Reflecting on a case of a &#8220;difficult patient&#8221; with paraplegia and severe tenesmoid pain. What can we learn out of this?

Zbigniew Zylicz

Vol 10, No 3-4 (2011)

Case reports

Published online: 2012-03-02

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Reflecting on a case of a “difficult patient” with paraplegia and severe tenesmoid pain. What can we learn out of this?

Zbigniew Zylicz

Advances in Palliative Medicine 2011;10(3-4):105-110.

Vol 10, No 3-4 (2011)

Case reports

Published online: 2012-03-02

Abstract

In this article I describe a “difficult patient”. An intelligent man, who became a cripple because of “benign” tumour of his spine. He became a paraplegic and became very much dependent of his wife and of us. He behaved awfully and nobody liked to help him. He sensed this. I analyse the psychology of this. He manipulated himself in the position of the victim to attract our attention. In fact he was doing the opposite. I also reflect on our own resources, how the team survives such a patient. A long, but fascinating story, I would never like to miss in my career.