“Yes! You’re the medical lady,” he said.
“Do you remember me doing an exam on you?”
“Yes,” he calmly replied. Hallelujah! He was awake and alert and talking. The ECT had worked!
“Are you in any pain?” I asked.
“No,” he replied. I felt positively giddy. It was an awakening of the sort shown in the movie with Robin Williams and Robert De Niro. I was amazed at the degree of Kevin’s recovery, after only a few treatments.
When I left Kevin that day, I shook his hand and grinned at him like a girl with a high school crush. As I held his hand, I felt his thumb move over mine, and I looked down. Could it be that he was trying to thumb-wrestle me?
What a wonderful game we had! I let him win, and he let out a hearty laugh and grinned right back at me.
This was one of the best days in my career as a PA. Kevin’s case serves as a reminder that even in seemingly hopeless cases, including patients others have given up on, proper treatment and attention can work miracles.