reflective journal 3

DAY 3 (November 6, 2012)

  

I was on the process of doing an interview with my patient, clarifying some things regarding his health perception, when he told me that he knew that he has diabetes since long time, and I can see how he is feeling sad about it. Probably, when he was diagnosed with such condition, it was his “wake up call”.

We do value different wake-up call in life. There are significant events which shake us and give us the realization that there is something wrong. There comes a certain point in our life that we are forced to change. Sometimes we tend to live life the way we wanted it to be not remembering that there are some limitations in what we can and must do. Just like in the case of the people who were diagnosed with health disorders. Once they knew for the first time that they have this kind of disease/condition, whatever it is, it might influence them to change their lifestyle and reflect what had gone wrong with the way they live their life. Sometimes, we thought that we are living a perfect life and nothing could go wrong but in reality that is not the case.

I remember when my dad was stroked; I was in my second year the time it happened. I clearly remembered how I felt that time. I was devastated. I feel like I was in an unfamiliar place and I was asking myself whether this is really happening. I was hoping that this will end and that we will be able to live the life we are living and nothing will be change. Of course I was wrong. I was force to face the reality that after that event, life will be different for my dad and for us as a family. I was feeling sorry for him. I wanted to blame him for being so irresponsible and for not taking care of his health. But who am I to do that, in fact I was also blaming myself for what happened. If only I could do something. It was a horrible wake up call for me because he was my source of strength and with what happened I knew it was my turn to be strong for him.

My patient undergone debridement of the gangrenous lesion in his right heel. Although no matter how many times he was given this kind of wake-up call, I just hope that he will value it this time before he will feel sorry in the end.

Charo Adame