Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 22nd, 2012 10:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
midnightsjaneI just realized it's Thanksgiving for all my friends in the U.S.A, and that by now most everyone is in a post turkey coma, but I still want to wish you all a happy day. May your lives be blessed with all manner of good things.
I worked today and had a rather happy end to the day: my patient, an elderly gentleman who is very ill, looked to be fading towards the end of his days, and it was decided that we would best serve him by keeping him comfortable, and not doing a lot of heroic and futile things. His wife concurred, and after a phone conversation with the doctor, arranged to come in from her home in the Valley. She's elderly as well, and doesn't drive, so she had to have her sister-in-law bring her in. Mr. S was very drowsy and seemed to be deteriorating, so I expected it to be a sad and difficult time for the family. I went to supper, and when I came back, to my surprise he was wide awake, laughing and talking with his wife. He even remembered it had been her birthday on the 17th, and sang happy birthday to her! It was like a minor miracle, really. Even though his wife knows he's probably going to die in the next few days, it was a happy gift that she got, being able to see him looking, in her words, better than she'd seen him in ages. I said it must have been the power of love that boosted him up. It was good to see.
Count your blessings, I say. Even in the most difficult times, there are rays of sunshine that burst through, if you can just see them.
I worked today and had a rather happy end to the day: my patient, an elderly gentleman who is very ill, looked to be fading towards the end of his days, and it was decided that we would best serve him by keeping him comfortable, and not doing a lot of heroic and futile things. His wife concurred, and after a phone conversation with the doctor, arranged to come in from her home in the Valley. She's elderly as well, and doesn't drive, so she had to have her sister-in-law bring her in. Mr. S was very drowsy and seemed to be deteriorating, so I expected it to be a sad and difficult time for the family. I went to supper, and when I came back, to my surprise he was wide awake, laughing and talking with his wife. He even remembered it had been her birthday on the 17th, and sang happy birthday to her! It was like a minor miracle, really. Even though his wife knows he's probably going to die in the next few days, it was a happy gift that she got, being able to see him looking, in her words, better than she'd seen him in ages. I said it must have been the power of love that boosted him up. It was good to see.
Count your blessings, I say. Even in the most difficult times, there are rays of sunshine that burst through, if you can just see them.
