The Toughest Patients: A Different Kind of Strength
When Tough Means Resilient
I have a lot of tough patients these days. Not the kind of tough that have trouble sitting still, difficulty following directions, or even feel like Vision Therapy might be a waste of time; quite the contrary. The kind of tough that shows itself when someone has been dealt a heart wrenching blow in life, and they fight, and they fight, and they fight as if their life depends on it; and in some cases, it does. The part that counts, anyway.
How do you tell an mid 20’s female with acute onset visual migraines, who has been forced to quit her job, and has reached a dead end with other medical professional that Vision Therapy might help? How do you tell a 31 year old with constant vertical diplopia, whose surgeon is now suggesting they “try something different” with a third surgery following a “touch up” procedure, to hold off because Vision Therapy might help? How do you tell a concussed 13 year old who was contemplating suicide after a basketball almost knocked her unconscious, and whose life was plenty challenging prior to her injury, to hold steady and try to keep the faith because Vision Therapy might help. How do you find the right words to help any of these people?
I’m not sure either.
The Weight of Responsibility
To say that I have quite a few tough patients really has become a double entendre. They are resilient human beings, whose visual needs require nothing less than my full attention (and occasionally suppressed panic), to help them locate a better quality of life. There’s an old adage about the more you know the more you realize you have to learn; that's where you'll find me these days.
The Role of Exploration in Healing
An important factor that I am reminded of in times like these is the idea of exploration, and its importance in the way we live. Take Lewis and Clark, for instance. They travelled thousands of miles by boat and on foot, surveyed many landscapes and rivers in the United States, crossed the Continental Divide and eventually reached the Pacific Ocean. They took on this exploration with zero guarantee of success, much less survival. Yet they set out, one step at a time, managing each challenge the best they could in the moment, with a full understanding that the end point, their proverbial 'finish line', would remain unknown. It's a parable for life...and Vision Therapy.
A Choice We All Must Make
Many of the patients that seek out Vision Therapy are looking for help, or even the finish line that guarantees success. While we cannot offer them absolutes, what we can do is take one step at a time, managing each challenge the best they can in the moment, with a full understanding that the end point, our own finish line, will remain unknown. How determined we are to get there... well, that remains a choice open to all of us.
I hope to choose wisely.
Cheers!
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