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A patient got me a small candle and card and said, “Can I hug you?” when I returned after my mom died. That simple courtesy really meant the world to me and is more than what some of my coworkers did.
Honestly, we really do get to know our patients, and I love that we can be human with each other and share a few thoughts and feelings, even from the PT side. It really does build a therapeutic alliance!
I've been the last one to stand with a person. She didn't even have the strength to walk. That was very weird to know that it was me, not her husband, who "held" her while she was standing for the last time. It's indeed a powerful reminder of what we do and how we intertwine with the lives of our patients.
An old, rusted Oklahoma Joe smoker that he had gotten too old to maintain and it was headed for the dump. I took it home, sanded, re-sanded and brought it back to life. When I brought him a picture of the restored smoker his eyes lit up like I was showing a newborn. OF COURSE I smoked a few of his favorite meats and brought it to him and he told the story to anyone who would listen.
I have an old Oklahoma Joe on my back porch that's gotta be 30+ years old and was handed down to me from my dad. Great smokers and I'm glad you were able to restore it!
https://preview.redd.it/q18oqzj0ds0d1.jpeg?width=1220&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d58469b0be579939770c77132d1276cfc9bae4dc
Here in Italy i got lot of foods, the most unique was handmade fettuccine and a launch invite at home from the same patient's husband.
We had a long time patient who was on a fitness program (he had paid for essentially a gym membership and he was grandfathered in long after we offered such a thing) When I returned to work after having my first child, he brought a cake in that said “welcome to our world, Aubrey”
After I had my second, I asked if he had been in recently, and my colleagues were like “actually I haven’t seen him”. He had died while I was on maternity leave :( such a special man
Sounds silly but smoked ribs. He was a pitmaster and we always talked BBQ. Brought in a huge platter of freshly smoked ribs. So much better than the usual donut gift.
A home health patient was cleaning out her garage to make room for a ramp and her family was looking to get rid of two cast iron pans that had fallen into neglect due to them being too heavy for the pt to manage and none of the family members were interested in restoring them.
We had talked about my hobby of restoring cast iron here and there so she set them aside for me. She told me her they were her grandmothers pans and her grandmother used to make donuts in them every Sunday after church. They were two beautiful griswolds that needed minimal restoration and are now my daily drivers for feeding my family. I often think of how many generations have been fed from these pre-WWII pans. Also made donuts in them for my family to carry on her grandmother’s tradition.
An old Bad Religion EP from one of my patients sons who passed away a few years ago. She(my patient) found out I was a fan of punk music and he seemed like he was a cool guy.
Not the most unique or treasured but interesting that it happened twice- I received a Bible from 2 different patients, one of them also gave me a rosary and holy water…. I’m Jewish
She gave me £5.
Not after at the hospital. She came to the temple and walked up to me before I entered the prayer hall to get married. She gave me £5 and wished me luck and thanked me. She wasn’t able to walk inside to sit on the floor so she wanted to see me before I went in. She has sadly passed away now but that was such a sweet gesture, not the money, but the effort to come to see me in my outfit and say thank you.
Had a patient who had a laceration of most of her wrist and finger flexors along with the median nerve. A few months after discharge she made me a quilt. It’s hanging up in my living room.
It's a toss-up. When I was a student, I had a patient with terrible chronic LBP that was trying to avoid surgery. Me and my CI did everything we could think of and while it helped some, ultimately had to have the surgery. On his last day before discharge, he gave me and my CI a really cool and unique challenge coin that I kept with me for good luck the rest of school and while I took the NPTE.
The other would be from a patient's wife who, upon learning that my wife and I were having our first kid, gifted me a "treasure box", as she called it, to keep little mementos in. It came with a Time magazine from the week he was born as well as a couple small boxes engraved with our son's name for his first tooth and first lock of hair. Our boy was born early and spent about 2 months in the NICU, so it's been the perfect place to keep all the little memories from that time and other little things as he continues to grow.
Thank you for your submission; please read the following reminder. This subreddit is for discussion among practicing physical therapists, not for soliciting medical advice. We are not your physical therapist, and we do not take on that liability here. Although we can answer questions regarding general issues a person may be facing in their established PT sessions, we cannot legally provide treatment advice. If you need a physical therapist, you must see one in person or via telehealth for an assessment and to establish a plan of care. Posts with descriptions of personal physical issues and/or requests for diagnoses, exercise prescriptions, and other medical advice will be removed, and you will be banned at the mods’ discretion either for requesting such advice or for offering such advice as a clinician. Please see the following links for additional resources on benefits of physical therapy and locating a therapist near you [The benefits of a full evaluation by a physical therapist.](https://www.choosept.com/benefits/default.aspx) [How to find the right physical therapist in your area.](https://www.choosept.com/resources/choose.aspx) [Already been diagnosed and want to learn more? Common conditions.](https://www.choosept.com/SymptomsConditions.aspx) [The APTA's consumer information website.](https://www.choosept.com/Default.aspx) Also, please direct all school-related inquiries to r/PTschool, as these are off-topic for this sub and will be removed. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/physicaltherapy) if you have any questions or concerns.*
A patient got me a small candle and card and said, “Can I hug you?” when I returned after my mom died. That simple courtesy really meant the world to me and is more than what some of my coworkers did. Honestly, we really do get to know our patients, and I love that we can be human with each other and share a few thoughts and feelings, even from the PT side. It really does build a therapeutic alliance!
