What We Miss, or Ignore, or Refuse to See

Since Blake's return from Iraq, he'd shared few, if any, stories of deployment. Blake had never really invited me into this world. [...]he realized he needed something more—even if neither of us realized how badly he needed it. Less than two weeks later, I walked into a surgical recovery r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Narrative inquiry in bioethics 2018, Vol.8 (1), p.84-88
Main Author: Jensen, Amber
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Bioethics
Chronic illnesses
Disability pensions
Morphine
Pain
Pain management
Surgeons
Surgery
Veterans
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Since Blake's return from Iraq, he'd shared few, if any, stories of deployment. Blake had never really invited me into this world. [...]he realized he needed something more—even if neither of us realized how badly he needed it. Less than two weeks later, I walked into a surgical recovery room at the Orthopedic Institute to find Blake smiling. In spite of the blue-print smock, the IV taped to his arm, the white sheet tucked around his lower body—the usual signs of sickness and fragility—he beamed. [...]I would feel the same nervous flutter another year later, when I was cleaning out our bathroom cupboard, sorting through at least a dozen orange prescription bottles labeled "Jensen, Blake," the bottles that used to come in the mail on a regular basis.
ISSN:2157-1732
2157-1740
2157-1740
DOI:10.1353/nib.2018.0028