Indexing Title: TMEDINA’s Medical Anecdotal Report [04-4]

MAR Title: “Laughter is the best medicine”

Date of Medical Observation: June 14, 2004

Narration:

             It was another grueling tour of duty and I know my from-duty status would tax me even more physically and mentally. The mere thought of starting my day that way made me feel weary ten times over. But I knew my duties and responsibilities as a surgical resident had to be fulfilled. So I sucked up my belly and with a willing spirit but beaten body. I proceeded with my first task for the day.

            I started going from room to room approaching one patient at a time to clean their wounds and change their dressings. The job seemed simple enough but it was tedious and important. 51 patients….that’s a lot of wound cleaning to do, I thought to myself. And though I knew its inherent value, it still made me tired, just thinking about it.

            Until, I came to this patient. She was an elderly at her eighties with silvery-gray hair, blind as a bat and deaf as a baby rabbit. She was brought in the Emergency Room, the night before by a few caring social workers. She had an ulcerating right breast mass, a stage III-B breast CA.

            The foul stench of her cancer invaded my senses. But as I walked up to her, I saw liveliness not frequent in patients inflicted with such disease.

            She moved about, conversed around, old, blind, deaf and all as if no disease inflicted her. I started to talk to her with my lips near her ear in a loud voice, explained what I was about to do and gave her instructions. I told her in a surely professional tone. That she would have to undress to which she gave this reply: “AYOKO, MAY MGA BOYS”.

            Her answer made me jump a few inches off the ground but not after making me laugh so genuinely hard.

Insights: (Discovery, Reinforcement, Stimulus)

 This incident made an impression in me. There I was a surgical resident tasked to help this patient and yet unknowingly she eased the burden and healed me of my weariness with laughter instead.

 As an aspiring surgeon, I am obliged not only to treat patients of their health problems at hand but in a wholistical manner. Its not enough to have the knowledge and skills, but we also must keep ourselves continually apt. Through this experience, I gained a picture of what a surgeon should be, someone with a brilliant mind, steady hands and a laughing heart.