Till last week, if someone would tell me, “I went through surgery or a medical procedure”, my standard response used to be, “Oh, hope it went well, take rest and proper care!”
Now when I went through the CATARACT surgery myself, I realized the importance of talking to people, sharing experiences face to face, and remaining involved; even a chat is any day better than gathering information from the internet.
ASK RELEVANT QUESTIONS:
I understood that it’s good for my own self to be more involved, ask:
How it happened?
What were the symptoms?
Which doctor you referred to?
How was the experience at the hospital?
What post-operative care was recommended etc.etc.
Of course, don’t bombard the poor fellow with your queries, be there, be concerned and in good time you will have all the answers.
ALL OF US WILL FACE HEALTH ISSUES:
After all, we are aging, we will go through some condition or the other in our life. If you go asking only when you yourself are facing a health issue, it might not be appropriate, especially if you were in your own world when the other person was facing the crisis. Also, people forget what they went through after some time or simply they may not like to relive the stressful times.
VALUABLE LESSONS LEARNT:
I learned that on the internet there is lots of information but an experience shared by a known person is invaluable.
Doctors do tell you about what to expect, however, they remain so busy and for them this is routine they don’t have time to allay your fears, they don’t tell you the finer details.
My own caregivers and family members were as clueless as I. The more one interacts, the more one learns and wiser decisions can be taken.
So, friends, there is no alternative to personal interaction and involvement, do keep building your own data of experiences, it will help you and your family members in building a safe circle of friends and well-wishers.
I learnt my lesson after my surgery,
and, it’s never too late,
RENUKA.