Not Just a Mistake

People make mistakes. It's a common fact. Truth is, one reason why I decided not to take up medicine was because it was harder to commit mistakes when you're in the medical field.

The last time I left for HK was September 7. Days before that, my mom had cough already. Since I got back and up till now, her condition hasn't improved. Reason enough to have herself checked. Last Saturday, she had an x-ray at this certain hospital in Manila. She couldn't wait for the result so she asked my dad to just get it for her. As soon my dad got the result, he texted my mom of what was written on the piece of paper that accompanied the x-ray film. Next thing we know, me and my sister were greeted by a teary-eyed mom hours after to tell us that she has tuberculosis.

Both of us didn't take her seriously though. We weren't that alarmed because we thought that tb is not something that can't be cured. We can't say the same for our parents though.

We sent an sms to our physician aunt to inform her of the x-ray result just so we'd know if it really was tb. She said it was but she too, wasn't alarmed. She told my mom to have her phlegm examined for three days. Aside from this, sister told mom to go see a pulmonary doctor just to be sure.

Guess what. The three days examination of her phlegm proved to be clear of anything and last Tuesday, pulmonary doctor informed mom that she doesn't have tb and suggested that she can bring her x-ray film to the chief radiologist in another hospital to read it. You could just imagine how relieved my mom was. Still, she followed what the doctor suggested and apparently, according to the chief radiologist, there's no way my mom has tb.

When you think about it, there's nothing to discuss about anymore. At least my mom's ok, right? Then again, we wonder if the radiologist who read incorrectly may have read another person's x-ray film. What if that person should be the one to be treated instead? What if my mom didn't ask for a second opinion and just took whatever that was written? Maybe we can still take it sitting down now because it wasn't that life-threatening, but what if it had been worse?

I know we all make mistakes. Still, doesn't mean we shouldn't be careful that we do commit one.