Indexing Title: NALUDINOs Medical Anecdotal Report [06-04]

MAR Title: The thing speaks for itself

Date of Medical Observation: March 2006

Narration:

            It was a lazy day. I was at home, bored to death. I decided to go to the nearest mall and do some errands to pass time. As I was walking along the aisle of the supermarket, one family caught my attention. If I wasn’t mistaken, I could swear they were all staring at me. Suddenly, I was doubly conscious of my actions.

            This happened for some time that I decided to take action. I had to be sure that they were really doing what I think they are doing. Did I do something wrong? Did I offend someone without knowing it?

            I doubled back. As I was nearing them, the man suddenly smiled at me, taking a load off my chest. Then his partner did the same.

            “Doktor malamang hindi niyo na ako nakikilala.” the man started the conversation. “Dahil sa inyo buhay ako ngayon.” he smiled. I smiled back and said, “Pasensiya na pero hindi ko maalala.” He narrated how I operated on him even though he was not a resident of the city of Manila. It turned out that I operated on him last 2003. I was still a first year resident then. I was still beginning my life as a resident of the department of surgery.

            Suddenly, he raised his shirt, showing me the scar that I created. It was not one of best incisions. Honestly, I was not something I would be proud to call mine. Yet I could not deny the fact that this is my handiwork. “Resp ipsa liquitor” The thing speaks for itself. Despite this, despite the ugly scar I created, the man was still thanking me for “saving” his life. I humbly accepted his thanks and in return I said sorry for the ugly mark I left on him.

Insights (Physical, Psychosocial, Ethical) (Discovery, Stimulus, Reinforcements):

             Resp ipsa liquitor.

We as doctors are given the responsibility of saving lives. In the process we make mistakes. We fall, we learn. We become better persons. Sometimes the mistakes come back and haunt us. This is doubly true for us surgeons.

            A surgeon develops his skills though proper training. He must be able to appreciate all cases and learn from them. Through constant training and retraining we hone our skills. We must not let our guard down and rest on our laurels.

When we operate, we leave scars on the patient. Physically, the scars we leave may be disfiguring or it may not be noticeable at all. Emotionally, we leave lasting impressions. What impressions we leave on the patient all depends on how we dealt with the patient while he or she is under our care.

The scars you leave on the patient will be like your signature affixed to a document.  It will forever be a reminder of well you treated your patient both physically and emotionally. The scar will speak for itself.

Resp ipsa liquitor