NUBRA-VALLEY
16.-21.10.2007
Report
from Miriam Steland and Tsering Dolker
Ladakh-Hilfe
was invited by NIRLAC to join some meetings with parents of disabled
children and disabled adults in Diskit- Nubra, Hostel. We planned
to go for the meeting and also see our patients, who get their home
visits regularly every 2 months.
NIRLAC
invited from Leh: Mrs. Naida, Special educator and Dolker and Miriam,
Ladakh-Hilfe. Joining us was Jennifer, an American ethnological student,
being on research for some social-medical subjects in Nubra and Leh.
She had some meetings in Disket-Hospital and also twice a week she
was working in Sonam-Norbu-Hospital in Leh. We took the jeep of Ladakh-Hilfe
with Tundup as our driver.
The fuel,
food and accommodation were sponsored by Spalzes, NIRLAC.
We had very nice and lovely accommodation at the house of Spalzes
family in Tirit.
Tuesday,
Oct. 16, 2007. We had a nice journey to Nubra and our first patient
on the way.
Dechen
Yountain, 22 years old women in Khardung village with tetra CP and
mental retardation. We brought her shoes and did some exercises for
standing and walking. She should train that more often now. Naida
made an assessment.
After
reaching Disket we had some meetings: at the hostel we met the headmaster
Phunchok Angchok. We also went to the hospital to tell some doctors
about the meeting. For the meeting, C.M.O was also invited but she
was already in Leh and she didn't know about the
assessment camp.
We met Mrs. Tsewang Dolma, the S.DM of Nubra Valley and she was also
invited.
But none of them appeared the next day.
Meeting
in Disket
WEDNESDAY,
17.10.07 at 11a.m, we went to the hostel in Disket.
After a while a few persons appeared and they started to talk a lot
about disabilities and the necessity to build some possibility for
the community to meet and to encourage each other. Also Spalzes offered
support from NIRLAC in any problem. They talked about the planned
new hostel in Chuchot.
Stanzin
Norchen, the 22years old daughter of the headmaster Mr. Phunchok Angchok
is supposed to come to Chuchot in near future to spend some weeks
for a trial. Stanzin Norchen got also some splint and shoes.
Stanzin
Gawa, a 19 year old boy who attended together with his father, is
happy in his Army school in Partapur. Both of them have Hemiplegia,
are already our patients and we gave them treatment.
Around
2 p.m. staff from Ladakh-Hilfe decided to go for some home visits
in Hunder and Diskit, because there was no need to stay anymore. Spalzes
and Naida decided to finish the meeting and to join us.
On
the way: Homevisits
So
we visited a large amount of patients:
Stanzin
Chozang, 5 year old boy in Ombey/Hunder. He had never been in hospital
or at a doctor, but for me it seems to be very important to go. He
just learned to walk and fortunately he is active, but he has big
problems in changing positions and just stands without leaning to
someone or the wall. The way he moves seems typical for a muscle-disease.
We spoke to the
mother and grandmother about that.
Jigmet
Lhamo, a 22 year old woman with spina bifida wants no treatment. She
is very interested in learning some handicraft, because she does a
lot of work in the household and is very skilful with her hands. Spalzes
invited her to Leh and tried to encourage her and her
mother to take this change of learning and meet some others at NIRLAC-office
in Leh.
Diskit
Angmo, a 8 year old girl with Hemiplegia, the team of Ladakh-Hilfe
had just visited not very long ago. She needs an operation at her
ankle to walk properly and some splint and shoes. They were advised
to go to Leh for surgery since last year, but the family is very poor
and they can not afford the journey and accommodation for the accompanying
family members. They need around 3.000 rupees. We would like to help
them!!!!
Our
little patients
THURSDAY,
18.10.07 the meeting was held in another village in Nubra, at Kyagar
village. Before we left, Spalzes asked us to see a new patient:
Rigzin
Angmo, a 40 years old woman from her village Tirit. She never saw
a doctor but she looks like she had Polio. We did some report, some
exercises and we gave her crutches. We did some training but it was
very difficult for her to walk upright.
After that, before we went to Kyagar, we
visited again 2 of our patients with the whole group:
Tundup
Gyaltso, 3 years old boy with CP was crying so desperate that we could
not see him. After a lot of efforts by mother, father, Dolker and
me we had to leave. We left some splints for standing training and
told them we'd come back later. Naida told the parents to expose him
that he gets used to strangers.
