Don’t allow your view to

Be distorted by the words

of those around you. Their

words will burst into flames

and melt the very tongue

they’ve used to spit at you.

The fire will glow into your

Darkness and light your way.

Your eyes will be given a

Glimpse without distortion, life through light. – Zoe e. Julies

I have chosen this piece is that it reflects some of the trials and tribulations my patient had. My patient had suffered a Pulmonary embolism which had led to Atelectasis (collapsed partial segment of the lung or the entire lung) (“Atelectasis – Symptoms and causes”, n.d.). At the time the patient was very obese and the doctors had little hope for her recovery due to the severity of her condition. They had mentioned that she had a little chance of surviving and that it was best to call her family not knowing that she could hear them. In the poem written above in the first line which speaks about not letting what other people say define your future. During this situation,the patient had asked me if it was true that she was likely to die. During this moment I was very nervous, a thousand thoughts raced through my head jugling whether to tell her the truth or to lie. I was faced with an ethical dilemma as I soon realized if I told her the truth she would be demotivated to partake in any of my sessions as she believed her fate had already been decided. So, i decided the rather  show a brave face and give her hope. I was motivated to help her throught this journey and if it meant giving her an ounce of hope to wit=n this fight, thats what I would have to do.  At this point I knew I had to show her hope that despite being in a place of darkness she had to power through it and defy the odds – turning this negative situation into a form of motivation. I believed that this was the right call as I had my patients interest at heart and morally it all came down to patient care which I know is the number one goal in my profession. I was lucky to get to patient that was willing to overcome her situation. I helped her realize that the only way not to be a statistic was to prove them wrong . In the lines 4 to 6 where it speaks about “their words will burst into flames and melt the very tongue they used to spit at you.”  this best describes how my patient was able to make a recovery and prove the doctors wrong.

I learnt and saw a lot of strength from my patient as I do not know how I could have dealt with hearing that Death will soon if not already knocking at my door. This made me realize that you need to alter the way you think, see things from a different perspective and deal with negative energy. As much as she did not say it but rather showed that once you alter your psychological view on a situation to improve and to take to your body, only then will your body be able to physically perform.

Reference:

Atelectasis – Symptoms and causes. Retrieved 25 August 2019, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/atelectasis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369684