Therapeutic touch

Being in an oncology ward allows me to walk through some of the most painful and scary moments with my patients. I was allowed to see the disease process... how it slowly ate up the life of my patients... the worries, the fear, the pain...

Patient A came in for IO ?mets. She was a case of mets CA breast. It happened that I was on night that day. Call bell kept ringing throughout the night. Everytime it rang, I was the one to answer it. Her complain was always the same. Insomnia and pain. I did a mini assesment for her. Gave her some medications to relieve the pain and to allow her to sleep more easily. However, it was not much of effect. Soon, her breathing became laboured because of the pain she was feeling. There wasn't much I could do for her, except to sit beside her and to hold her. I knew that by doing so, I would be behind schedule and would have to rush my reports and documentations later on. But that didn't bother me. I knew my patient needed a pair of sympathetic ears and that to me was more important than all that documentations right now. And so, I sat there, giving that therapeutic touch as I listened to her talk about her pain, discomfort and worries. I felt a prompting to pray for her. Asking if I could do so and upon obtaining her permission, I laid my hands on her abdomen and back (which was hurting) and prayed for her right there in the middle of the night. She recieved the prayer and thanked me after that. I was pleasantly surprised because she was a muslim.

Going back to check on her later on, I thanked God that my little prayer was answered :) Her pain score dropped to 0 (meaning no more pain) and she was able to go to sleep! Praise the Lord! Waking up a while later, she asked for my name. Thereafter, she thanked me. My heart was pleasantly touched as very few patients would actually ask for and remember a nurse's name. I thank God for granting me this opportunity to be there for my patient in her moments of pain and suffering.

Soon after, she showed signs of death. All the staff knew that she would be going very soon. I just thank God I had the opportunity to show her a little of God's love that night. I pray too that she may somehow know of the hope in Christ Jesus before she slips into eternity...