Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1911-05-22

hospital service Immediately, saying
from all indications there, had tuber-
culosis of the bowels, and if SO il
was for lack of care on the physicians
part, for | showed | never had prop
er care.
My abdomen instead of bein white
was perfectly pink.
| consented to go to the hospital
and was taken about six O'Clock Sun.
day evening on June IL, 1910. On
my way to the DeacOness Hospital
the assesses of the abdominal cavity
ruptured of their selves which dis
charged puss freely, causing dress
ings to be changed three or four times
daily on up till Sunday morning, June
| 10, 1910, DR.. Eikensbury was sent by
DR.. Roark to dress the wound and
while dressing the wound DR.. Eikens-
bury discovered large gauze sponge
which had been sewed up in the
abdominal cavity and remained there
five months and one day and rOtted
out, this being the cause of all my
suffering from the time of Dr. Hur-
ley and DR.. Watkins operation DR..
Eikensbury then took small instru-
ments and carefully removed the
large gauze sponge from the cavity
which had grown fast to the intes-
tines, having a hard task to deliver
the gauze which | was an eye witness
to the scene. When the gauze was
released from the intestines, large
gush of puss followed which would
have filled large tea cup. Where
ever the puss would touch my body,
| it was so poison that it would eat
hole in my flesh.
| was greatly relieved at the re-
mOval of the gauze sponge, but the
puss had saturated the bowels so
badly that the doctors had to keep
in draining tubes to get rid of the
puss which proved unsuccessful. So
much damage had been done from
evil effects of the gauze was forced
w uhoCi 81 d NCly ScilOuS dDuOulludk
operation in order to save my life.
The operation after the delivery Of
the gauze sponge was performed on
me, July It'll, 1910, at the Deaconess
hospital in Spokane, Wash. by doc
tors Roark, Eikensbury, Cunningham
and Harrington. The gauze lying
against the bowels caused them to
rot and kink, also causing the bowels
to grow fast to the scar tissues, caus-
in the tissues to most all be destroyed
a. the same time. The abdominal
walls had become so rotten from the
Sauze lying in the abdomen so long,
the doctors We're obliged to cut out
and destroy three or four inches long
by one and one-half inches wide in
order to get rid of the puss and flesh
that would hold stitches
The large hole at the top of DR..
Hurley and DR.. Watkins ncision
where the gauze sponge was pulled
out was entirely removed at the time
of this operation. | was so very low
the time this operation took place
that ! stopped breathing for about
ten minutes, hypodermic medication
as well as artificial desperation had
to be resorted to.
| remained very low and near death
for several days following this opera
ton. Without this operation ! would
have surely died, still the evil effects
of the gauze left my intestines in such
a critical condition that Doctors
Roark and Eikensbury could not give
me any encouragement if ! would
ever get well or not, saying | was
bound to suffer for an indefinite time.
The last eight months of my sick
ness | had a constant cough and Doc
tor Roark, of Spokane told me was
going into consumption. and advised
me to sleep in a tent, also said II
had many more operations | would
soon be in my grave.
Almost constantly from the time
the gauze was removed from my
abdomen, every time I would eat any
food would cramp intensely and
never was able to cat any solid food