A Sign

I don't want to suddenly post a very spiritual entry, but I just wanted to share what happened today. Just another sign, methinks, of the Guy upstairs watching over you, and giving you exactly what you need.

It's been a busy call week, with some challenging patients. Perhaps in part some in the hospital happened to be people I have known for years. Some very sick DKAs. Marked hypercalcemia 17.5 mg/dL. And huge pituitary macros. Stuff like that.

With one particularly sick patient, I had been fretting and worrying over her. It's true what they say- doctors do take their work home with them, and I had a very restless night thinking about her, second guessing my treatment plan, and worried she was going to deteriorate.

And so, as I was finishing up rounds in Hospital A, and walked out to the carpark to drive to Hospital B, a random stranger stopped me.

"Are you Dr. Vagus?" she asked.

I nodded, somewhat confused.

She gave me a bearhug and got teary-eyed.

"You saved my husband's life 4 years ago. You saw him and diagnosed him with that pheochromocytoma, and got him stable enough to have surgery. It has been years, but we think about you often, and how grateful we are to have had you...."

I was somewhat flabbergasted- at how she recognized me from 4 years ago, and was humbled by her words. But what I was most shocked with was how, on this day when I felt like I had all the burdens of the world on my shoulder, how breathing literally caused my heart to ache from the worries, how timely it was to have someone come and just with those words, suddenly make those worries and fears evaporate. It was exactly what I needed, and I do believe it was more than coincidence. That this was some divine intervention.

I thanked her for the kind words, and asked about her family. I then walked to my car, shut the door, and for those 10 seconds, just let some tears come down.

And just like that, I felt better.

There is a God. I'm sure of it.