a patient came in with fibromyalgia and OSA. she said she was super drowsy and tired and cut her hand using a vegetable peeler, that she was so embarrassed and that people she knew were making fun of her. she started talking to me about how people don’t understand her condition, how they don’t take it seriously even though she’s in so much pain all the time.
i’m not a hugger, but i held her hand the entire time that they did her sutures. i wanted to say, i know how you feel but you’re not alone. i told her to take it easy for some time, that people have come in to the ER with far more embarrassing stories and that she has nothing to be ashamed of, which made her laugh a little. before she left she looked me in the eyes and said, “thank you, you’re so kind”.
to be honest, a lot of stuff has been going on. and i have a lot of hurt inside of me that i don’t want to let out. it’s so easy to forget that everyone is carrying some hurt inside of them too. all they want is someone to listen to them, someone who will understand and tell them they aren’t crazy. i’ve never really been proud of any of my academic achievements, but today i thought, okay, i did good.
i don’t know if ten years from now i’m going to be an amazing surgeon with skills that inspire people to join the field. but i do hope - i really, really hope - that i never forget to treat people with kindness.
