Out of hospital, but trauma continues

Five days after the unfortunate incident, Joel D’Souza seems quite moody and silent. He gives answers in monosyllables and seems detached from his surroundings unless his attention is called for.

This is not the Joel who was admitted to KMC Hospital on Saturday. He was quite cheerful and was ready to narrate his experience to anyone. Once in the hospital, he happened to watch the footage of the crash on television, and this was what caused his trauma, says Melvin D’Souza, one of Joel’s neighbours. The gory pictures of the bodies on screen brought him the realisation that he could have been one of them, D’Souza added.

According to Psychiatrist Dr Supriya Hegde who counselled Joel, it is normal for a person who has gone through such life threatening experiences to develop an acute stress reaction. Such people usually feel very scared and their hearts beat faster. Sweating, sleeplessness and irritability are part of it. Proper counselling and support of friends and family is very important in this situation. Otherwise, the patients may slowly enter what is called a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder in which they often visualise flashback of their experience and have nightmares. Chances are that the patient may enter a state of depression, she told Deccan Herald.  

Fortunately for Joel, he has his loving family and friends around him who support him in every possible way.  Joel was discharged from the hospital on Thursday and has gone back home to Vamanjoor with his family. Speaking to Deccan Herald, CEO of KMC Hospitals, Mangalore, Mahesh Inder Singh informed that as a result of the jump from the aircraft, Joel had incurred a ligament injury on his left knee and a compression fracture of spine, for which he was under the treatment of Orthopaedician Dr Preetham Salian.

There is no displacement of bones. The injury will be completely healed with six weeks of rest. Further treatment, if required will be done after six weeks, he added. Joel’s father Joseph D’Souza, mother Rosy D’Souza, brother Prashanth and his wife Mary were present on the occasion.