A Patient’s Final Days

This Is Going to Hurt

This flow traces Kay’s connection with a terminally ill patient and his choice to offer presence when he cannot offer a cure.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

A Familiar Patient A Familiar Patient from "This Is Going to Hurt". A Familiar Patient Returning to the ward While completing notes for another doctor, Adam Kay checks on a patient he once saw in A&E.

A Familiar Patient from "This Is Going to Hurt". A Familiar Patient Returning to the ward While completing notes for another doctor, Adam Kay checks on a patient he once saw in A&E.

A Familiar Patient Returning to the ward While completing notes for another doctor, Adam Kay checks on a patient he once saw in A&E. He learns that she has cancer and only a few months to live. Recognition and regret Kay had suspected serious illness earlier but avoided naming it, fearing that one word could overwhelm everything else. The encounter forces him to confront the limits of cautious communication.

The Future She Will Miss The Future She Will Miss from "This Is Going to Hurt". The Future She Will Miss Grief made specific The patient cries as she speaks of her son’s graduation, her daughter’s marriage, and grandchildren she will never…

The Future She Will Miss from "This Is Going to Hurt". The Future She Will Miss Grief made specific The patient cries as she speaks of her son’s graduation, her daughter’s marriage, and grandchildren she will never…

The Future She Will Miss Grief made specific The patient cries as she speaks of her son’s graduation, her daughter’s marriage, and grandchildren she will never meet. She worries that her husband cannot manage the boiler. Humour beside sorrow She laughs while describing the future being taken from her, and Kay laughs with her. Neither pretends that the illness will end well; honest company becomes the useful response.

Practical Conversation Practical Conversation from "This Is Going to Hurt". Practical Conversation Making room to speak Kay and the patient discuss ordinary practical concerns.

Practical Conversation from "This Is Going to Hurt". Practical Conversation Making room to speak Kay and the patient discuss ordinary practical concerns.

Practical Conversation Making room to speak Kay and the patient discuss ordinary practical concerns. As she voices her worries, he sees that talking itself may be helping her. A lasting effect He suspects he may be the first person with whom she has spoken openly about the diagnosis. On his way home, the conversation prompts him to call his mother and say he loves her.

The Patient’s Funeral The Patient’s Funeral from "This Is Going to Hurt". The Patient’s Funeral A decision to attend Kay is deeply upset when his favourite patient dies.

The Patient’s Funeral from "This Is Going to Hurt". The Patient’s Funeral A decision to attend Kay is deeply upset when his favourite patient dies.

The Patient’s Funeral A decision to attend Kay is deeply upset when his favourite patient dies. He swaps shifts and tells his boss that he intends to attend the funeral. Professional distance challenged His boss says he cannot go, reflecting the expectation that doctors should not become too close to patients. Kay suspects death can be treated as a professional failure that people would rather keep at a distance.

A Personal Goodbye A Personal Goodbye from "This Is Going to Hurt". A Personal Goodbye Attendance despite refusal Kay attends the funeral despite his boss’s objection.

A Personal Goodbye from "This Is Going to Hurt". A Personal Goodbye Attendance despite refusal Kay attends the funeral despite his boss’s objection.

A Personal Goodbye Attendance despite refusal Kay attends the funeral despite his boss’s objection. The service feels right to him, and he is glad to be there for the family and friends he came to know on the ward. Connection acknowledged His attendance affirms that professional care can leave genuine human attachments. A joke at the story’s end releases tension without undoing the sincerity of the farewell.

21 July 2006

Later on 21 July 2006

January 2007

29 January 2007