Posts tagged palliative care
Palliative Care
Last week, I spent a few hours in a palliative care unit.
As medical students, we’re fixated on the living. What drug can cure that symptom. How surgery can remove the cancer. Where we can find a bed so that the patient with diabetes can have her complications managed.
Rationally, we know that everyone dies. We dissect cadavers in our anatomy classes. We read about fatal diseases in our textbooks and see pictures of brain tumours and mangled hearts cut open.
But still, we believe we can save everyone.
A heartfelt reflection from a medical student on the process of palliation and what it means to deliver care in its purest sense.
There comes a day for each and every one of us to have to come to terms with death. In this profession, it is always the looming destination of those we interact with, the final stop. With every effort we make, we buy more time for patients, their lives, and the lives of those whom they have touched. However, the truth is that despite even our best efforts, sometimes life cannot be extended, or it is decided to not be the best course. Ultimately what matters as much or more than the measured outcome of life extension, is the quality of life, life completion, and dying with dignity.
Top Five Regrets of the Dying.
For many years I worked in palliative care. My patients were those who had gone home to die. Some incredibly special times were shared. I was with them for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives.
People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality. I learnt never to underestimate someone’s capacity for growth. Some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected, denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though, every one of them.
When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again.
Since I am only beginning second year, I have not started my practical years yet. I have not seen any patients die so I really cannot answer this question. The closest thing I can relate to is my father passing away and that was a very difficult time. As a very personal matter, I will not be discussing my feelings of that experience in this blog. I hope you can respect my privacy on the subject.
Palliative care is hard medicine with a humane face.
Don’t run away. Wait. All I want to know is someone will be there to hold my hand. I’m afraid. I’ve never died before.
