Throughout my geriatrics rotation I have met elderly individuals from
all walks of life. While they have
taught me many lessons, there is one that sticks out above all else….compassion
and patience are some of the best medicine a physician can offer.
Mrs. S is a pleasant 92 y.o. nursing home resident. Upon arriving to the nursing home I was
directed to her room to evaluate her new onset abdominal pain. According to the nursing staff, Mrs. S had
been having excruciating abdominal pain all night long and yelling out to the
nurses to come help her. When I walked
into her room, Mrs. S was laying in her bed, still dressed in her nightgown and
reading a book. I asked about her
abdominal pain and she began to describe a very severe pain, but couldn’t give
me any further details. As I proceeded
through the history and physical, Mrs. S continuously interrupted me to tell me
stories about her family, particularly her grandchildren. You could see her eyes sparkle with pride
with each story she told. She also told
me about her deceased husband. Sitting
next to her nightstand was a photo of the two of them which she proudly
admired. She felt lonely without him and
prayed for the day when they would be together again. She also began to ask me questions about my
family and wouldn’t proceed with the interview unless I told her about myself
and my life growing up in Peru. It truly
gave her joy to hear about my family and my aspirations in life.
By the time my history and physical had finished, I had spent nearly 1
hour sitting by her side. I was touched
by her life stories and experiences. I
told her that I needed to finish our visit so that I could continue to see
other nursing home residents that day. I
asked her again to describe for me her abdominal pain. She merely looked up at me with a coy smile
and said “What abdominal pain? I feel
fine.” It was at that moment I realized
that you can treat a patient’s symptoms with modern medicine, but it is just as
important to treat their heart and soul.
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