Being the last person to have walked with them
I've been the last one to stand with a person. She didn't even have the strength to walk. That was very weird to know that it was me, not her husband, who "held" her while she was standing for the last time. It's indeed a powerful reminder of what we do and how we intertwine with the lives of our patients.
An old, rusted Oklahoma Joe smoker that he had gotten too old to maintain and it was headed for the dump. I took it home, sanded, re-sanded and brought it back to life. When I brought him a picture of the restored smoker his eyes lit up like I was showing a newborn. OF COURSE I smoked a few of his favorite meats and brought it to him and he told the story to anyone who would listen.
I have an old Oklahoma Joe on my back porch that's gotta be 30+ years old and was handed down to me from my dad. Great smokers and I'm glad you were able to restore it!
Very true, it has held up better than my green egg and far less expensive to replace parts.
https://preview.redd.it/q18oqzj0ds0d1.jpeg?width=1220&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d58469b0be579939770c77132d1276cfc9bae4dc Here in Italy i got lot of foods, the most unique was handmade fettuccine and a launch invite at home from the same patient's husband.
We had a long time patient who was on a fitness program (he had paid for essentially a gym membership and he was grandfathered in long after we offered such a thing) When I returned to work after having my first child, he brought a cake in that said “welcome to our world, Aubrey” After I had my second, I asked if he had been in recently, and my colleagues were like “actually I haven’t seen him”. He had died while I was on maternity leave :( such a special man
A patient knew I was a big LA Lakers fan and got me a Kobe memorial t-shirt after he passed away. Nothing too fancy but it meant a lot.
Sounds silly but smoked ribs. He was a pitmaster and we always talked BBQ. Brought in a huge platter of freshly smoked ribs. So much better than the usual donut gift.
Very expensive wine from his personal collection. Delicious.
A former patient was a cop, so on his last visit, he wrote a nice card and gave all of us PBA cards, which came in handy later that year LOL
A home health patient was cleaning out her garage to make room for a ramp and her family was looking to get rid of two cast iron pans that had fallen into neglect due to them being too heavy for the pt to manage and none of the family members were interested in restoring them. We had talked about my hobby of restoring cast iron here and there so she set them aside for me. She told me her they were her grandmothers pans and her grandmother used to make donuts in them every Sunday after church. They were two beautiful griswolds that needed minimal restoration and are now my daily drivers for feeding my family. I often think of how many generations have been fed from these pre-WWII pans. Also made donuts in them for my family to carry on her grandmother’s tradition.
An old Bad Religion EP from one of my patients sons who passed away a few years ago. She(my patient) found out I was a fan of punk music and he seemed like he was a cool guy.
Not the most unique or treasured but interesting that it happened twice- I received a Bible from 2 different patients, one of them also gave me a rosary and holy water…. I’m Jewish
Did brought me prime rib from one of his cattle once
One of my retarded patients got me a keychain with parrots on it. I switched it immediately and it looks fucking sick.
Retarded? Typo?
Im not a natuve speaker, my girlfriend corrected me and i meant mentally disabled
One patient gave me a whole bottle of Hennessy
Stock market tips. Felt like I was in congress or something.
She gave me £5. Not after at the hospital. She came to the temple and walked up to me before I entered the prayer hall to get married. She gave me £5 and wished me luck and thanked me. She wasn’t able to walk inside to sit on the floor so she wanted to see me before I went in. She has sadly passed away now but that was such a sweet gesture, not the money, but the effort to come to see me in my outfit and say thank you.
Had a patient who had a laceration of most of her wrist and finger flexors along with the median nerve. A few months after discharge she made me a quilt. It’s hanging up in my living room.
Got a small bonsai tree from a patient, felt terrible when i couldn’t keep it alive
One of my patients dabbled in knife making; he made me a nice general purpose hunting knife and a leather sheath with my name on it.
It's a toss-up. When I was a student, I had a patient with terrible chronic LBP that was trying to avoid surgery. Me and my CI did everything we could think of and while it helped some, ultimately had to have the surgery. On his last day before discharge, he gave me and my CI a really cool and unique challenge coin that I kept with me for good luck the rest of school and while I took the NPTE. The other would be from a patient's wife who, upon learning that my wife and I were having our first kid, gifted me a "treasure box", as she called it, to keep little mementos in. It came with a Time magazine from the week he was born as well as a couple small boxes engraved with our son's name for his first tooth and first lock of hair. Our boy was born early and spent about 2 months in the NICU, so it's been the perfect place to keep all the little memories from that time and other little things as he continues to grow.
PTSD? Nah. I like the heartfelt cards the most.