Tales From Healthcare: Reflections On Patients That Have Had An Impact On Me #3 "My Trophy Patient"
Note: The names have been changed to protect their identity
Today I want to tell you about Carter
Carter and I did not initially hit it off very well.
He was a very sick man and required both PT and OT to work with him at the same time. He was crabby, he was mean, and he didn't want to do what we asked.
This is quite common in therapy in nursing homes, the people don't want to be there, and they feel like they're being prodded on all day. Each day we would go in, and each day he would be even crabbier.
One day when I was walking past his room, he called for me to come in. He was nearly out of his bed on the floor. Since he was a recent AKA (Above Knee Amputee) he didn't have the strength or leverage to get back in bed properly. I helped him all the while being ready to get yelled at for something.
But it didn't happen. Instead he thanked me for all of the help I had given him. He said to me "If it wasn't for you, I would have strangled that OT B**ch a long time ago.
Then it hit me. It wasn't him, it was a personality conflict with her. (Which wasn't uncommon, truth be told). We quickly changed up the team, and Carter was actually quite a pleasure to work with. His motivation and his strength improved.
It improved so much that he was given Doctor's orders to receive a prosthetic leg, and start to learn how to walk with it.
For 3 months, I worked with Carter almost every day to get him back on his feet. We got him to where he could walk with a walker and his new leg, and he was thrilled.
And then, insurance decided that they were done paying for him. This is the dark side of health care. Insurance companies have the final say on when treatment is completed. So, with that, Carter became a permanent resident of the nursing home and was moved off of the therapy wing.
Many months passed, and every time I walked past his room, I was greeted with "Hey, Shane!" I always stopped and at least poked my head in to say hi, and when I could, I'd go in and chat for 10 minutes or so. Every day.
"Hey Shane!"
"Hey Shane!"
"Hey Shane!"
Then one Monday I walked past and there was no "Hey, Shane!" from the room. It took me by surprise and when I looked in, the bed was cleared off and Carter's belongings were in a box.
My heart sank. This was never good news.
The nurses confirmed that after I left for the weekend, all of Carter's problems caught up with him and he passed away after coding.
Tuesday morning, we would have the group meetings. My boss announced Carter's passing and said she had something for me. Apparently, during the last few weeks, he knew he was close to dying and asked the nurses to give me his prosthetic leg. He was a funny man, and this both cracks me up to no end, and crushes my heart.
So sitting in the corner of my office at home is Carter's prosthetic leg.
It's the trophy I received from Carter and it's one of the greatest and most thoughtful items anyone has given me.
Another touching story Shane, thanks for sharing
Thank, sir.
That is an amazing gift, and I love that you see the awesome humor in receiving it. I love these these patient stories man, keep on sharing them please!
Absolutely. I have plenty more.
Whoah I had no idea that you worked in the healthcare field Shane! I'm sorry to hear about your friend Carter, but it is certainly comforting to know that you made such an uplifting difference in his life that he decided to leave a part of himself with you.
I love reading stories like these - it reminds me of my own experiences in medicine before I made the switch to Engineering.
Thanks again @swelker101 - looking forward to more of your stories!
Yeah, you always think you can handle it. Most of the time you can, but there are a few people that just get to you no matter how hard you try to separate work from life.
Exactly, there are some patients that I remember a lot more even a year removed from practicing medicine. This is just a characteristic of healthcare and working closely with other people in general - there's no real way to separate work from life. Thanks for sharing @swelker101!
You have managed to do what few others have.
No jokes or smart ass comments my friend.
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