Forget to Compare One’s Own Feelings with Others

Source: The internet

Sometimes the hospital overestimates my ability. I am expected to look after the A&E unit and manage the patient’s ward at the same time. I am snowed under with work and alone provide cover to both departments. Often, I am too busy and end up feeling dizzy, lightheaded, seeing stars.

One day, a young lady accompanied her mother to the A&E unit for treatment. The mother could not move her limbs on one side. I was worried that this could have been caused by the brain haemorrhage, so I was very anxious. I stayed by her side and regularly measured her blood pressure and accompanied her to the Computed Tomography room for a CT scan.

During this time, my pager was bleeping non-stop. The nurse in the ward above paged to hurry me back there to see the patients, and told me that there were many patients who were asking why the doctor had not turned up yet.

Without hesitation I replied, “It can’t be helped!  I have a patient here whose condition is more critical. I must finish dealing with this patient first before going back to the ward, please ask them to wait!”  The young lady looked at me, nodded in gratitude and said, “I am so sorry for taking up your time!”

I said it didn’t matter. Every matter has its degree of importance and priority. As we busily pass each day, we will always have unfinished business. Therefore, that morning I sacrificed the time of taking care of all the other patients in order to save the life of this lady’s mother. After a series of treatments, the lady’s mother was finally out of danger. I arranged for the lady’s mother to stay in the ward above so that she could continue to stay in hospital for further monitoring.

The next morning, when I arrived at the A&E unit, by coincidence, I again came across another patient whose condition was critical too. To keep this patient alive I stayed by his side, taking blood samples and listening to his breathing at the same time, and just as before, not leaving his side. My pager was bleeping as usual and the nurse said that the patients in the ward impatiently asking why there were no doctors. I again replied, “Please ask them to wait, as their medical conditions are fairly stable.”

However, the nurse still shouted, “No, No!”  She said, “Do you know?  The daughter of the woman with brain haemorrhage you admitted yesterday is screaming and shouting, asking where the hell have all the doctors gone!”

On hearing this, I was suddenly startled, I wondered how come. However, I felt that on this occasion I could not fail to turn up, so I reluctantly asked another doctor for help. I asked the doctor to temporarily stay by the side of this patient who was critically ill, whilst I hurriedly rushed upstairs.

Arriving at the ward, I encountered the lady as soon as I opened the door. I noticed her face was full of anger. I didn’t want to engage in any conversation, and went straight to her mother’s bedside and asked her, “Are you feeling unwell now?”

Her mother, as I expected, shook her head and said, “No, I am fine.”

I turned around and asked the lady, “So, what was so urgent for you to look for me?”

She still displayed an expression of discontentment, and without hesitation she said, “No particular matter!  I just feel that when one is admitted into hospital, there must be duty doctors who visit the wards. I have been waiting all morning and haven’t seen a doctor yet, what kind of hospital is this?”  Seeing her being so forceful and righteous, I could hardly keep myself from getting angry and asked her, “Did the nurse not tell you that I was downstairs looking after a patient who was critically ill?”

She sneered and replied sarcastically, “No matter whom you are saving, if we are staying in hospital, I have the right to ask a doctor to come and see us at anytime.”

I suddenly remembered a certain situation. Every time when a bus was full, everyone would jostle and try to squeeze onto the bus. Those who were not on the bus would say, “Please try and squeeze further up!  Please, please, squeeze in a bit more, so I can get on board!”

However, once on board, those standing in the crowded bus would watch the unceasing crowd outside trying to squeeze in, and would immediately shout, “Don’t come in anymore, really can’t squeeze in anymore, the bus will overturn if you continue to squeeze in!”

All people are absentminded. When roles change, even by the slightest detail, one’s previous experiences are easily forgotten.

When the young lady saw her own mother’s medical condition had been stabilized, she forgot how I had tried to rescue her mother the day before, and how the other patients upstairs had to wait for a long period of time. She only remembered how her mother’s life was the most important, and always put herself at the centre of society, and forgot to compare her feelings with those of others.

One day the situation will inevitably change again. Maybe she lives in hope that the roles will never reverse again; otherwise there will be a day, when her mother’s medical condition becomes critical again and other patients may use the same reason to take me away from their side. At that time, it will be too late for her to regret!