The other night at work I sat in on a conversation between the attending PICU physician and my patient's parents in which they were discussing the plan of care and prognosis for the patient. The parents expressed absolute confidence that their son would experience a full recovery in spite of a serious head injury, stating that, "God is our doctor." The physician replied something along the lines of, "It's true there is a higher power at work here. Doctors in reality do very little for their patients. We manage what we can, but a lot of it is unpredictable and out of our hands. Outcomes often depend more on the individual and powers we can't control. With injuries like this, you just have to take it one day at a time and see what unfolds."
I have been thinking a lot about this lately, and finding comfort in the fact that I know what the physician said is true. Although I can't control a lot of things in life, in fact, most things, there is a God in Heaven who is aware of my situation, and all things will work out for my own good, even if I can't understand why some seemingly negative situations could possibly be for my own good.
To be honest, I'm not sure that the boy from work will make a "full" recovery. Realistically, he won't. Even mild traumatic brain injuries usually result in long term issues. But I could tell he and his family are going to do well overall. They will cope with whatever problems arise. I hope I can have their faith in spite of what the coming months may hold.
I love you, Shelly
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