Monday, October 02, 2006

Be Mean and Nasty

Never fails. Had the nicest patient the other day... She works 6 days a week and has most of her life. She didn't have medical insurance and I'm not sure why... She works for a local businessman and has for years. She came in as a referral from an outside clinic with a diagnosis of GI bleed. She certainly looked pale and anemic and I thought she was simply a GI bleed. She was thankful to me and her nurses for nothing really... We were simply doing our jobs. She was cheerful and nice even when I mentioned that while I thought she might have a simple GI bleed due to using too much motrin that her blood count was a bit high for her appearance and that other diagnoses like leukemia or lymphoma would have to be considered.

She was admitted with a presumptive diagnosis of GI bleed. Talked to her the other day... She has metastatic colon cancer and with treatment probably 2 years to live.

She's still cheery and optimistic. God bless her. If she'd cursed us up and down and spit on people she probably wouldn't have had anything terminal. That's the rule.

5 comments:

  1. That cracked me up because it seems to be so true. I had cancer, and my doctor told me (in jest) that it was my fault for being so kind. He said he wished I was a mean nasty one because then I would be perfectly healthy.

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  2. Have you noticed the strange fact that the people who are rally sick never ask for anything and are very thankful for everything that we do for them and the people who aren't sick bitch and complain about everything and disrupt the whole ER?

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  3. Thanks for writing this post! You just inspired a blog I've been needin' to write for 2.5 yrs.

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  4. Do you mean that if she'd kicked up a fuss she'd have got medical treatment sooner? Or that "being too nice" gives you cancer? Surely not!

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  5. Oh the latter without a doubt.

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