Tsering
Dorjay, 8 years old boy with Hemiplegia, was next. But he cried, hided
and at least begged his mother because he didn't want to get touched
at all. We did not want to force him and told the parents to do the
same. They told us he did not want to be called disabled and was hidden
in school because he is slow. His problem is psychological and he
needs support for
his self-confidence. Dolker spoke to him in his hiding place. Spalzes,
Naida and me spoke to the parents.
The meeting
at the school in Kyagar was very small again. There were 3 or 4 teachers
to talk to Naida and I made some tests and exercises with a girl who
was supposed to have problems with her hands. But in fact she has
problems with praxis and with speech and seems to be retarded.
After
a while Ladakh-Hilfe staff went to home visit again and saw:
Phuntsog
Dolma, a 38years old woman with CP-Athetosis who cannot speak or do
anything on her own. She lies on a bed in the garden, lots of flies
in her face and open mouth. Sometimes her mother takes her in the
wheelchair, but she never allowed someone to touch or
treat her daughter. We spoke to them, sang some songs for Phuntsog
and she smiled and laughed and was very happy to see us. She is able
to show her needs by moving the face and some sounds. Mother told
Dalai Lama invited them to come to his hostel in Dehradun.
Phuntsog wants to go, but mother is scared. We tried to encourage
the mother to go. Phuntsog got very excited and made very clear that
she wanted to come with us right now. It was hard to leave her...
Disket
Hostel
FRIDAY,
19.10.07 We splinted and Ladakh-Hilfe went to Panamik to see some
more home visit patients.
Jigmet
Dorjay, 20 years old boy with CP Athetosis can walk and do all ADL
on his own was happy to see us. We did some exercises. Mother told
us he wants to learn wood carving. We will tell NIRLAC.
Stanzin
Skaldar, 7 years old boy who has got bad contractures after he broke
his elbow and had a surgery last year. We did some manipulations and
exercises and would love to see him in Leh for a more extended treatment.
As it is, the elbow will stay as it is.
It
was a long journey to go to their villages and to come back, so the
day was long and exhausting.
SATURDAY,
20.10.07 we wanted to go home but to see some more patients on our
way.
Unexpected it become more. When we passed Sumur again, we where ask
to visit a man:
Tsering
Dorjay a 29 years old man with wife and children lay in bed with paralysis
of the down part of body after a fall 6 month ago. He is suffers enormous
pain in his legs but is able to move them a little. After falling
he spend 2 month in hospital in Leh without surgery. They told him,
there is no broken vertebrea. At that time he could not move at all.
Back in his village he is treated by an Amchi. Since than he starts
to move and is training with his brother. He has got an enormous pain
in any position and any time but no pain relieving medicine. Once
a day he gets out sitting in his wheelchair. We gave him some treatment,
showed some exercises and told about pressure sources and sensibility
training. He was standing with a lot of support and sitting in the
wheelchair. He had bladder control first but now he has none, he said.
We would like to bring him to hospital again and to check. Since he
has got no bladder control he probably would need a surgery in Srinagar
or Delhi.
The people of his village are already collecting money to help the
family. We will talk to the doctor in Leh hospital about him. We will
also ask NIRLAC for support.
Tsewang,
a 7 year old boy in Kardung was brought to the road to meet us, because
his right leg goes inside anytime. I examined that it's no neurological
problem, because his balance and control is very good. Maybe the hip
is cox valga, it is probably an orthopaedic problem. We showed some
exercises and would like to see him in shoes that support him very
well. May be he could get some inlays for his shoes one day (dZi-foundation)
Last
patient, a 7 year old boy with speech problems. He lived in the last
house 20 minutes from the road was not at home. We spoke to the neighbour
to tell the family they should visit us when they come to Leh.
We
came back to Leh in the late afternoon and were happy to join the
birthday party of Gabi!
Spalzes found her meetings after all successful, because they now
build a network all over Nubra-Valley, called "working group
Nubra". Next time when she comes to Nubra again, maybe with Ladakh-Hilfe,
it should be easier to collect the parents and handicapped for some
meeting. She would like to continue close collaboration with us.
From
Miriam Heger and Dolker Tsering
