Touched

Recently I took care of a women who was faced with the recurrence of an illness she thought she had beat 14 years ago. It was an incredibly emotional time for her as she had several recent admissions leading up to the big problem. I knew she was a bit depressed and emotional. When working with her I decided I'd take the approach to treat her like a person and not somebody who was ill. She didn't seem like she wanted any more reminders about her current situation and she clearly was spending a lot of time with her thoughts about her future. I thought if I could gain her trust I might be able to help her open up a bit and get some of the emotions out on to the table.

Truthfully, I didn't spend a lot of time with the patient. I left her alone, tried to help her keep her dignity, and was there if she needed anything. That was it.

On day 2 of my care some med students needed a patient to interview so I recommended her. It worked out well for both parties as the students got to see a patient in this situation and what they were dealing with mentally and emotionally, and the patient got a chance to tell her story again in a thorough and complete manner. The results were better than I had hoped. She opened up to the point of tears and sobbing while telling her story for their H&P. It was a magical teaching moment for the med students, and it was a positive experience for the patient as she got the chance to let out and explore some emotions she was trying to deal with.

The surprising part was how the patient repeatedly told the students how pleased she was with my care. I was very flattered by this as I wasn't sure if my plan was working as she had yet to ask me about the questions I knew were on her mind.

After the students left I gave her a few minutes to recover, then I went in her room. I was met with a fresh wave of tears and a thankful hug. She told me she didn't realize she had so much pent up inside her and how it felt good not to run away from her negative thoughts. Finally, the difficult questions came out and off I went to print out information for her.

I hope she knows that she touched my life as much as I did her.