Please Doc, Can You Help Me Get Home?
Louis M. Profeta MD
Just an Emergency Physician, author, public speaker, but mostly a father and a husband / LinkedIn Top Voice
The folds under his fiftyish-year-old eyes welled with tears, “Please, doc, help me get home . . . I miss my family and friends so much.” He pleaded with me and gently rubbed the side of his head where a large portion of his skull had been removed a few months prior to allow for his brain to swell. It had healed over and the now-misshapen appearance of his head seemed to have an almost infant-like resemblance to it.
I patted him on his shoulder. “We’ll get you back. You don’t have any family here?”
“No, they are all in Oklahoma, and my parents are dead and I have no children and I never been married. Doc, please help me get home. Can you help me get home? I’ve been here so long.” He begged again like a child wanting his favorite toy returned, or another scoop of ice cream.
“Do you remember what happened?” I asked. He stared at me and rubbed his head some more.
“They said I had a stroke, but I don’t know, they don’t tell me anything. I need to get home. I’ve been here so long. Can you help me get home?”
I rummaged through his nursing home chart, checked his old records, and made a few calls before returning to his room.
“I have good news. We’re going to get you back soon. You have surgery scheduled in about a week to put a big plate there across your skull.” He smiled a huge grin at news that had probably been told to him dozens of times before.
“Oh bless you, bless you . . . I love you all. You are amazing. Can I get something to eat? I am so hungry.” His eyes slowly started to sag again as if the batteries to his face were fading.
“Sure,” I said, “let’s see what we have.” I patted him on the shoulder once again on my way out of his room but he stopped me.
“Doc?” He looked down at his folded hands as if trying to think of where he had put his wallet, or perhaps the number of a now-forgotten friend. “I need to get home. Can you help me get home? I miss my family so much. They said I had a stroke, but they don’t tell me anything. I’ve been here so long. Can you help me get home?”
I nodded “yes.”
But I thought “no.”
Dr. Louis M. Profeta is an emergency physician practicing in Indianapolis and a member of the Indianapolis Forensic Services Board. He is a national award-winning writer, public speaker and one of LinkedIn's Top Voices and the author of the critically acclaimed book, The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God. Feedback at [email protected] is welcomed. For other publications and for speaking dates, go to louisprofeta.com. For college speaking inquiries, contact [email protected].
Freelance Proofreader and Scopist at Lindner Court Reporter Services
4 年You are an incredible writer. A brief story of a confused and afraid man, and you have me in tears.
Faculty/Senior Course Instructor II, Graduate Program at Western Governors University
4 年Something that many people do not know about me is that I suffered two stokes at the age of 46. It was the most terrifying thing that had every happened to me. For several days I did not even know what had happened to me as it took 5 days for me to be diagnosed as having the strokes versus severe migraines. I had no idea if I was going to recover to my old self and had to learn to deal with the reality of a new me and a new way of living. I was working on my PhD at the time and the strokes set me back for awhile but I was eventually able to complete my dissertation and graduate. My deficits were not externally noticeable to those who did not know me, but I fought to get through each day. I still suffer from bad headaches and dizziness among other things as well as the loss of 25% of my peripheral vision. Even the loss of some of your peripheral vision impacts you more that you would think. When I read about other stroke survivors my heart goes out to them. It is not something you can really explain to others but we have a special understanding of each other. Yes, people do not understand and often times can be cruel or dismiss how you feel. It is because they have not experienced suffering from a stroke, the depression, the anxiety, etc. It is something I would not wish on anyone! No one wants to walk in the shoes of a stroke survivor. But those who have know how devastating and terrifying it can be. For many it is not just dealing with a new reality, but also a loss of most or all that was dear to them. I was able to regain most of my life and am very grateful for that. However, I live with the fear of suffering another stroke some day and not being so lucky in my recovery. If you know someone who is a stroke survivor, try to gain a new understanding of what they may be dealing with on a daily basis. I know they will appreciate it!
Adult Geriatric Primary Care NP
4 年I have many dementia patients, and I delight in the several who are pleasantly demented, and not so tragic. I had two, years ago when I worked as a CNA, who would walk around, arm in arm, asking what deck they were on?!