In my last placement, I was assigned to an oncology ward. One of my duties there was to hold an exercise class for the patients’ daily. Most of the patients were there for chemotherapy and were due for discharge after their treatment. What we were trying to help them do was to maintain their activity level and keep them going through exercise. I met with a particular patient and she was recovering well after her chemotherapy. Her only goal before discharge was to be able to climb a couple of steps as that was the only obstacle she had at home. Everything seemed to be going smoothly and was due for discharge but things started to change…
She started to complain of nausea and was not able to get out of bed. Her health deteriorated very quickly and was soon bed-bound. She did not even have the strength to sit up in bed for her meals. She had to be fed through an NGT. Sadly, she departed from this world within a span of one week.
I was devastated. Never did I expect life to be so fragile. Things changed too quickly. My supervisor was really helping me to face the reality of people coming and going in this particular ward. It is really sad, but we still have to go on. There are many more patients out there that require our help and we should not let our emotions get the better of us. We have to be compassionate but also strong when we face such situations.
Is life really so fragile that it can change the destiny of a patient in just a couple of days? Through this situation, I learnt to cope with patients who suffer from terminal illnesses. I learnt to prepare myself for the worse but hope for the best for the patient. I will not give up on patients that seem to be deteriorating but continue to help them feel better. But I am also aware of my limits and the amount of help I can offer to the patient.
Thus, I believe I will be able to take things in stride and move on when faced with such situations in future. I hope to be able to compose myself, accept the situation professionally and look forward to helping more patients.
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Sound like you dealt with that well Sarah - I've had a similar experience and found it very hard. I've also had a death in my own family recently, from cancer. I found that with terminal ilness, all you can do is be there for the person, and as physio's give them the support and encouragement they need, and the dignity. I suppose It's all about keeping up their quality of life. I think as professionals it is important to keep control of your emotions, but i think there is definately a place for compassion and empathy. You can't block it all out, after all we are all human and if you need a little cry then thats ok! There is some comfort in the fact that that person is now not suffering, they're in a better place and you gave them the best treatment that you could.
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