DOCTOR VICTOR STOP CRYING; YOU DID YOUR BEST FOR THE PATIENT

*"DOCTOR VICTOR STOP CRYING; YOU DID YOUR BEST FOR THE PATIENT: 

*THIS ARTICLE IS DEDICATED TO ALL DEDICATED DOCTORS AND HEALTH WORKERS WORLDWIDE.*

Today's story from inside my consulting room is unique because it happened to the least expected person,a medical doctor, the *Mighty Doctors*gods among mortals*life-savers* as the patients and the people see us,forgetting that we are so mortal like them,forgetting that we go through the same life trials like them,forgetting that life does not spare us its troubles because we are medical doctors. In fact I will say dedicated doctors and health workers are more prone to psychological problems than the general population because of human *sufferings, trials and frailties* we see every day. If you are dedicated and compassionate as a medical doctor,then you must be very strong emotionally not to allow what I call failures to *save* your patients, get to you. It is on this note i tell you this story this morning. I have the permission of Doctor Victor to share with you this touching story.

I was on my way to work that morning though I was not feeling too well myself. I was on antimalaria drugs. I would have taken sick leave but many doctors had gone on leave in the department already so if I went on another leave, it would really affect the number of patients we could attend to.

I received a call from one of my patients asking if I was in the hospital so that he could come and see me he was not feeling fine. As I answered him on phone he noticed my voice was cracking somehow so he asked me "Dr Ade you sound somehow like you are not feeling fine" I answered him yes I am having malaria. I am on antimalarial drugs."

He jokingly laughed and said "sorry o so you doctors too fall sick?I thought you people were immune or better still the sicknesses already knew you people as their boss they dont come near you people." I mustered strength to laugh and answer him "we are not gods o,neither are we immortal, doctors fall sick,doctors die,we develop cancers,we develop depression,we have hypertension.In fact many times it is even worse as many of us forget to do check up on our health every day,every week and every year. 

We do forget our lives, busy saving other lives. We do forget *to check even the basic tests* until we come down with high blood pressure or stroke or high blood sugar. This is our story as medical doctors. It is unbelievable to tell you that we dont even have enough time to *do exercise and* get those  benefits that  we *counsel* and *educate* people to keep doing and *getting* the benefits. A *typical* medical doctor gets to work 7am, *enters* theatre, *starts* operation, *do* like 7 operations, finishes around 4 pm *and* if he is the same doctor on evening call that day, he continues attending to patients till 8 am the following day. 

Then *he rushes to take his bath in one bathroom inside the hospital and continues that day's work without going home and no* break fast until later in the afternoon. This is the fate and plight of so many doctors all over the world. Do you know if the call is a weekend call the doctor continues this marathon of not going home till monday evening of following week and may not even get enough good food to eat." 

The patient was really touched but jokingly again said "wow sorry o Dr Ade but you people's money is heavy alert so it will make up for all the stress." I laughed at the issue of medical doctors getting heavy money alerts. I told him I said "may be in some countries like Saudi Arabia or like canada or united states, medical doctors' remuneration and  conditions of service are far better than developing countries that are in a sorry state. Local government chairmen in Nigeria will buy a medical doctor with all his family and he will feed them for 10 years without stepping into any office to work. Not to talk of governors,senators or president and their appointees at local,state and federal government levels.

 He was shocked . He asked in amazement "doctor you dont mean it? I think *politicians collect almost the same amount of money you doctors collect.*" I laughed out loud again and  still laughing as I entered the hospital that morning. I ended the discussion with him by telling him "We are like you patients in all ramifications, the only edge we have over you is our knowledge of the diseases and the cure we apply to ourselves but despite this,we still fall like all mortals sir." The patient actually felt for me.He greeted me passionately. Wishing me quick recovery. He bid me temporary good bye till we would see later.

