The Touch

The day was as usual yet another busy day and it was already past midday when the nurse came peeping in at the HIV clinic at while I was examining a patient. I peer up from the case sheet and she was apologetic but told me that she had a case in the minor operation theater. She had suspected that I should be there after the OPD. The day moved one and just after 2 pm that I finally manage to get up and out of my chamber and hurried on to the minor theater.

I walked in the room to see a handsome young man of mid twenties who stands above six feet looking quite anxious yet calm on the bed in the room. He told me that he had been having a lump on his thighs for over a week and had been postponing a visit to the doctor so many times as he was afraid. He had injected and was obvious there was some inflammation and the question being - does he need minor surgery. He was sitting on the examination bed as I examined him. I gave a gentle palpation and felt for temperature and tried to assess whether he needed an incision and drainage examination. I was busy with the examination oblivious of the happenings at the surroundings.

The nurses were quite and there was this silence in the room as I looked up at those eyes brimming with tears as they came pouring down. He cried and in a while sobbed gently and I apologize and asked him whether I hurt him as I examined him. He could not answer me immediately but indicated that I didn't and as I persuaded him he in a soft whisper said that rang loud and clear in my mind and those around me ...." You touched me...". It was then that I realised the power of touch and its amazing healing powers.

PS: He went on to tell me that ever since he tested HIV positive he has been outcast and some physicians would not even touch him while conducting examinations.