Listening to Others — Today Was a Day of Emotional Rehabilitation September 24, 2026 (Thursday) — R8, Hospitalization Day 28

Today, I was about to start studying for the registered sales clerk exam when I suddenly remembered that I had not read the newspaper.

There was no economics section today, so I read only the "Jijiku" column.

Today's column was about sleep apnea syndrome in children.

Like Nobita-kun, a child may fall asleep in an instant and breathe peacefully and comfortably in their sleep. But when the snoring is unusually loud, or when it seems that the child sometimes stops breathing, parents may find themselves thinking, "Surely not," while feeling uneasy.

Sleep apnea syndrome is not a condition that affects only adults. Apparently, children can develop it as well. Allergic rhinitis, such as hay fever, and lifestyle-related diseases may also be involved.

Come to think of it, my husband also has sleep apnea syndrome.

He had snored for many years, but I had never been particularly concerned about it. Then, at some point, his snoring became so loud that I could not sleep, and I started throwing pillows at him.

He himself was not aware of his snoring, but perhaps because I kept throwing pillows at him, he eventually thought something might be wrong and went to a respiratory medicine clinic. He stayed overnight, was connected to various monitoring equipment, and underwent a sleep study. He was diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome.

Now he sleeps wearing a CPAP machine.

As I was thinking about all this while reading the newspaper, I realized that what I really wanted to think about today was something else.

Today, I went to see the doctor who performed surgery on my proximal humerus fracture for my three-month postoperative checkup.

After the surgery, when the arm holder was removed, the doctor told me, "Open your hand and move it yourself." But at that time, it was extremely painful, and the dull pain continued for a long time.

Later, another doctor wrote a referral letter for me, and I was finally connected with rehabilitation at Dogo Onsen Hospital.

There seem to be fewer patients undergoing shoulder rehabilitation compared with those recovering from hip or knee problems. After struggling for quite some time, I finally made my way to my current rehabilitation program.

One of the first things I was told there was:

"If you had come here earlier, your shoulder wouldn't have become this stiff."

That is why I have been working on moving my body little by little every day during my current rehabilitation.

Now I have gradually become able to raise my arm upward and move it out to the side. There are still movements I cannot do. External rotation is still limited when I keep my elbow against my body, and it is painful. Adduction is also still limited, and there are movements that remain painful.

My hospitalization is scheduled to last 60 days, so I still have about half of that time remaining.

It was in the middle of all this that I had today's medical appointment.

The waiting time was long.

During the consultation, I was asked, "How are you doing?" I answered, "The pain has gotten much better."

Then I was asked, "Oh, you're still hospitalized?"

Even though I had brought a referral letter, it had apparently not been read.

I found it difficult to keep my emotions under control at that moment.

I explained, "The dull pain did not go away."

The response was along the lines of, "It will go away after three months."

Then I was told:

"I told you to move it yourself, didn't I? If you move it yourself, that's one thing, but if someone else moves it for you, you could break it."

Hearing those words made me feel sorry toward the rehabilitation therapists who have been taking care of me.

They move my arm and work with me every day.

So when I was told, "You could break it," I felt sorry that I had allowed them to perform all that rehabilitation on me.

The doctor took an X-ray and, while looking at the image, said something like, "See? The bone is starting to heal."

I thought to myself, "I don't know. I'm not a doctor."

There was no examination of my scar, and my arm was not actually moved to check its condition.

On the other hand, the rehabilitation therapists who have been taking care of me listen carefully to what I say.

Today, while I was doing rehabilitation, I talked to them about what had happened.

They told me:

"Medical care begins with listening to the patient."

"It begins by asking, 'How are you?' and accepting what the person tells you."

Hearing those words made me feel a little relieved.

I thought,

"Perhaps before being a medical professional, it is a question of how we are as human beings."

Of course, this is not about saying that doctors are good or bad because they are doctors.

Whatever our profession may be, we should listen to others from their point of view, understand what kind of situation they are in, and then do what we can for them.

Perhaps that is a basic principle of human relationships, even before it is a matter of work or profession.

And then I thought of one more thing.

"Then, am I able to do that myself?"

Do I really listen carefully when other people talk to me?

Do I first listen to them from their point of view?

Today's medical appointment made me think about all these things.

At first, I thought about writing a complaint.

But my husband told me, "You're emotional today, so you should probably leave it for now."

I think he was right.

For today, I will leave it alone.

Rather than turning my anger directly into words, I will first sort out my feelings inside myself.

And today, I feel that the rehabilitation therapists gave me not only physical rehabilitation, but also a kind of emotional rehabilitation.

Listening to others.

Thinking from another person's point of view.

Doing what I can.

And asking myself the same questions.

"Then, am I able to do that myself?"

Today's medical appointment was an unpleasant experience.

But it did not end there.

It became a day that made me think again about what is important when human beings face one another.

#Rehabilitation
#ProximalHumerusFracture
#ShoulderRehabilitation
#ExternalRotation
#Adduction
#ShoulderStiffness
#ThreeMonthsPostSurgery
#MedicineAndHumanity
#ListeningToOthers
#EmotionalRehabilitation
#SelfReflection
#DogoOnsenHospital
#RegisteredSalesClerkExam
#ThingsILearned