BY: PHOLOSO NYALUNGU, STUDENT 3710178

POEM ” IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD”

IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD

 IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD….

MY LIFE WOULD BE DIFFERENT

I WOULD NOT BE DREAMING OF SOMETHING I WILL NEVER GET TO BECOME….

I WOULD NEVER GIVE MY SELF FALSE HOPE ABOUT THE FUTURE I MAY NEVER GET TO SEE.

IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD ….

I WOULD ENJOY THE LITTLE TIME I HAVE ON THIS PLANET

I WOULD MAKE THE BEST OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY I GET.

I WOULD MAKE SURE TO DO WHAT IS WRITTEN IN THE BIBLE WHICH SAYS “WHATEVER YOUR HAND FINDS TO DO, DO IT WITH ALL YOUR MIGHT, FOR IN THE REALM OF THE DEAD, WHERE YOU ARE GOING, THERE IS NEITHER WORKING…..”

BUT NOW…..

IT  IS IS LIKE I AM TIED IN THIS LANE OF FALSE HOPE

A LIFE THAT HAS A DARK FUTURE, WITH REGRETS AND TEARS.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO BE FREE IS  IF THE TRUTH BE TOLD.

MY KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH WILL BRING LIGHT IN MY LIFE

AND THAT IS WHAT I WOULD APPRECIATE

“THE UNTOLD TRUTH”

REFLECTION:

“ IF THE TRUTH WAS TOLD”

My first day going at ASTRA and the thought of working independently for my paeds block was quite worrying. With all the questions running through my mind of thinking if I will be able to deal with the disabilities that I might come across on my own.Later on that day I was given the list  of my patients  and one condition I came  across  was “DUCHENES MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY”. I decided then that I will go and read up on that condition so that I will know what it is.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a genetic condition which affects the muscles, causing muscle weakness (physiopedia, 2019).The Duchenne type dystrophy is an X-linked genetic disorder affecting primarily boys (with extremely rare exceptions) and a problem in this gene is known to result in a defect in a single important protein in muscle fibres called dystrophin( physiopedia,2019) . the clinical presentation is muscle weakness mainly in the ‘proximal’ muscles, which are those near the trunk of the body, around the hips and the shoulders.The symptoms usually start around age 1-3 years, and may include: Toe-walking, difficulty in walking,running and stair climbing.

So from this background I knew that Duchenes is a progressive condition, there is no recovery from. It then happened that one day as I was working with my patient, he said to me “ when my legs stop being swollen , i will be able to walk again”. swollen legs or bulging of the calf muscles is one of the signs of DMD,

After my patient said that I was quiet for a few seconds, i did not know what to tell him or even explain to him the condition for he even dreams of playing soccer one day.

Though I knew that DMD is a progressive disease and one who presents with it has decreased life expectancy, where patients do not get to reach the age of 20 years. furthermore those patients with DMD do get return to previous level of function if lost. However I did not feel like I was in the right position to tell the patient about the impact of his condition  nor even to speak to the clinician about it. To me,it would have been like i am interfering in peoples business.

Though what I don’t understand is that, the patient has been at the school for a long time but his condition was never explained to him ?, or maybe there is a rule or an agreement that was made not to tell him the truth. “That i do not know”.

Now that I have learned about ethical dilemmas, i admit that i was wrong not to tell my patient the truth. because that would have helped him to spend and enjoy time with his family and friends and do what he enjoys the most and discover other things he might love to do other than dreaming of  something he may not get to be.

references

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. (2019, August 29). Physiopedia, . Retrieved 12:58, September 13, 2019 from https://www.physio-pedia.com/index.php?title=Duchenne_Muscular_Dystrophy&oldid=221729.