THE WORST

When your doctor says, "Could be worse."

Do you feel:

Better
Worse
The same
Homicidal
Genocidal
Suicidal
Time to look for a new doctor

Alice,
It might depend on what body part he/she was referencing.

Alice,

That's one of the reasons I've turned to alternative medicine.

Ann

I don't trust doctors. I used to live with one.

Besides - that's a meaningless statement, right? Things could always be worse. So my answer is "the same."

Reminds me of an episode of "Monk" in which he was shot in the leg and ended up having surgery. The nurse came into his room and told him he was really lucky.

How so, he wondered, to end up like that.

It could be worse was the response.

Sigh.

Malcolm

I always feel better when the doctor says, "It could be worse," because it gives me the opportunity to say, "And you're going to make it that way, aren't you?"
I also like it when he says, "I could tell you what to do, but you wouldn't do it anyway." "That provides an opening for me to say, "You got that right, Doc."
When he tells me to give up doing something I get to say, "Like you gave up riding motorcyles when you fell off one and broke your ankle."
I enjoy the days when he wears his neon horns and comes into the room saying, "How're you doing?" That allows me to say, "I was doing fine until I got a look at you."
I'm looking forward to seeing him tomorrow when he'll remove the stitches from the previous skin cancer on my left hand and cuts out the latest to pop up. On that trip 10 days ago he showed me his motorcycle girly calendar so who knows what it will be tomorrow? I'm just hoping he isn't wearing his red, white and blue Uncle Sam suit. I prefer his all-black Harley Davidson outfit with the flashing tailights or even his astronaut uniform that glows in the dark.

Dick, If all doctors were like that we'd probably have no complaints.

I was mistreated by my doctor of many decades who did not diagnose the problem with my legs in a timely fashion as he should have. But if I had given up on medicine I'd be dead.

Now I have a great medical team of doctors, a physical therapist and a nurse who treats me like a queen. I think they all know my previous problem and how I am lucky to be still alive and hope I don't do something like sue the clinic.

Anyway, whenever I see my NEW regular doctor he has me walk down the hall. At first it was with a walker, and then last week it was without the walker. After my walk, I said, "Do you want to see me walk down the hall backwards? "

He laughed and said, "Go ahead." Then he told me I don't have to come back until spring. He helped save me life also by rushing me by ambulance to the nearest city when he discovered I had a pulmonary embolism.

Carol

My doctors are all thrilled--they will get yet another crack at me. I have long since forsaken the ones that said , "Could be worse."

Both batteries are on the downside and surgery will be on the 30th--only 11 more days.

I am very pleased one side runs at a higher voltage and has already been replaced--they will replace it again and I will be set for 18 months.

That should get me to Nova Scotia, Anarctica and a few other places.

Alice,

Other places like Wisconsin. I'll be waiting.

Love ya, Carol

Carol,

Of course, you will autograph my precious book of yours. You can sign the anthology also.


Love ya,

Alice

Alice wrote:

When your doctor says, "Could be worse."

Do you feel:

Better
Worse
The same
Homicidal
Genocidal
Suicidal
Time to look for a new doctor

I've not had a doctor say that.
I used to be an endoscopy technician.
Spent my day assisting the doctors doing colonoscopies.
I would never dare say THAT to any of those patients.

Everything could always be worse. As in a pine box buried 6 feet underground?

Zada,

Maybe that's the worse we all fear and as long as we're breathing and above ground, it isn't the worst.

But my mother was so ill, and dying for her wasn't the worst, especially if one believes in a life hereafter.

Carol

Forest Elf,

There are definitely worse procedures than a colonoscopy. A fine needle aspiration beats it all too pieces.

For those unfamiliar with this procedure-- rubber hosing with a needle is forced down your throat, the needle is pushed through your stomach into (in my case pancreas) organ and biopsy is taken.

What fun--I call it-- the murder attempt.

Some of the tests are definitely inhumane, and could be made more humane. When I had surgery a few months ago, the surgeon said "I have to ask you this question, but I already know your answer." The question was whether I wanted to be awake or not. NOT! I tolerate anesthetic well, so no problem.

Being extremely claustrophobic I have no idea how I endured a two hour MRI. I think medical treatment needs to be much more person oriented. There are ways to make people more comfortable. Valium, a pain pill and being extremely tired at 11:00 PM helped, but I am still giving myself a badge of courage for my endurance.

I remember when I had chemotherapy years ago. It was before hospitals got compartmentalized and I sat across from the endoscopy department and saw the patients as they emerged. Now they provide chemotherapy in rooms with music and TV and a relaxing atmosphere. That was not relaxing!

There have been improvements, but we need more.

Love, Carol

Alice wrote:

Forest Elf,

There are definitely worse procedures than a colonoscopy. A fine needle aspiration beats it all too pieces.

For those unfamiliar with this procedure-- rubber hosing with a needle is forced down your throat, the needle is pushed through your stomach into (in my case pancreas) organ and biopsy is taken.

What fun--I call it-- the murder attempt.

Oh, I know there are worse things!

Some of our patients would get a "double" ... both a colonoscopy and a gastroscopy.

And there are much worse things in life in general.

However, I would never tell someone who had just fasted for 48 hours and just had a gallon of GoLYTLEY ... and was about to go in for a rather, um, personal procedure that "things could be worse".

Of course they could ... but I would NEVER tell them THAT.

Jo Elle,

You are a very good person! A lot of cold-hearted doctors would say it though.

The meanie that dagnosed me with Parkinson's said it.

I wish I'd have replied, "and it woudl be a whole lot worse if I told you, you had it wouldn't it?"

They also like to tell you they are not God--never occurs to them you never thought they were.

I stay away from that kind.

Carol Troestler wrote:

Some of the tests are definitely inhumane, and could be made more humane. When I had surgery a few months ago, the surgeon said "I have to ask you this question, but I already know your answer." The question was whether I wanted to be awake or not. NOT! I tolerate anesthetic well, so no problem.

Being extremely claustrophobic I have no idea how I endured a two hour MRI. I think medical treatment needs to be much more person oriented. There are ways to make people more comfortable. Valium, a pain pill and being extremely tired at 11:00 PM helped, but I am still giving myself a badge of courage for my endurance.

I remember when I had chemotherapy years ago. It was before hospitals got compartmentalized and I sat across from the endoscopy department and saw the patients as they emerged. Now they provide chemotherapy in rooms with music and TV and a relaxing atmosphere. That was not relaxing!

There have been improvements, but we need more.

Love, Carol

In 1996 the MRI machines were even tighter than they are now. I took the Valium and had Dave, reaching into the machine and holding my hand.

The MRI was terrible. Fortunately, I don't have MRI's anymore.

Alice wrote:

When your doctor says, "Could be worse."

Do you feel:

Better
Worse
The same
Homicidal
Genocidal
Suicidal
Time to look for a new doctor

I guess I would say suspicious. Doctors listen to the complaints, run the tests and then diagnose. If the tests do not reveal the problem then they make an educated guess based on your symptoms.