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Spice of Life | Lesson in empathy for doctor over cup of tea
Uncle ji’s narration left a permanent imprint on my mind that the doctor has to be empathetic in choosing the treatment plan of patients and that the young kids should be put under the knife only if all other options of treatment have been exhausted as some mother or father would be put to great strain at the mere thought of surgery on her/his kid, writes Dr Narinder Arora
In August 1990, my neighbourhood uncle and I were engrossed in conversation about each other over a cup of tea so as to get familiar with each other as we had shifted to our government house a week ago. When the gentleman came to know about orthopaedics being my specialty, he went on to narrate the story of the treatment of his younger daughter, who had fractured her forearm as a 16-year-old. At that time, I was in the formative years of my specialty and was inquisitive to know the details.
“How was she treated?” I asked.
“I took her to all well-known specialists in town but everyone suggested that the girl has to be operated to set her bones right,” was his reply.
To continue the discussion, I enquired, “So what was the problem? The operation could have been performed in the city by a good specialist.”
I was wondering why the gentleman did not like the idea and line of management of reputed doctors when he stumped me with his answer. “Son, you are young and you too have a child. Visualising my child being put under the knife made me cry as I love her so much,” he said with a heavy heart and moist eyes, showering the love of a father.
To carry the discussion further, I mildly enquired: “She is fine now and does not appear to bear any evidence of any surgery having been conducted on her. How was she treated?”
“When all doctors were firm to operate upon her, I took her to an orthopaedic surgeon in Patiala. He gave me a patient hearing and understood my dilemma. He treated her by putting her forearm in plaster after taking an unwritten undertaking that I would not get any X-ray done without his advice,” he said.
The girl’s fractured bones healed up nicely as the experienced and seasoned orthopaedic surgeon had restored the alignment of fractured bones and immobilised the forearm in the plaster.
His eyes were glinting in admiration for the doctor and I also joined him to appreciate the skills and thought process of the veteran orthopaedic surgeon in making a patient-friendly decision.
Uncle ji’s narration left a permanent imprint on my mind that the doctor has to be empathetic in choosing the treatment plan of patients and that the young kids should be put under the knife only if all other options of treatment have been exhausted as some mother or father would be put to great strain at the mere thought of surgery on her/his kid. The only love in this universe that is truly unconditional, selfless, and forgiving is parental love.
Many a time, while treating a patient we are on the crossroads as there are different options of treatment with pros and cons of each. The difficulty is choosing the best method. To resolve this dilemma, the best treatment option for the patient in such a situation is the line of management which the treating doctor would exercise while choosing the plan for his near and dear ones.
You can only understand others’ sufferings, if you feel them in yourself.
An accident is always mild when it’s somebody else’s child was a prize-winning caption on road safety in a leading newspaper years ago.
The writer is a Panchkula-based freelance contributor and can be reached at narin58@gmail.com
