In a reflection on the challenges of rural medical practice, a physician recounts an experience that tested both professional skills and personal resolve. The case involved a young woman nearing the end of her first pregnancy who, after not feeling fetal movement for two days, learned through examination and subsequent confirmation at a larger hospital that her fetus was no longer viable.
Without access to modern equipment such as ultrasound in their small rural hospital, the patient faced limited options. After consultation with an obstetrician-gynecologist in Denver, it was decided to induce labor locally rather than transfer her 140 miles away for delivery. The induction proceeded quickly but complications arose when the patient suffered severe postpartum hemorrhage due to uterine atony—her uterus would not contract despite standard interventions.
Efforts by the local team included heavy sedation, uterine packing with sponges, emergency calls for additional staff and blood donors, and another urgent consultation. Ultimately, a hysterectomy became necessary to save the patient’s life. The procedure was performed under challenging circumstances: “I had never before felt this alone as a physician,” the doctor wrote.
Permission for surgery was sought from the patient’s husband who responded supportively: “Get to it, doc, and do the best you can ’cause I love her.” With limited resources—a nurse anesthetist en route by airplane—the doctor performed spinal anesthesia himself before carrying out his first post-delivery hysterectomy without another physician assisting.
The operation was successful and the patient recovered well. During recovery, she and her husband offered reassurance despite their loss. The doctor reflected on lessons learned early in life about compassion in medicine: “sometimes you must first hurt someone to save them. Do it with compassion and they will thank you for it.”
Later, he described receiving gratitude from the couple when they brought their adopted daughter for care: “there was no greater reward than that I received the day that K and her husband brought their first adopted daughter to me for her first well-child exam.”
The Colorado Medical Society encourages physicians to share stories like these to highlight how essential trust is within doctor-patient relationships. According to recent data from an American Medical Association poll (https://www.ama-assn.org/press-center/press-releases/new-ama-survey-finds-voters-overwhelmingly-trust-doctors-and-want-less), 84% of national voters believe their physician values this relationship and helps them make informed health decisions; 79% agree insurance bureaucracy makes providing optimal care more difficult; 83% say doctors enter medicine out of desire to help patients directly.
Physicians emphasize that quality time spent listening and responding is crucial for effective treatment decisions—an aspect they seek to preserve amid system changes so patients receive attentive care.
