My patient shyly handed me a piece of art. It was a multicolored gummy candy that was perfectly shaped like a gecko. Clutching it to my chest, I thanked her and told her she must be feeling a lot better.
In reply, she gave me her beautiful smile that we have been missing lately. Remembering the last visit and how we stood by her bedside watching her bravely struggle through waves of pain, it was such a relief to see her comfortable. Discussing the cocktail of medications with her mom in attendance, I couldn’t help but tease her about being on some serious analgesics.
Being the smart and sensitive teenager that she is, she shared that the current regimen just made her sleepy and the unfortunate side effects she experienced must have been caused by a previous medication. Stepping out of the hospital room, I couldn’t help but be reminded of how we as doctors act when the roles are reversed and we become the patients. Most of the time, we fail to heed the pieces of advice that we freely give.
Remembering the months that I stubbornly refused to take anything to address the arthralgia and arthritic pain brought on by chikungunya, how I chose to hop like a rabbit to avoid the torment experienced from landing on one’s feet, and resorting to moving like a 2-year-old taking the stairs one step at a time, has now become a memory to derive amusement from. Life then could have been relatively pain-free if I wasn’t so proud. “You might have to consider letting her undergo an oper.
