I had a conversation with a patient today that was fun and joyful for both of us. However, there was a deeper message that resulted.
This gentleman was sharing with me about his younger brother who was an influence over their entire family. His brother became a paraplegic as a young man. There was nothing his brother could not do including building a ramp to get up and down in his wheel chair. My patient recalled the reaction his inspiring brother had to any statement made to him about his inability to do something. He took such comments always as a challenge and somehow found a way that “yes” he could in fact accomplish the task.
Fast forward to today and my patient is feeling despair that he has not been outdoors for 8 months and the growing sense of “cabin fever” he is experiencing. His home has steps up to every door which requires the ability to walk up and down. This is a task that is beyond his current physical stamina and ability.
My patient shared the depth of feeling and almost disgust he has at the fact that he no longer can count on his body to “perform” for him. Very recently, he had 3 successive falls in 3 days due to repeated episodes of low blood pressure. Fortunately, he did not sustain injuries as he basically slowly collapsed on the floor. However, he has had to face his limitations similar to his brother so many years prior.
Our conversation went on to explore what options could be there for him in spite of his physical limitations. We talked about how he could reopen the outside world to him if there was a ramp that was safe to exit and enter the home. We talked about what a difference a wheel chair would make once he was outdoors as he could actually be taken for a walk or even a car ride.
This opened up another issue he was facing. In his mind, a wheel chair was something his brother was forced to depend on. Yet my patient has always had two legs to serve him and was having great difficulty accepting this is no longer so.
I teasingly suggested the wheel chair would become his wings and he could again “fly” to a variety of locations of his choice around his own home inside and out. In that moment, he immediately let go of this resistance about having a wheel chair and with excitement told his wife: I want this nurse to order me a wheel chair!!
I suggest there can be value in any one of us exploring what might be stopping us in some way from “taking our wings and flying”? Ideas may flock to us opening up freedoms we did not believe were ours to have. Enjoy!!