.MTM5Nw.MTIwNzkw: Difference between revisions
(Created page with "41 and I had to bring him into the hospital, where he slipped into chronic cardiac decompensation. There was very little to do for him and it was frustrating and embarrassin...") |
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I want to ask you to do for my patient, and that is that you stop | I want to ask you to do for my patient, and that is that you stop | ||
by to see him in the late afternoon when you leave your office." | by to see him in the late afternoon when you leave your office." | ||
"But you know I always make rounds in the morning and | "But you know I always make rounds in the morning and | ||
I go over him very carefully then." | I go over him very carefully then." | ||
"Yes, of course I know that. But I have noticed that you see | "Yes, of course I know that. But I have noticed that if you see | ||
him late in the day, if you stop around six even if you just | him late in the day, if you stop around six even if you just | ||
sit in the chair beside the bed for a few minutes and chat with | sit in the chair beside the bed for a few minutes and chat with | ||
him, or maybe take his blood pressure, he feels better and then | him, or maybe take his blood pressure, he feels better and then | ||
I am able to make him comfortable and he goes to sleep before | I am able to make him comfortable and he goes to sleep before | ||
the night nurse comes on at eleven. Try to do it for him, doctor | the night nurse comes on at eleven. Try to do it for him, doctor, | ||
if you're not too busy. He knows he's slipping and that there isn't | if you're not too busy. He knows he's slipping and that there isn't | ||
much to be done. He's a good patient and he's really very brave, | much to be done. He's a good patient and he's really very brave, | ||
but he gets depressed as it begins to get dark, and it reassures | but he gets depressed as it begins to get dark, and it reassures | ||
him to have you come to see him." | him to have you come to see him." | ||
So I used to go back to the hospital in the late afternoon or | |||
So I used to go back to the hospital in the late afternoon or | |||
the early evening, with some minor professional pretext, and then | the early evening, with some minor professional pretext, and then | ||
we would chat for a few minutes until I could see the apprehensiveness | we would chat for a few minutes until I could see the apprehensiveness | ||
wear down a bit." | wear down a bit." | ||
"How long did you do that?" | "How long did you do that?" | ||
"Oh, two or three weeks, I suppose. But we built up | "Oh, two or three weeks, I suppose. But we built up | ||
something between us that was warm and compassionate, and | something between us that was warm and compassionate, and | ||
it helped to sustain him where science failed. And then the | |||
night nurse called me one night to report that he had slipped | night nurse called me one night to report that he had slipped | ||
out. But to get back to your question about the woman who | out. But to get back to your question about the woman who | ||
wanted the tonic: no, I wouldn't say that there was anything really | wanted the tonic: no, I wouldn't say that there was anything really | ||
Latest revision as of 19:09, 20 August 2021
41
and I had to bring him into the hospital, where he slipped into chronic cardiac decompensation. There was very little to do for him and it was frustrating and embarrassing to me to come around ^'each day' and go over his chest and heart, knowing as I did that he was a vascular wreck and that the best will in the world was helpless before such an extreme condition. But one day I happened to meet his three-to-eleven nurse as she was getting off the bus to go to work. I asked her whether she could think of anything that I could to help her keep him comfortable. "Yes, doctor," she answered, 'There is one thing more that I want to ask you to do for my patient, and that is that you stop by to see him in the late afternoon when you leave your office."
"But you know I always make rounds in the morning and
I go over him very carefully then."
"Yes, of course I know that. But I have noticed that if you see
him late in the day, if you stop around six even if you just sit in the chair beside the bed for a few minutes and chat with him, or maybe take his blood pressure, he feels better and then I am able to make him comfortable and he goes to sleep before the night nurse comes on at eleven. Try to do it for him, doctor, if you're not too busy. He knows he's slipping and that there isn't much to be done. He's a good patient and he's really very brave, but he gets depressed as it begins to get dark, and it reassures him to have you come to see him."
So I used to go back to the hospital in the late afternoon or
the early evening, with some minor professional pretext, and then we would chat for a few minutes until I could see the apprehensiveness wear down a bit."
"How long did you do that?" "Oh, two or three weeks, I suppose. But we built up
something between us that was warm and compassionate, and it helped to sustain him where science failed. And then the night nurse called me one night to report that he had slipped out. But to get back to your question about the woman who wanted the tonic: no, I wouldn't say that there was anything really