My friend Doug’s doctor performed a routine test and gave him a routine warning that there was “always a chance of an infection.” A few days later
an ambulance took Doug to the emergency room
with a 106-degree temperature. He was in the hospital
four days and three nights.
A few days after the hospital discharged him,
he gave a brilliant, humorous speech at our Toastmasters
(public speaking) club. He told us that, “Most people think
patients in the hospital are not productive citizens.
They are away from work and they are not achieving and
producing.”
He held up a plastic urine receptacle with hash marks
to measure the cubic centimeters of urine production and said,
“Not true. We are productive.” “And our productivity is measurable
and is measured daily.” He explained how patients could
compete
for who was most “productive.” The empty IV bags and
urine cc counts were like battle ribbons.
His days and nights had a constant drip of interruptions for
blood tests, medicines, new IV bags, vital signs, doctor visits,
etc. He set a goal of getting one hour of uninterrupted sleep.
Like a good manager he told all the nurses about his goal
in hopes they would help him achieve it. On the third night
he finally achieved his goal.
His life threatening illness must have been frightening
to Doug and his family. Instead of brooding and catastrophising,
however, he played with other perspectives, like thinking of
being a patient as a competitive job. I am sure his humor and
perspective helped him recover faster.
Many people would brood over such an event and tell
and retell horror stories. Doug, however, quickly put an
upbeat spin on his experiences. I greatly admire his attitude and ingenuity.
You can do the same thing Doug did. Think of a difficult illness or injury you have experienced. Imagine telling a funny story
or giving a humorous speech about it. It can help transform
that experience into a comical memory. It can be a template
for handling any future illnesses or injuries. It can also be a
template for helping friends and family deal with illness and injuries.
People say, “Someday you will laugh about this.” Why wait?
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