One day while working in the Emergency Room my intuition helped save a life. I was caring for a patient that had come in feeling very anxious, had high blood pressure, fast pulse and breathing very fast. After providing her with medications and intravenous fluids her pulse remained fast but all other vital signs were normal. When I asked her how she was feeling she said her breathing was better but she still felt very anxious.
The doctor had written discharge orders for her but I too felt that something was not right. In my years as a nurse I learned when a patient tells me something I need to really listen and then check in with myself. There was a lump in my throat and I felt uneasy as I told her the doctor had said she could go home. She told me she was not comfortable going home. We talked for a few minutes and then I approached the doctor.
I told him I felt there was something that we were missing and I did not feel comfortable discharging her. This was at the end of the shift and he became upset with me. “What do you want me to do?” he said. “I don’t know, you are the doctor but her pulse rate should not be so high. She is still anxious and I don’t feel comfortable discharging her,” was my reply. He ended up ordering another test. I then went home for the night.
The next morning I received a phone call from the doctor thanking me for asking him to do more tests. It turned out she had a blood clot in her lung and was admitted to the hospital for appropriate treatment. If she had went home it could have dislodged and caused a stroke, heart attack or other serious problem. I was so grateful that the patient received the appropriate care and attention she needed. The patient’s and my own intuition were correct! This incident is just one reason why I listen to my intuition most of the time.
Do you listen to your intuition or do you ignore it? What does it tell you? Many times your intuition is telling you what to do to heal your pain but you can’t hear it. The healing touch and imagery work I do with clients allows them to be still and tune in to their intuition. They learn how to listen and work with their inner wisdom again so they can heal. If you need help tuning into your intuition let’s talk. Your mind is a major piece of the puzzle to healing your pain.