The great Aristotle once wrote that “The more you know, the more you know you do not know.” For me, the more experience I gain, the more I realize my limitations. People who know me well, know that I do not lack confidence. I try not to be arrogant but I do my best to assure myself that I can be a force for good in this world. That saying, I must confess that no matter how much I may want to make everyone better, there are just some people that I cannot help.
Recently, I had a patient come in that I hadn’t seen in a couple of years. She did not come in for an adjustment. She came in to explain why I couldn’t help her. You see, back then I gave her several adjustments which provided little to no relief and then she started heading south so she discontinued care. As a doctor, that is the most helpless feeling. It is made significantly worse when there is no explanation why. In her case, she was born with a birth defect called a Chiari Malformation where the lower part of the brain drops below the skull. This can lead to a syringomelia, a pocket of fluid in the spinal cord which can be very painful and dangerous. Anyway, this was never mentioned in her MRI report from years earlier. The neuro/spine specialist that she saw some time after seeing me saw it on the MRI. This little bit of information explained everything. I am grateful she came in and shared that with me.
There will always be conditions that are too far advanced for me to help. I don’t like it, but that is the way it is. We do not always know when a condition is beyond help until after we have tried. I have had many patients with serious back pain come in and ask if I can help. As a chiropractor, I know I can adjust them. In most cases, this will help in the healing process. At the very least, it is a conservative start. Most patients get better and we can manage. Others do not. I have recommended MRI’s and surgery when it is beyond my help. For the most part, those patients have seen good results and have come back to me for care after their surgeries.
Finally, there are people who either do not really want to be helped or have unrealistic expectations of how long and what it will take to heal. Healing takes time and effort. One adjustment can make a big difference in how a patient feels but it does not mean that their injury has healed. Consistent care is tantamount to healing properly. Likewise, just because there is still pain, it does not mean that injury is not healing. Pain can be tricky and is not a very good indicator of the level of damage.
In short, I sleep at night knowing that I do my best to help others live healthier lives. There are always challenges and there will be people that despite my knowledge, skills, and determination, I cannot help. For those people, I am sorry. I feel bad for you and hope there is some one out there with the answers and approach to help you in your journey.
***Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash