Old man and his dentures

 

 During the BC (BEFORE COVID) era, Neurology OPD in our hospital was a busy place with patients flocking every nook and corner of the OPD .The doctor, on the other hand possessed only his table and chair as his own. As a first year resident I was usually the first among the doctors starting the OPD. At around 6 months into my residency, I started to notice an old man among the first patients sitting right in front of the doctors table. He looked cunningly cheerful and always flaunted a bright smile exposing his artificial dentures. As soon as I took my seat, he would give his opening statement, “why are you late doctor, we were waiting for a long time.” This was appreciated well by the audience around, by their smiles and giggles, elevating him to the status of the common man’s hero who had the steel nerves to question the authority. I would find myself in a pickle- without a comeback that’s strong enough to win the argument and soft enough not to ruffle his feathers. During history taking and examination, he would go about telling his experiences here. After I diagnose and prescribe, he would yield his killing blow,” doctor, have you prescribed costly medicines that are not available here?” this would again be rewarded with giggles and positive head nods. This was a common practice during his monthly visits. I would always reply his taunts with a helpless smile but the cauldron was boiling inside. When the first patient of the day destroyed you, it was usually difficult to continue the day on high note and this ended up spoiling my day.

 After the floods, when the OPD was slowing regaining its old strength, I kept searching for this old man among the patients, I wondered what had happened to him and whether he had relocated. I started looking for the man who had teased and irritated me but deep inside I missed his smile. I understood a doctor patient relationship had given birth during the chaos. It was about two months later when I gain saw him, a sight which filled in me with so much joy that his teases were actually like old friends pulling each other’s legs. He was keeping well but had to miss the appointments due to personal reasons. After his routine medications were written and before he could speak, I answered with a grin, “yes, all these medicines are available here.”

The unforgettable day came soon after when during our usual chit chat. He said,” Doctor, I come early because I want to see you and not any senior doctor. I am satisfied only after I see you and talk to you.” The same audience heard it, was astonished and their head nods had less vigour. That day was an eye opener for me. A patient whom I disliked, whom I considered as an irritable patient actually loved me a lot as a doctor. I understood that doctor patient relation is a sophisticated slow growing love which cannot be matched by money or rewards. Such relations have become sparse in this time due to unnecessary tangles of greed, legality and consumer mentality. I now understand that even though his dentures were artificial, his smiles were truly from the heart with an icing of warmth and love. Even though I frantically search for his face in the OPD during these Covid times, I am sure he will survive this pandemic and once again greet me with his smile and dentures