Read In the Midst of Life for Free Online

brought Mrs Ratski home. Her daughter-in-law, Karen, watched with dismay as the driver helped the old lady out of the car, up the garden path and into the sitting room. She went straight to the sofa, muttering to herself, and pulling her shawls round her shoulders.
    The district nurse arrived, kindly and helpful.
    ‘Where is she going to sleep?’ she enquired.
    ‘I don’t know. She slept on the sofa before.’
    ‘She can’t do that now – this sofa is not suitable. I can arrange to have a bed sent from the social services. It’s wonderful what this new National Health Service can provide, isn’t it? I’ll go now, and come back this afternoon.’
    A hospital-style bed arrived and the men put it up; the sofa wasput in the garden shed. Karen watched the whole proceedings, and bit her lip. Her nice sitting room was ruined.
    The district nurse returned in the afternoon.
    ‘I’ve got sheets and pillowcases, and cotton blankets that can easily be washed, and all free from the NHS. Isn’t it wonderful?’
    Karen was not so enthusiastic. Washing blankets was not something she had anticipated.
    Mrs Ratski sat on the edge of the bed looking uneasy, and still muttering.
    ‘I don’t know what you are saying, dearie, but let’s get these clothes off you, and into bed, shall we?’ The nurse turned to Karen. ‘I’ve got to show you how to clean a colostomy.’
    ‘What’s a colostomy?’
    ‘Oh, dear. Didn’t anyone tell you she’s got a colostomy? Well, briefly, the rectum has had to be sealed, and the colon is opened on to the skin surface and the body’s waste product goes into a bag. I’ve brought a supply of colostomy bags with me to leave with you.’
    Karen didn’t fully understand until she saw her mother-in-law’s abdomen. Two huge and angry-looking scars ran the length of the wrinkly old skin, and on the left hand side a pink, protruding thing burst on to the surface. It was covered with a plastic bag containing brown liquid and had sticky stuff around the edges. Mrs Ratski looked at her abdomen, and poked the bag, and tried to pull it off.
    ‘No dear, don’t touch.’ The nurse pulled her hand away. ‘She’s been doing this all the time in the hospital, they tell me. They can’t get her to understand that the bag has to be left in place. Have you seen one of these before?’
    No, and I can’t bear it! I just can’t bear it. I think I am going to be sick.’
    ‘You’ll get used to it, dear. The first sight is always the worst. The bag has to be changed when it gets full. It’s not so difficult when you get used to it. And anyway, I’ll be coming in morning and evening to help you.’
    The nurse pulled the bag off and wrapped it and its contentsin gamgee paper tissue. The huge pink thing, raised from the surrounding skin, looked like a sea anemone attached to a rock, thought Karen, as she watched rigid with horror and disgust.
    ‘It is important to clean the area carefully, otherwise the skin can get very sore,’ said the nurse helpfully. ‘Watch me.’
    Deftly she cleaned around the colostomy with sterile water and applied zinc cream. ‘I’ll leave this with you,’ she said.
    ‘I can’t do that!’ said Karen in horror.
    ‘I think you will have to, dear. Usually a patient learns to do it herself. But from what I have read in the patient’s notes, I doubt if your mother-in-law will ever be able to.’
    ‘I can’t, I know I can’t,’ said Karen plaintively.
    ‘Well, perhaps I can come in at lunchtime to help you out for the first few weeks.’
    ‘Few weeks!’ Karen was alarmed. ‘How long will this go on for?’
    ‘I can’t say, dear. No one can. But she will have the colostomy for the rest of her life. Now, we must talk about other things. What is she going to do when she needs a wee? She can’t get upstairs. What did she do before?’
    ‘She went in the garden.’
    ‘Oh, so you’ve got an outside lavatory. That’s useful.’
    ‘No, we haven’t. She went behind the