Tonight's picture was taken in September of 2005. I literally just found this photo tonight on our Shutterfly account. I have not seen this picture in YEARS! I frankly do not even remember this moment in time. Other than we took Mattie along the Potomac River to go in a row boat and to have a picnic. However, this was classic Mattie. Always looking for items that intrigued him. Many times the items came home with us. Clearly not in this particular case!
Quote of the day: Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs. ~ Leonardo da Vinci
I spent another full day at the hospital today doing more assessments. One thing about Virginia Hospital Center is that they really do try to make the torture as simple as possible. People tend to be professional, concerned about the patient experience, and therefore as a result you land up feeling better about the process. Naturally when not feeling well and anxious, one doesn't need much to be set over the edge. But in comparison to other hospitals, their professionalism matters and makes a difference. Though I like Georgetown for various reasons, they really need to learn a great deal from Virginia Hospital Center. Every time you deal with Georgetown and you interface with administrative staff in a doctor's office or radiology (my favorite nightmare!) they are either surely, attitudinal, or talking amongst themselves. So in a way, they make you feel like you are bothering them. It is a demeanor in the health care setting that I have NO tolerance for. When you aren't feeling well, the last thing you want to hear is chatting about people going on a date, living a normal life and the list goes on. This is a place of business and therefore I would hope they would be sensitive to those around them and why they came in for testing or to see the doctor.
I was talking to my friend today about the overall lack of psychosocial care within a hospital setting. Think about going for testing, whatever test it may be.... xray, ct scan, MRI, or Mammogram. Half the time you are told to comply, sit still and undergo procedures that you have no idea about. For example you may not know the length of time the scan will take, how contrast in scanning will make you feel, or how things are being assessed. This lack of information is daunting. No one should just be expected to comply without be educated about what they will be undergoing. That is part one of the problem. Then part two of the problem is what if you are given a result? What happens when you are told that you potentially have a cancerous mass?! Who is there to support you when you hear this news? Who helps you deal with this reality at that particular moment in time? The answer is NO ONE! You are on your own. I assure you when you are told that you or someone you love has cancer, it is traumatizing and to me it is unconscionable that the medical profession sees no problem dumping this news on us without taking the responsibility for how this might be perceived!
I may go through all the testing and look compliant, but do they really know how anxious I am? That I went through cancer with Mattie and lost him after 14 months? The answer is also NO, and frankly I am not sure they care! There isn't time to care and they aren't being paid to care. They are being paid to test, diagnosis and treat. Treat with medicine, however, there is a whole other part of us that is being negated in this process.... our psychological, emotional, and social side.
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