Still Wondering

Still Wondering

Tim Owens

3/24/2020

A week or so ago I made a post and called it wondering. I was wondering
why we had lost so many services over the years and where did they go? At
some point you do come to realize that the restraints placed on us actually
prohibit good quality patient care and can chase our patients away. I've
been wondering all week. Not so much about the state of our industry, but
about me. I'm wondering, why did I keep doing this? I can look back and
remember individual patients and events that for some reason had an impact
on me. I don't know why, but there are obscure moments that can return like
a video playing in my head. There are hundreds of them. I remember one of
them that took place when I was about 35.

In our facility we have always had a large inpatient service. We had
developed a system where each practitioner was on call for a 24 hour period
one day a week. It was my day and everything was running very smooth. The
hospital calls were coming in about every hour and that was a good pace.
Towards the end of the day things started picking up and it soon became
apparent that I would not be going home at 5:00. When there were left
over calls, I preferred to do the difficult ones first saving the easier
for last. After all I didn't want to be casting a TLSO as the last thing of
the day when I was tired. Starting at 4:00 there were 5 patients yet to be
seen. It appeared that there was about 3 hours left in the day. Things
were running to plan and if I didn't stop to get dinner in the hospital, I
would be able to eat at home. Things didn't go according to plan and it
seemed like the demons of slow were staying just a pace ahead of me.

The first one the list was a new TLSO patient. Normally I could cast a TLSO
and be on my way in 40 minutes. Things were going well. I set up for the
casting while I was explaining to the patient and family about the TLSO and
why their physician had placed the order. I had started rolling plaster,
the family members that wanted to stay were asking curious questions about
the process of getting the brace and what would it look like. Like so many
before they had no idea where these things came from. The patient of course
was just taking it all in. It seems he had just had his spine fused the day
before and didn't find the process as interesting as the others in the room.
The anterior shell was now hard and it was time to find the nurse and roll
him supine. That's when the first demon of slow showed up. As soon as the
nurse came in the room he announced to her that he really, really needed a
bed pan. Well, she clears the room. I removed the cast, helped roll him
onto the bed pan and then went to stand in the hall with the rest of the
family. Wonderful! After an insightful conversation with the uncle who
just happened to be an engineer who designed the perfect spine brace in the
5 minutes he had been introduced to the study of orthotics, I was able to
return and complete the casting. It was a little after 6:00 and there were
still 4 patients to see.

Fortunately, the next 3 buzzed by quickly and it was about 8:30 when I
started for the last patient of the day. Walking to the room I was glad the
easiest job had been saved for last. I was tired and by this time very
hungry. The lights had been turned down in the hallways and visiting hours
were coming to an end. I stepped to into the nursing station, pulled the
patients chart and double checked the order. The patient was an 85 year old
female with L 4,5 compression fractures. All she needed was a corset. I
could fit corsets like the tire guy changes tires at an auto race. As I
walked towards the patients door, I practically had my car keys in my hand.
Knocking on the door, I pushed the it open. It was dark inside. A little
light followed me into the room and I could make out the silhouette of the
bed. Before I could say anything or turn on the light, the lady made a very
direct comment. You're a Christian, aren't you. I was a little surprised
by this. I didn't think I was wearing my Billy Graham tee shirt, and I was
pretty sure the one foot wood cross was still hanging on the mirror in the
car. At first I wasn't quite sure how to respond. No one had ever been so
direct with me on this subject. I had only one answer. Yes Mam I am.
She replied, I knew you were. Right before you came in I prayed that the
next person would be a Christian. I'm scared. I don't know what is next
for me. My family is gone and I need someone to talk and pray with me. I
pulled up a chair by the bed, sat down and for the next hour just listened.
At times she wanted to hold my hand. After awhile she looked at me and ask,
why did you come in here? I let her know that I was there to fit her with
the corset her doctor had ordered. It was then that she let me know she
already had one.

On the drive home I pondered what had just happened. Looking back, the
events that lead up to the 8:30 arrival time to her room, now seemed
planned. I became a firm believer in divine appointments that night. They
happen to us all the time. The problem is that we are often too busy to
recognize them. I'm convinced the Lord sent me to be with her at that
moment. But, that moment was also for me. Because of the nature of
orthotics and prosthetics, these opportunities present themselves all the
time. There are so many ways for us to have an impact on others beyond our
basic job. It's been 28 years and I still think of her. I never saw her
again.
 
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