wen
Friday, April 14, 2006
As i reached out to hold the quivering hand of this frail and kindly old lady, i felt a stabbing ache- of helplessness, of sadness, of pain. i stole a glance at the man sitting next to her, whom she had shared 63 years of her life with. He was perched at the edge of his chair, and was using his hand to prop up his wrinkled face. he looked like he had lost all energy to face this harsh reality, and his pondering eyes were dancing with such a huge concoction of emotions that no one, even himself, could read. although i'm still a nymph of a doctor, i knew then that i was being taught a lesson that i should never forget. that every decision i make for the patient as a doctor will affect not only the patient, but so so many other people around her. and there is really no room for missing obvious diagnoses cos this simply means we have placed a time bomb in the patient's trusting arms. which is unfair, so unfair...
as i reached out my hand to her to thank her for talking to me for so long, her face lit up in surprise and she exclaimed, "boy, you've got cold hands!"
" i'm so sorry! i get that remark all the time!" as i shook my head in mild embarrassment.
"it's okay my dear, cold hands warm hearts.."