me under some odd circumstances, to my way of thinking, which I was not too sure of.
"Sorry I can't get up and greet you all more formally, it sure is good to see you all."

Dad was not the only one that looked as if he felt out of place. Emily was doing a good job of looking uncomfortable herself, having been immersed into that pool of broken people. I took my camera and snapped a few pictures of my visitors for posterity, while showing off the camera. I knew I was home, seeing my folks, it had not been a big shuffle around the world, I'd been sent to the right place, I hugged Dad and Mom again, while Emily sat rigidly near the foot of the bed.

Dad and Mom chatted, telling me how business was and how my brother was getting ready to build a house on some acreage that Dad had in Susquehanna Township, outside of Harrisburg. Emily sat saying nothing. I could not believe that she knew what she was getting or had gotten herself into, with writing to someone that flirted so casually with death and disaster as often as I had. I really think she felt it a lark when she got the idea to write to and "fall in love" with me. I certainly was not convinced of her sincerity. Time again would tell.

My visitors didn’t stay very long. I think they all felt like fish out of water, especially with me stuck in bed like I was. I thanked them or coming to visit and gave Mom and Dad hugs and kissed each one. Emily just sat quietly at the foot of the bed and then waved a little good bye as the left.

With the new week new x-rays were to be taken. I had spent most of the previous week practicing self hypnosis and concentrating on reinforcing suggestions about healing my broken leg. My x-rays from the 249th General Hospital had come in so the doctors would have them for comparison. I had talked them into showing me all the snap shots, since I had not seen any of them while in Japan. I was looking forward to the doctors’ rounds and taking a look at the pictures.

The x-ray technician had come by at 0900 hours and was back with the new pix, to be put in my folder, before rounds would begin. Just before rounds would start, one of the staffers on the ward pushing a cart on which everybody's x-rays had been placed. I saw the cart being pushed onto the ward, so I was becoming anxious for the doctors to get to my bed. I wasn't sure why I was so excited, I just had a good feeling about that day.

The doctors had a portable, back-lighted, x-ray viewing arrangement. It was portable because they had placed the viewer on a gurney. It was pushed up along side of my bed. One of the doctors began placing the pictures in a progression along the two rows of clamps on the viewer. The first showed the break and the ragged ends of the femur, surrounded by innumerable bone fragments; another early view from a different angle showed that, although the ends were, what the doctors called aligned, the upper bone piece, from the hip down, seemed, to me, to be cocked at a very odd angle.

The later pictures showed a lump of calcification, lump is not right, an area of calcification, which showed that healing was progressing well, and that the bone ends were stabilized. The doctors seemed to think that very good progress had been made, far exceeding their expectations. One even commented that he did not understand how everything could be healing so quickly. I thought I knew, but then I was not about to verbalize my thoughts and feeling on the matter at that point in time.

"Well, it looks like we are going to have to put you back in a cast, Sam. A walking body cast called a spica cast. The cast will be just a modification of what you came here in. It will go from above your nipples and all the way down your left leg. Your right leg will be completely free, from the bend in the hip down."

"So, I'll be able to walk! Is that what you’re telling me?"

"Yes, with a little practice and a cane for balance you'll be able to move around quite well, I would think. You seem to have the desire, from what I've seen in notes in your records."

"When can I get the cast on?"

"This afternoon, is that soon enough."

"Sounds great, terrific, I can hardly wait!"

It is common practice, at least to my knowledge, for bed ridden patients to have certain kinds of a...maintenance care performed on a regular basis. Things like, being checked for bed sores, in those cases a lamb’s wool pad is to be issued to lay on. Another thing like having your feet inspected and washed and lotion rubbed into them is done periodically, this is done because layers of skin build up, I was told, on the feet and does not get sloughed off under normal usage. As the skin gets thicker it can become hard, dry and irritating. It must have been my lucky day or it may have been because I was going to be casted that afternoon.

A corpsman, a black fellow, very friendly to me since my arrival, had come to administer care to my feet, a normally enjoyable experience; that is, unless in a ticklish mood where I would find it hard to keep from laughing while this was going on. He began by greeting me, then he immediately moved to the foot of the bed and started to lather up a wash cloth to wash my feet, beginning with the one in the splint, which he was more careful with. After he finished one wash job he moved over to the other foot. He dried both feet and then got some lanolin enriched cream or lotion from his cart. He began to massage the stuff into my feet. That's when it began......

"Sir, you have lovely feet," as he tenderly stroked and caressed my toes with his hands.

I had just been laying there relaxing not paying very much attention; usually finding the process far more enjoyable when done by a female.

"What'd you say Sergeant?"

"You have such beautiful feet, Sir!"

"Uh huh, that's what I thought you said. What, exactly, is your problem Sergeant?"

"No problem, Sir. You just have s-u-c-h lovely feet." All the while he passionately kept rubbing and stroking and trying to get his body closer to my free foot.

This guy was either queer as a three dollar bill or he was just queer for feet. In any case I decided either way he was one queer bird that I wanted nothing to do with.

"Sergeant, I believe you better leave. This kind of behavior will not be tolerated by me, and if I'm made aware of actions like this, by you, again, to anyone I'll report it. Is this understood?"

He looked a bit shaken as he quickly gathered his paraphernalia and hurried off with out saying another word. I personally was glad to see him go.

It was some time after lunch when the boys from the cast room came to get me for my fitting. The walking style Spica or walking body cast, as I called it, was very much like the last one; the only difference being, no plaster on my right leg and therefore there was no cross bar going from leg to leg as there had been on the other casts. I did not know if the bar had been for added strength for the cast or just to be used as a handle for those persons stuck with manipulating me and the cast around.

I think it took longer for them to do the walking cast than it had taken for the previous cast that I had been awake for. It took them longer because the hip area, between the leg and body sections needed to be reinforced to withstand the pressures of walking. Then there was the foot pad and its reinforcing layers of plaster impregnated bandaging.

I was taken back to my bed to finish drying. As soon as drying would be completed, I'd be able to take it out for a spin. If the test drive went well, I would be able to go home for a weekend if I wanted too. I had planned to call home and get my Mother to buy a pair of pants for me that would be big enough to fit over my cast. There I was only a little over four months since my injuries and I was going to be up and walking around. I could hardly wait.

It seemed to take forever for the cast to dry. The normally cozy, moist, warmth of the plaster became pure aggravation. The plaster reached the cool clammy stage by the time supper was served. As I ate I wondered whether it would be possible for me to go to the mess hall in my new cast. Not being able to bend at the waist would certainly be limiting as far as the things that I would be able to do. I'd just have to wait and see. I would have to experiment and find out the limits for myself.