Doctor Shares Heartbreaking Story About How He Never Received 'Fourth Laddu' From His Patient As He Died
The fourth laddu is a traditional Indian sweet that holds special significance in the culture. It's often associated with celebrations, joy, and happy moments. However, for one doctor, the fourth laddu represents a bittersweet memory of a friend named Paul who had passed away.??
Dr. Abby Philips, nicknamed TheLiverDoc (@theliverdr), shared a heartfelt post on treating a patient with alcohol use disorder. The heartbreaking post discusses the effects of alcoholism on a family and a doctor's life.
The doctor's story highlights the importance of small gestures and their significance in our lives. It's a reminder that even the smallest things can hold great value and meaning. It also emphasises the importance of cherishing the moments we have with our loved ones, as we never know when they will be taken away from us.
Doctor Never Received The Fourth Laddu From Paul Because He Died
The story is shared by TheLiverDoc on his Twitter handle, along with the lost post in which he described the situation of Paul and his family. The post goes like this:??
"The 4th Laddu.
These 3 laddus were given to me by the wife of my patient on his birthday, a few weeks before.
She was now happy and the family was doing good for themselves.
My patient Paul suffered from alcohol use disorder. He had been drinking for more than 15y. Three months back, he developed severe alcohol-related hepatitis. Jaundiced, with abdominal fluid, blood infection, and disoriented, he was transferred to our Unit for expert management & liver transplant.
A liver transplant was not an option from the outset. Paul owned a small provisions and bakery shop, had two girls, aged 5y and 9y, and his wife worked part-time errands but quit after the girls were born. They did not have enough money to evaluate Paul for the transplant.
So we put him on antibiotics, cleared the infection, and put him on a salvage stool transplant to increase his life.?
He responded to it. Alcohol-related hepatitis resolved and he went back to being a stable cirrhosis patient. We put him on a psychiatry program to prevent relapse. He did well. For 3 months. Then stopped coming to my OPD and started drinking again. Initially 300ml/d and then almost a liter/d.?
Paul's cousins dragged him to my outpatient department one day and I got to know his relapse was bad. He had stopped meds and was back with his "good friends." He paid for everyone's drinks. I spoke to Paul and told him that it was a disease, he needed help, his friends were not real and his daughters needed a father. He cried a lot and told me alcohol was more an attractive option than anything else. He agreed to deaddiction again and went back into the protocol and also went back to drinking.
Hospital visits and medicines and expenses for buying alcohol for himself and his friends were getting a big deal. One day his wife comes in alone and tells me not to get him better again. He gets better, he goes back to drinking and we lose a lot of money. Let him remain a little sick so that we will somehow earn enough from the store to get through. He will be home and I can work at the shop and provide for everyone.?
After a couple of months, after a severe binge, he developed severe alcohol-related hepatitis again. This time, it was worse. His kidneys were injured. The family denied admission. They had no money to spare. It would have to come from the daughter's education, the mother had kept aside. They lived very far. Almost 400km from where I worked.
For the next 2 weeks, I regularly prescribed medicines, made suggestions to reduce symptoms, and comforted the family over the phone, while Paul was treated at home. A good physician nearby their home would administer antibiotics and fluids to Paul as he got sicker.
Paul died at home on the 18th day after I diagnosed him with recurrent alcohol-related hepatitis.
Three months after his death, his wife came all the way to visit me, on Paul's birthday, to give me sweets. Three Laddus. One from her and two from the daughters. Because I never stigmatized her or Paul. I did not make her look like a failure. I never blamed her or Paul for his disease. I never shouted at Paul for his behavior. They were free now. The girls went to school and the wife was now running the shop well.
But all I could think about was that fourth Laddu. The one I never received from Paul, because he died. A woman lost her husband, two bright young children lost their father. All three lives are broken and a void that can never be filled.
I never advise anyone to even consume alcohol occasionally even if they are in the pink of their health. I don't advise alcohol in moderation. I don't, because I have post-traumatic stress disorder from seeing families get shattered into a million little pieces due to alcohol."
Let's Check Out Heart Touching Comments By The Netizens
The post has been shared on Twitter, and till now it has gotten 742.3K views, 1,444 retweets, 171 quotes, 6,249 likes, and 490 bookmarks. The doctor's lengthy Twitter post warmed many people's hearts, and many others praised him.
One user commented, "This is so heartwarming." Thank you for your contribution. Alcoholism is a worldwide scourge. Your writings should be read all across the world. I'll see if any of your posts can be translated into Arabic.
Another person stated, "Doctors suffer their patients." Anyone who claims to be so objective that they can completely detach from human suffering and pain, I'm curious how they do it. I'm sure I have a few hundred patients who reside in my thoughts all the time.
Another person said, "Wonderfully narrated." I understand your anguish. It's difficult to write like way without feeling compassion. Congratulations.
Another person responded, "You're a good man, Doc." Maintain a positive attitude and do good. We have very few people like you around who are prepared to speak up against the establishment.
?What do you think about it? Do let us know in the comments.
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