what to expect when you recover... if you recover

 

At a writing workshop I attended recently, we were asked to respond to specific prompts. We wrote for 15 minutes or so, and then read what came up for us to the group. One of the prompts was to write about a time someone lied to us. I wasted a good five minutes trying to recall a story-worthy episode to write about. This is it:

True story:

Telling a lie can have life-threatening consequences.

My shift in the Emergency Room was almost over, and I was already counting the minutes until I could head home to my tail-wagging, cheek-licking puppy and my own warm bed.

Just one more patient to see.

I pulled the curtain aside to find a young woman with a tear-stained face, pressing an ice pack against her right eye, her boyfriend holding a bloodied towel.

"We were just having fun jumping on the bed," she explained, "but I lost my balance and hit my eye on the corner of the nightstand. Right, Kevin?"

"One thing more shocking than the truth 

are the lies people tell 

to cover it up."

~Author Unknown~

It occurred to me that they were rather old to be jumping on a bed for fun. And he looked like a bodybuilder, suggesting the bed must have been made out of reinforced steel and concrete.

"Let's take a look," I said...thinking it would just take a few quick stitches and I'd be done for the day.

But under the ice pack, her eye was bruised and swollen shut. Blood oozed from a cut above her eyebrow, and her nose looked a little crooked, too.

The technical term for her injury is a blowout fracture of the orbit, or eye socket, and it represents a medical emergency. It's like a skull fracture, and it can result in blindness. You hardly ever see this kind of injury except in a car crash, or an industrial accident, or a major league baseball game. It takes a lot of force to cause a blowout fracture.

I got to work. I ordered Xrays and summoned the surgical team while they prepped the OR. I started an IV, drew her blood, and convinced her to sign the consent form.

One of the nurses escorted her boyfriend out of the room as chaos erupted. When he was safely out of earshot, I tried again.

"Linda," I said. "Tell me what really happened."

"Trust your instincts.

Intuition doesn't lie."

~Oprah Winfrey~

A direct blow to the eye by a fist is a terrible injury, and it adds layer upon layer of extra work. You have to summon the police and file a report. You may have to obtain a protection from abuse (PFA) order. You have to consult someone in Social Services to secure a safe place for her to shelter when she recovers. 

If she recovers. 

Because, in medicine, telling a lie can cost you your life.

"In the long run,

the most unpleasant truth

is a safer companion than a pleasant 

falsehood."

~Theodore Roosevelt~

jan

variations on a theme

 

Let's say you have three patients who are battling cancer.

One is devastated by the diagnosis. She is overwhelmed by fear and dread. Convinced her situation is hopeless, she resists starting chemo. She just wants to die. Her doctor suggests an anti-depressant.

"Once you choose hope,

anything is possible."

~Christopher Reeve~~

One is a man of deep faith. He is convinced that God has the power to cure him even though his prognosis is unfavorable. He devotes himself to prayer and sacrifice because he believes that will earn him God’s mercy. Even when his cancer spreads, he clings to his faith. It gives him hope and a sense of optimism right up until he is forced to surrender to the disease. His doctor tries to be respectful of his faith, but he can’t shake off his own doubts about it.

"Cancer didn't bring me

to my knees.

It brought me to my feet."

~Michael Douglas~

The other patient is f***ing pissed off about it. She is not about to lose this battle. After all, she has a husband and three children at home. It isn’t fair to them. She agrees to an aggressive plan of treatment that includes surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. She begins a program of exercise, diet, and meditation, and she adopts a practice of loving self-care. She is determined to beat this thing. Her doctor encourages her even though he doesn't indulge in self-care, himself.

"You never know how strong you are

until being strong is

the only choice you have."

~Bob Marley~

Three different patients with the same disease, and three different stories. What difference does it make? There is an abundance of literature concerning the factors that affect a patient’s quality of life during treatment for cancer and how this correlates with his likelihood of recovery. Some factors are immutable: age, gender, and family history, for example. Others are modifiable: emotional and attitudinal factors, dietary factors, level of fitness, faith, and social support.

Given their stories, the physician will approach each of these patients differently, even though each of them has the same fundamental needs: education, encouragement, and support.

When is the last time you had to convince a patient to enter treatment? When is the last time you offered to pray for--or with--a patient?

When is the last time you practiced self-care?

"Self-care is a 

divine responsibility."

~Danielle La Porte~

jan