I had a patient today, who was well and stable enough to go home. I thought it was difficult and overwhelming for me to figure out how to treat his cardiac issues. I did not realize until today that, that was only one piece of his illness.
This man is an illegal immigrant who is chronically ill and cannot work; and as a result lives meal to meal and is home less. Hospitals cannot discharge patient's to the street. That is neither an option on the form we fill out, nor the option your consciousness should allow.
And on top of it all he cannot afford his medication. He is not eligible for a government voucher, nor can he afford medical insurance or apply for it without a SSN.
This is a sickness.
He may have exacerbation of his heart failure which causes him to feel suffocated and unable to catch his breath and to make him feel as though a giant weight is on his chest. But that is 1 week of a disease manifestation. The social issues this man deals with are a life time of suffocation, of an insurmountable weight on his shoulders.
This is what my task is tomorrow, to help him sort out his life enough to find a safe and stable place to sleep and to get him the medications he needs; at least for a short while.
Cherish your life, because you have no idea how good the hand you were dealt really is.
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