I got to my office area. Despite my not feeling too well, hundreds of patients were already sitting in the waiting area in front of my office. They were so happy to see me that I had come to save their lives whereas I was struggling to save mine too. This is the irony of life of many medical doctors. They all heartily greeted me "Dr Ade good morning, you are highly welcome sir. How is family?". Some had even stood up to start telling me one thing or the other before I even opened my door to drop my bag. As I was listening to some of them with side complaints before I started the day work, I saw the matron arranging them, shouting at the top of her voice, same with the the medical records personnel trying to organise and control the crowd. I sighed I said God this is the situation in our various hospitals all over the nation, every day. What do you think it would be? when 200 million people wait for 40,000 medical doctors to attend to them. So you can begin to imagine the health gap. *It is really heart breaking and shattering.* 

I entered my office to drop my bag and quickly checked on my colleague who was on call overnight, his name was Dr Victor. At least let me hear how the overnight call went with him. Hope he was able to have a little rest. As I got to the delivery room, I saw him running up and down to save the life of one pregnant woman who delivered twins at home and was rushed down to the hospital bleeding seriously. I joined him in running from pillar to post . I joined him in raising more bags of  blood to transfuse to the woman.  We were rushing her to the theartre,calling Anasthetists, to get ready for the emergency. Everybody was doing all they could in their own fields to save this patient's life.

Tranfusion of blood was ongoing as we were trying to stop the bleeding. Drips were being given. Drugs to close the womb were being given. We were checking for any  tears in her birth canal. Patient started losing consciousness due to the huge amount of blood she had lost after the delivery at home and on her way to hospital in hold up. The patient had 9 children before this twin delivery, making it 11 children. We tried all we could do in the ward. Then we rushed her to the theatre considering the option of removing her womb since all the ways to stop the bleeding didn't work, our last option was to remove her womb to save her life. As we entered  theatre, before we could even raise a knife,she breathed her last. The silence was loud. The sorrow was heavy.Everything came to an halt. The long silence was broken by Dr Victor crying. He broke down in tears. Everybody's eyes fixed on the empathic doctor,who did all he could do to save the life of a mother of 11 but lost the battle. I said *"DOCTOR VICTOR STOP CRYING YOU DID YOUR BEST"*. He was unconsolable. 

He started telling me all the efforts he made since the patient was brought 4 hours earlier. How he had gone to blood bank more than 11 times.How he had run to pharmacy to get drips and injection drugs himself to save time. How he had called many other doctors for help for blood donation. The patient took up to 6 blood bags before succumbing to the call of nature.I held his hands and took him to my consulting room.I counselled him and deeply felt for him.I pleaded with him to go home and rest. The rest of us continued the day work. As Dr Victor stepped out of my consulting room to go home, many lessons engulfed my mind both from my feeling sick and still working; to the frustration of Dr victor not being able to save that woman.

Let me share the lessons with you

Lesson number 1: 

Many doctors and other health workers I have met in the course of my training and practice have human feelings. They sacrifice their lives everyday in exchange for their patients. They sacrifice their family time to save other families. May God bless all the DEDICATED doctors and health workers worlwide who truly sacrifice daily to keep others sound and safe.

Lesson number 2:

This is my admonition to all doctors and other health workers all over the world. Please do your best to save your patients and stay with them till the end if the end has indeed come. There are some battles you will not win,learn to know and live with this. Even if you will love to save all,some will still go because destiny call must be answered. So please learn to accept what you can't change. Learn to let go when the maker said no and dont see it as a failure on your part as far as you have done your best. The best of doctor cannot stop death when God has said time up. 

Lesson number 3:

Doctors and other health workers,learn to attend to your own health in order to be alive for your patients. A dead doctor cannot save a sick patient.If you are sick, see other doctors and present yourself as a patient and stop self treatment. Be taken care of. You also have family that their lives and livelihood depend on you. 

Lesson number 4:

Patients please stop attributing God's status to doctors and other health workers. They are as human as you. The fall. They fail. They cry. They mourn. They are not immune to any diseases you are prone to. Doctors die of cancer, depression and stroke.

Please patients, care for your doctors too especially when they at their lows. Show that you too care about them,not only one way. Doctors appreciate caring patients too.

Thank you for your time for reading this true life story. I hope you have learnt one or two lessons from it.

(You can equally add other lessons you have personally learnt from the story)

Share this true life story  with your family and friends.