reconstruction. I gently whispered "Don't be afraid. I had the same
surgery and did fine." To which the patient replied: "Yeah, but you did-
n't have the same surgeon!" (Ouch!)
As I teach our residents, ours is a vocation of service, not sales. One
can never coerce someone into having elective surgery. I just wish the
patient would give me more than 2 hours' notice that he's canceling!
'I overslept'
I hear "Doc, the alarm didn't go off" and "My wife didn't wake
me up in time" more than you imagine. For something as important
as surgery, wouldn't you double- if not triple-check the alarm before
retiring? And aren't most people nervous before their surgery and
don't they have difficulty sleeping? I wonder if the 6-pack before mid-
night had anything to do with this.
'The prison wouldn't cooperate'
Getting the incarcerated patients I occasionally care for to sur-
gery is a real ordeal. Surgery may be booked, but sometimes the
events of the prison supersede the surgery schedule. Just recently, an
inmate was to arrive at the surgicenter by noon, but was delayed
because the prison was in lockdown. I hope the next date isn't
bumped by another episode of inmate unrest.
A blessing in disguise
Cancellations will always be a common occurrence. Truth is, they are
often a blessing, since they commonly occur on a day when a paper is
due, a talk needs to be prepared or during a week when I have been
MIA from my lovely wife, Marie.
OSM
Dr. Kelly (johndak4@gmail.com) is an orthopedic surgeon/sports-shoulder
specialist who practices in Philadelphia, Pa.
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