DOCTORS SHARE BOTH THEIR PATIENT'S JOYS AND PAINS
I was called to scrub in to the OR of a difficult infected case - to evaluate whether we could save a uterus or proceed with pelvic clean up. With both fallopian tubes removed due to a previous ectopic pregnancy and now due to a tubo-ovarian abscess, we conserved the uterus so that our patient might still try to get pregnant through in-vitro fertilization (IVF), an artificial reproductive technique. Highly desirous of pregnancy, definitely, post-operatively we will have to deal with issues of infertility. A lot of psychological and emotional issues go with infertility.
As I passed by our jampacked PACU, I met a guy lovingly holding a baby in his arms. Obviously his newborn baby, I joked that he should remove his shirt for skin to skin contact, to comply to the essential intrapartum and newborn care program. The nurses informed me that the mother is being prepared for transfer to the wards, and the baby was entrusted to the father for safety reasons. He couldn't keep his smile from his face, pure joy reflected in his eyes. Even the mother seemed happy despite her obviously tired state.
Such is the life of a doctor. We share in our patients' pain of loss and grief. We try our best to comfort those who suffer. We sacrifice sleep, rest and physical comforts to make sure our patients live. It is when we see our patients smiling that we feel affirmed in our work. It is when our patients pray for us that we know we are doing the right thing.
