I was reading the newspaper this morning & in the obituaries I saw the name of one of my patients. Although I knew her diagnosis was terminal, I was still surprised to see that she passed away. I reflected for a few minutes on the last time I cared for her. It was very brief as she was downgraded from PCU status to Med/Surg. Her sons were in the room with her...doting on her. It was nice to see the sensitive side of two men that looked more rough than tender. She was in the hospital for a blood transfusion...in hopes that it would give her a little more energy.
The thing is...she knew her days were numbered. Hospice was being brought in the next day. She'd known for awhile that she wouldn't be able to defeat the cancer that was taking over her body...yet thru it all...her attitude was positive. She was in her late 70's...lived a good life, had a great family & now the end was near. She was still smiling, still joking, still making it the best that she could.
It got me thinking today - would you want to know you were dying sooner than later? For me...I don't know. I'll have to think about it.
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