Drabble by Kevin Fagan for January 31, 2015
Transcript:
Norman: Dad, don't get so stressed-out about having surgery! Ralph: But what if something goes wrong? Norman: The doctors know what they're doing! Look on the bright side! By this time on Monday, it'll all be over! Well, not over over! You know what I mean! Ralph: Don't help me!
Reminded of two things.1. Before my wife had surgery (probably on her knees; but it could’ve been the gastric bypass), I had a coworker come to me imploring me not to let her go through with it, as it had too high a fatality rate. The rate was only 2%, acceptable to both of us. By the time we actually got to the surgery some time later, studies had reduced the mortality rate to 0.5%. She’s still with me today, thanks be to God.2. The surgeon who replaced my wife’s knees used to make his patients sit through a 45-minute video before he actually saw you. To make a long story short, after getting to the point where he was talking about the procedure, he said, “As minimally invasive as we’ve been able to make the procedure, it’s still major surgery; and as such, it has potential complications. You could die. It happens extremely rarely [I forget if he quoted a mortality rate]; but it does happen.” Again, the wife’s still with me, thanks be to God.That reminds me. This surgeon used to issue patients a trifold that said, among other things, “I’m not a healer; I’m a technician. God heals.” He also said, “If you like, my staff and I will pray with you before your surgery. But even if you don’t want us to pray with you, know that we will pray for you.” The wife and I always liked that. Nice to know that the doctor isn’t so arrogant as to think the world revolves around him. I’m similarly reminded of my mother-in-law’s vascular surgeon. When my MIL died, the surgeon showed up at the viewing. “I have to come to these,” he told me, “to remind myself that I don’t have all the answers.” Again, a welcome display of humility from a profession most people don’t associate with it.