#208 - BM

This is another patient post.  I know that some of you may be tired of hearing about my patients, but let me explain.  In my 18 years of practicing, I have seen lots and lots of patients.  And...when you are in therapy, you usually see your therapist 2-3 time a week.  And...when you are doing your exercises, you usually need a distraction from the pain.   So...in a nutshell, what I am trying to say is, we talk a lot to our patients.  I have heard lots of stories, lots of problems, and lots of viewpoints, and like all good therapists know, sometimes the physical healing is very closely linked to the emotional healing. 
I have found that a dose of  TLC always helps speed along improvement.  Therefore to make a long story short...I listen a lot.  There are lots of patients that I have forgotten, but there are a few that have touched my heart and taught me something valuable and those are the ones that I have chosen to share.  Not really for who they are, but for what they represent to me and the lessons that I have learned from them.

Take #208, I first saw her when she was in 3rd or 4th grade.  Youngest of three children...the only girl...baby of the family.  Her family had moved here from Denmark with the oilfield and the kids were adapting well.  Normal kid, kinda tall for her age, nothing else really significant.  The only problem was...she had all kinds of pain.  The first time I saw her it was for knee pain.  No significant symptoms...nothing stood out.  MD sent her here and we treated her for her pain, gave her some exercises for strengthening for her legs, and a large dose of attention and TLC.  Off she went...  A few years later, she came back.  This time with shoulder pain.  Same minimal symptoms and same vague complaints.  Again, we rehabbed her and after a few months, off she went.  The next year, back pain.  Same thing.  A few years later, shoulder pain again.  A sprained ankle...a twisted knee...a broken wrist.  Nothing really major and it all seemed to resolve within a few months of PT.

During all of this therapy, we got to know her family as well.  Her oldest brother brought her to a lot of appointments and eventually interned as a PT student at our clinic and just graduated with a doctorate in PT.  I see her mom and dad out and about from time to time and they are always so thankful for all we have done.  Anyway...I always was a little unsure about her complaints.  I did not want to call her a liar, but maybe a little of a drama-queen,  maybe a little attention seeking?????  Maybe????  But all in all, very sweet and kind and I really watched her grow up over the years.

Fast forward to last year.  She was a senior and set to graduate from high school.  I saw her in the stands at a football game in the Fall and she gave me a big smile and a wave as she cheered her team on.  Then in the Spring, I heard she was sick.  Then I heard she was really sick.  Then really, really sick.  I attended her school's graduation and I saw her name on the list even though I knew she did not attend school most of the Spring of her senior year due to illness.  I saw her walk across the stage and I figured she had recovered and was back to normal.  Same ol, same ol, right ?  Wrong.  About a month after graduation, I ran into her at the grocery store.  She was bald.  I gasped before I could cover my reaction and said, "What did you do to your hair?"  I am ashamed to admit my first thought was that she was attention seeking again.
"I have cancer." she replied.  She then proceeded to tell me the nightmare she had been living through.  She had been through hell and back and was waiting on blood tests to tell if she was in remission or not.  All before the age of 18.

I know she is one of many children who fight the cancer fight.  They are all so brave.  Such courage at such a young age.

I started this post by telling you that the patients who have touched my heart are the ones who have taught me a lesson.  The lesson #208 taught me is to keep an open mind.  Don't discredit people and assume they are putting on, no matter their age.  It also taught me to keep an open line of communication with my children and teach them to be honest about problems that they are having.  Not to dismiss their reports of pain (unless it is Zachary and it is only when we are doing homework :)  Love you Z), and to be aware of problems that don't go away and don't necessarily make sense.  It taught me to not self diagnose, but to take them to doctors who are trained to diagnose.  Contrary to what many people believe, you are not a doctor because of something you read on the Internet.

So anyway, that is #208, one of my patients close to my heart.  I pray for her and her family that she will continue to have the strength to fight.