Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Sometimes, just standing there is what patients really need

Val Jones, MD
Physician
February 18, 2016
Share
Tweet
Share

My newly admitted patient was at the end of a very long struggle with a devastating genetic disorder. He had been treated by some of the finest experts in America for his rare disease, and had come to my rehab unit for aggressive physical and occupational therapy. He was exhausted, but mustered the energy to tell me (probably the 100th physician to treat him) his complicated story.

Listening to this man, and examining his frail body, I realized that he had already explored every treatment option and avenue available. He had extensive conversations about his genetic variant, and which drugs could possibly modify his course. He had tried pretty much everything once, with little improvement. He told me that the team of experts at my hospital were rallying to repeat some of the costly treatments that had failed previously, to see if maybe this time they could make a difference.

As our eyes met, I realized that we both knew that these treatments were not worthwhile. I could see that he didn’t want to be “non-compliant” with his physicians’ recommendations, and was reluctantly willing to give their plans a shot. I knew that he needed to hear that it was OK to say “no.”

I took in a deep breath and voiced what we both knew to be true — there was no further need for IV medication. Now was the time to make the most of the function he had, to get him home with family support, and to focus on enjoying life rather than fighting a disease.

The relief brought him to tears. I began to put his socks back on his cold feet. He asked if I could leave them off.

I joked with him softly, “I guess your feet just want to be free.”

He smiled and nodded.

I didn’t order any tests or treatments, I just stood next to him in the moment.

And sometimes, that’s what a doctor is supposed to do.

Val Jones is founder and CEO, Better Health.  

Prev

How to boost your child's immune system the right way

February 18, 2016 Kevin 3
…
Next

What does it mean when a patient calls a doctor by his first name?

February 18, 2016 Kevin 65
…

Tagged as: Hospital-Based Medicine, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
How to boost your child's immune system the right way
Next Post >
What does it mean when a patient calls a doctor by his first name?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Val Jones, MD

  • To solve the overmedication problem, follow the physiatrists

    Val Jones, MD
  • Interested in being a locum tenens physician? Read this first.

    Val Jones, MD
  • Why physicians should not complain about school debt

    Val Jones, MD

Related Posts

  • Are patients using social media to attack physicians?

    David R. Stukus, MD
  • You are abandoning your patients if you are not active on social media

    Pat Rich
  • A physician was fired for standing up for his beliefs

    Jamie Katuna
  • Physician Suicide Awareness Day: Where are the patients? 

    Jennifer M. Sweeney
  • Expensive Medicare patients aren’t who you think

    Peter Ubel, MD
  • Here are some things that patients wish doctors knew

    R. Lynn Barnett

More in Physician

  • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

    Ryan McCarthy, MD
  • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

    Donald J. Murphy, MD
  • When service doesn’t mean another certification

    Maureen Gibbons, MD
  • Why so many physicians struggle to feel proud—even when they should

    Jessie Mahoney, MD
  • If I had to choose: Choosing the patient over the protocol

    Patrick Hudson, MD
  • How a TV drama exposed the hidden grief of doctors

    Lauren Weintraub, MD
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How functional precision oncology is revolutionizing cancer treatment [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

      BJ Ferguson | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How functional precision oncology is revolutionizing cancer treatment [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 3 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • How functional precision oncology is revolutionizing cancer treatment [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why physician voices matter in the fight against anti-LGBTQ+ laws

      BJ Ferguson | Policy
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • How functional precision oncology is revolutionizing cancer treatment [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Sometimes, just standing there is what patients really need
3 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...