I Felt Lazy to Bring My Cane

An old lady more than 80 years of age was referred to me by a physical therapist. She had been suffering for over twenty years. She walked slowly with the aid of a cane and as she sat down, she began to tremble slightly. I asked her to let me take a look at her tongue. The color was too red which means the body was over heated. But there was no coating which means the body’s fluid was insufficient. I also took the pulse for her. Her pulse was tiny; it should be at least three times bigger, in this case.

She began to tell me her complaint. I told her, “Your complaint is your symptom. Just cooperate with your doctor; I am going to help you get better.” After some treatments, she stopped trembling when she sat down. Then she asked me to fix her dizziness which she experienced each time she got up. “Am I going to get better?” she asked. “I hope so,” I responded. After some more treatments, the dizziness subsided.

One day she went to see an M.D. The doctor told her that her blood pressure and heart rate were much better. The more treatments she received, the more improvement she had. But the long term suffering she experienced cast a shadow and sometimes she still doubted the improvement. She asked me, “Am I really better? Do you think I am better?” I said, “Now when you sit down, you don’t tremble at all, and when you get up, you don’t feel dizzy. Also, your M.D. has told me about your improvements.”

One day, the M.D. told her to take a test, and the next day, she blamed the M.D. and said, “She makes me nervous.” I said, “Well, she is just concerned about you because you are more than 80 years old.” She replied, “Well, she still makes me nervous.”

One day she walked into the office without a cane and said, “I am feeling lazy to bring it.” The next time she came in she said the same thing, “I am feeling lazy to bring it.” After receiving more treatments her tongue color improved and it showed a healthy coating. When the cold and damp weather came, however, she complained, “I feel a little dizzy and I worry about my health.” I responded, “In such cold and damp weather, even a young lady won’t feel well.” She laughed, “May be I worry too much.”

One day she came in for treatment and said, “I feel a little dizzy; what is wrong with me?” After observing her face, I raised my voice: “If you have to take care of seven cats you won’t feel dizzy.” She laughed: “Maybe I worry too much about myself.”

Another time she came in for treatment on a very cold day and at once asked, “Dr. Ng, I am shaking a little, maybe there is something wrong?” I told her: “If you have a dog and a cat to take care of, you will feel o.k.” She laughed: “Maybe I worry too much. This morning I worried that the taxi cab would not come.” I said, “If it doesn’t come, you can just cancel your appointment.” She smiled and said, “Maybe I worry too much.”

Senior citizens need more care and comfort; they need to have someone to talk to.