Prognoses

Doctors, these days, are very reluctant to give patients a prognosis -- far too reluctant, I would say. From one point of view, this is understandable, as the time of death is uncertain, and one can easily make a mistake. It is also an emotionally explosive issue. So people not seldom turn to the minister. I think of one woman in particular. She asked me how long she had left. I said she really couldn't rely on anything I said, and I told her why -- but "It could be six weeks, maybe three." She said: "That's a bit depressing." Then she told me she was getting better. She died four weeks later. OBSERVATION: I saw her a few times more before she died, and she thanked me again and again for my prognosis. It can make a big difference in people's lives, for good. I do not think it is good to withhold an opinion where one has some idea, and a patient wants to know.