"Get well son!"

I stood in the hospital room, chatting with an older, somewhat confused lady about her medical condition and why she was in the hospital.  I finished and moved towards the door.  "All right," I said.  "Hopefully you continue to improve and maybe we can discharge you to home tomorrow."

"Is your little boy sick?"  Hazel asked me out of the blue.

I stopped, taken aback and wondering if she was asking about Vince, or Elliot.  "Um... no,"  I said.  "I think both of them are well.  What are you talking about?"

"What it says up there," Hazel said.  "Get well, son!"

I looked at the board where a nurse had written a number of goals for my patient.  And there in  the corner, she had written "Get well soon!" but sloppily enough that could be mistaken for a different word.

It is usually doctors who are accused of having bad handwriting, but obviously there are plenty of nurses who have their struggles as well.  Still, the goal of writing or, speaking is communication.

Sharing ideas, expressing empathy, or even giving criticism all requires words.  I am afraid that all too often the message behind the words is lost in their murkiness.

So, whether I am writing or speaking, I want to be clear.  I don't want any of my patients to wonder if I am addressing them, or someone's little boy.