I got this article from my inbox. I subscribe to KevinMD.com and every once in a while he puts up an article that is so insightful I feel it belongs here... Here is the link;
What this doctor learned when he was a patient
I have taken the liberty of reproducing a couple of quotes from Dr. D, the author of the above article. Mainly as a way to get you to read it. (My remarks are in parenthesis)
"Just a few days as a hospital patient cleared my mind of any misconceptions. Abject helplessness combined with severe pain trumps everything. And helplessness is far worse than pain. Dr. D had never done anything as a doctor that caused more stress than allowing myself to be put to sleep for a major operation with a surgeon I had only spoken to for 30 seconds."
(Does this sound familiar? It's the HELPLESSNESS combined with rude arrogant jailer-like health care workers that was so devastating to me. Versed is the worst drug in the world for making us helpless. We have no control over our bodies, our memories, (most of the time) and we are subjected to torture. I wonder how this Dr. would feel if he DIDN'T 'allow himself to be put to sleep' by a NURSE and was put to sleep anyway. Talk about HELPLESS!)
"The real surprise was realizing that duration of pain was far worse than intensity. I had a throbbing pain during my recovery that I could rate as a 4 if I’m generous, but it lasted for weeks and nearly drove me insane. Low-intensity pain that won’t leave can make a person much more miserable than 10 out of 10."
(The pain from a tourniquet applied at pressure and unrelieved for 70 minutes, when it actually could have been alternated, was more excruciating than the surgery itself. And it lasted longer than the pain of the incision. This doc is correct, the constant pain is MUCH worse than high pain that doesn't last in my case as well. The same thing happened with the pain from my ORIF femur!)
"3 weeks of lying on my back absolutely helpless and unable to do anything had me at the lowest place I’ve every been. One night I—a generally tough dude—cried myself to sleep."
(Been there, done that. I am so tough and un-emotional in emergencies that I reset my own arm. Couldn't let my daughter see it all deformed... I did an excellent job too. My Femur was another story. I tried to reset it, but it folded backward at mid thigh and I was sitting on my knee with my foot protruding behind me, flat on the ground. My unbroken leg was straight out in front of me where I sat. The grinding, ice clinking sensation when I tried to drag the leg and foot back out in front of me, where it looked normal, reminded me that there was a Femoral Artery in there just waiting to be cut. Since I could already feel the bleeding inside my leg (major warmth followed by swelling) I decided I needed professional help immediately. Like Dr. D, helpessness is NOT my friend...)
"Okay, I have to admit something a bit embarrassing here: We doctors sometimes think of our patients as a completely alien form of human life. It isn’t intentional. We wouldn’t even admit it out loud. It’s a weird psychological quirk that happens like a reflex."
(Oh I can't believe that! (heavy sarcasm, facetiousness, whatever) After my debacle with my ORIF distal Radius fracture and my experiences running this blog, I have said this about medical workers many times. Maybe not in the same funny way, but pretty much my take on the attitude of medical workers. "...weird psychological quirk..." Yup!)
"Doctor D has spent a lot of time educating you on how to deal with difficult doctors. One of the worse maladies plaguing the medical field is piss-poor communication, and Dr. D’s orthopedist has about the communication skills of a mentally-retarded clam."
(Ya THINK! LOL How many of us have these same complaints, but when we say ANYTHING about it we are verbally attacked by medical workers. This man has such insight, and conveys his knowledge with a sense of humor. I hope you guys can enjoy him. "...piss-poor communication, ...a mentally-retarded clam." Oh LAWD, that just about sums it up with my surgeon as well. Wiping eyes.)
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