I still think it is strange that my surgeon has never looked at my incision. Oh, he must have before it was covered with a big bandage immediately after surgery. But not since. His nurse was the one who removed the bandage and took out the stitches. I thought he would come in the room and take a look but she covered it all up with steristrips and that was it.
At each subsequent visit I get an X-ray first thing. They advise to not wear anything up top with metal or plastic even. So a pull over stretchy cami under a pull over type shirt makes it quick,and easy and you don't have to disrobe at all. The first couple visits I tried to wear something that could be pulled over or up to give access to the scar. But I learned that was not necessary as no one, certainly not the doctor, was going to actually look at the surgical site.
I'm quite sure had I complained of something wrong, like dehiscence or gooey stuff oozing out of a gaping hole, it would have attracted some attention. At least I hope so. But I cannot complain as the wound has healed well and the incision looks as good as I could hope. On at least two visits, including this last one, I said that the scar had healed flat and cosmetically well and I was very pleased. Not that I will be wearing a strapless evening gown to expose my bare shoulders. But it was an opening for the doctor to say, "Let's take a look at that scar." Nope, no interest.
Everyone likes to share a peek at their surgical site. President Johnson pulled his shirt up and his pants down to let the press corps get a look at his gall bladder scar. I've had perfect strangers show me their surgical scar if a chance encounter led to comparing hospital experiences. The only person to remark on my incision was the nurse coordinator who discharged me. She changed the bandage to a waterproof one so that light showering would be possible and she proclaimed that the incision looked fine. I wonder what she would have said had it looked not fine.
Anyway, I just can't imagine that Dr. Kai hasn't taken a look at his handiwork. Yes, the X-ray gives him a look inside and that is, of course, what's important. But it just seems strange to me that the wound closure deserves so little attention. Also, I think he is missing the opportunity for that brief but essential moment of the healing human touch.
To quote from a recent piece from the New York Times, internist Danielle Ofri says we need to look past the lack of evidence supporting the physical exam. The benefits of touching the patient, and listening to his heart and lungs, cannot be quantitatively measured:
"Does the physical exam serve any other purpose? The doctor-patient relationship is fundamentally different from, say, the accountant-client relationship. The laying on of hands sets medical practitioners apart from their counterparts in the business world. Despite the inroads of evidence-based medicine, M.R.I.s, angiograms and PET scanners, there is clearly something special, perhaps even healing, about touch. There is a warmth of connection that supersedes anything intellectual, and that connection goes both ways in the doctor-patient relationship."
I just think my doctor is missing an opportunity to bond with the patient in the most simple and basic way. But maybe that is old-fashioned thinking, certainly not taught in the modern clinical setting. Too bad.
At each subsequent visit I get an X-ray first thing. They advise to not wear anything up top with metal or plastic even. So a pull over stretchy cami under a pull over type shirt makes it quick,and easy and you don't have to disrobe at all. The first couple visits I tried to wear something that could be pulled over or up to give access to the scar. But I learned that was not necessary as no one, certainly not the doctor, was going to actually look at the surgical site.
I'm quite sure had I complained of something wrong, like dehiscence or gooey stuff oozing out of a gaping hole, it would have attracted some attention. At least I hope so. But I cannot complain as the wound has healed well and the incision looks as good as I could hope. On at least two visits, including this last one, I said that the scar had healed flat and cosmetically well and I was very pleased. Not that I will be wearing a strapless evening gown to expose my bare shoulders. But it was an opening for the doctor to say, "Let's take a look at that scar." Nope, no interest.
Everyone likes to share a peek at their surgical site. President Johnson pulled his shirt up and his pants down to let the press corps get a look at his gall bladder scar. I've had perfect strangers show me their surgical scar if a chance encounter led to comparing hospital experiences. The only person to remark on my incision was the nurse coordinator who discharged me. She changed the bandage to a waterproof one so that light showering would be possible and she proclaimed that the incision looked fine. I wonder what she would have said had it looked not fine.
Anyway, I just can't imagine that Dr. Kai hasn't taken a look at his handiwork. Yes, the X-ray gives him a look inside and that is, of course, what's important. But it just seems strange to me that the wound closure deserves so little attention. Also, I think he is missing the opportunity for that brief but essential moment of the healing human touch.
To quote from a recent piece from the New York Times, internist Danielle Ofri says we need to look past the lack of evidence supporting the physical exam. The benefits of touching the patient, and listening to his heart and lungs, cannot be quantitatively measured:
"Does the physical exam serve any other purpose? The doctor-patient relationship is fundamentally different from, say, the accountant-client relationship. The laying on of hands sets medical practitioners apart from their counterparts in the business world. Despite the inroads of evidence-based medicine, M.R.I.s, angiograms and PET scanners, there is clearly something special, perhaps even healing, about touch. There is a warmth of connection that supersedes anything intellectual, and that connection goes both ways in the doctor-patient relationship."
I just think my doctor is missing an opportunity to bond with the patient in the most simple and basic way. But maybe that is old-fashioned thinking, certainly not taught in the modern clinical setting. Too bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment