relativity

being sick sucks.  it's a wait-and-see sort of game to find out when the nasty bug that's decided to wrestle with your innards will finally give up.  i think my immune system is finally getting the upper hand, but i haven't yet begun to hear the fat lady clearing her throat...  being sick should make me realize how fortunate i am, and my family is, to have otherwise good health and to have each other to come home to every day.  working with sick and injured patients all the time, one would think i might appreciate this sort of thing daily.  but i suppose it's much like the plumber with leaky pipes at home, or the mechanic with a car that won't start, the day to day encounters with the infirm sometimes numbs us to some of the nasty sides of illness.

then there is the occasional wake up call that shocks me back to attention.  one of my "frequent fliers" was in last night after a bit too much to drink, a regular occurrence for him.  after a routine history and physical he asked if i could check on his wife who had been admitted a few days earlier.  he had been on his way to see her when he was "detoured" to our department for treatment.  one of my nurses said that during her visit a week earlier, he had been by her side, holding her hand, singing to her, and telling everyone who would listen how much he needed her.  a few phone calls later we learned that she had recently passed an hour or two earlier, but family and other staff had not been able to reach him.  my heart sank.  as we informed him of his wife's death, my little stomach bug and minor complaints seemed so trivial.  as i wrote up his discharge paperwork and sent him upstairs with the chaplain to say his final goodbye, i promised myself again to try and be more cognizant of just how blessed and fortunate we are, and that sometimes the little bad things in life can help keep us grounded.