I was assigned to take care of a gentleman who had end-stage cancer...he had just received the news. I was so nervous as I wasn't sure what to expect, how distraught he'd be, and not sure I'd find the right words. However, he was still up-beat, and kept a positive attitude. When I went to check his blood sugar, I stuck him 3 or four times and never got any blood. I didn't realize the lancet tip was not set to penetrate deep enough for my patient. I twisted the dial on the finger-stick lancing device and was able to test his sugar. He was a good sport about it....when I asked him how he could still be so positive, he responded "Well, being down about this won't change anything...so I better make the most of the time I have left...."

At the time I was glad to see he was taking the news rather well. After I left the hospital I was thinking about him again and wondered, "Was he really taking the news well or was he just putting up a brave front?" My instructor stated that just being present with a patient who is dying can be comforting and therapeutic. I wish I had dropped into his room again to make another assessment and spend a little more time with him.