He looked so good, I stopped at the open exam room door and turned back to the fellow and asked, “Is the patient in the bathroom?” “No, that’s him sitting there,” he said.
It is a Wednesday morning and I’ve made my usual trek to UCSF for our weekly Renal Grand Rounds. A drive to the BART train station. From BART to MUNI where I pick up the N-Judah bus, which drops me off in front of the medical center about 45 minutes after I’ve left my home.
My patient died today. Yesterday, from his Intensive Care Unit bed, he decided to prioritize his comfort over prolonging his life by any means necessary. The day before that he was still willing to allow “everything,” though he was writhing in pain.