My patient was in crisis. She was hospitalized because her cancer had recently spread from her lung to her lymph nodes, causing the blockage of her bile-draining duct. I entered her room when she was resting after having received a catheter to relieve her pain. While she usually appeared upbeat and optimistic, today, it was obvious she felt the opposite.
After having acknowledged the recent unfortunate events, I tried to reassure her by suggesting some other measures that could alleviate her discomfort. Today, however, she felt she would rather refrain from engaging in any conversation regarding her now-inevitable outcome. Her disease was terminal, and she understood.