A patient was brought up to Endoscopy today to have a PEG (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy) feed fitted. He is unable to swallow for himself and is currently being fed through an NG tube. However, due to his circumstances the Consultant felt it would be more appropriate for him to have a PEG.
The patient is a University student from another area of the country, bought here because his parents live locally. Several weeks ago he fell 9ft and landed on concrete. Obviously, he suffered massive head injuries. Currently he is responsive when spoken to, is able to look around the room and although he can move all four limbs, his mobility is severely limited. He is unable to speak.
By his bed on the ward he has photographs of his Uni friends and his housemates. It broke my heart to see how unwell he was. It's at times like this that you wish you had some magic cure to put everything right. But the best I could do for him was to protect his dignity - clean his face after the procedure, change and straighten out his bedding, and try to place him in a comfortable position. All the negative elements of the job completely fade away when you meet a patient who is really in need of your care.
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