Among spinal surgeons and their patients there is a common misconception that suggests that all doctors are friendly, understanding, and empathetic people. This fallacy is based on the thought that the doctor, entrusted with diagnosing and curing a patient's ailing spine, is somehow in touch with the patient's emotional core and personality. For the same reason that patients listen to a doctor's advice about the inner-workings of the spine, they feel that the doctor is able to diagnose and understand the inner-workings of the metaphorical heart as well.
While it is definitely true that many spine surgeons in Chennai are caring individuals- it may be said that a doctor need to have at least some degree of humanity and empathy in him to pursue an effective career in medicine- it should not be concluded that because of their concern with the human body's physical health a doctor is well equipped to understanding a patient's emotional needs.
This is a difference between a stated expertise (indeed, an accredited expertise) and an assumed one: studying the spinal column and the operations which correct it are several degrees removed from understanding the fears and uncertainties of a patient undergoing such an operation. Know that your physician does not have all the answers and begin to inform yourself about what questions to ask them.
You may count yourself as lucky if you are fortunate enough to be involved with a physician with the so-called "human touch" but even if you do feel comfortable with your surgeon, you still need to be conscious of the questions that go into a spinal surgery, lest you find yourself comfortably slipping into naivety about your condition.
Spinal surgeons in Chennai, while experts in the field of diagnosing and operating on spines, may have some expectations about how to relate to and understand a patient about to undergo surgery, but it is all together too likely that the methods that they use to soothe and inform are based on generally accepted norms about what most patients want to hear. Because they do not have much space time to learn the psychological underpinnings of patients who are preparing to have surgery, consider it your responsibility to treat yourself as an individual and ask the individually directed questions that will get you the information that you need.
Because these questions will be tailor made to fit each personality as a singularity, a battery of suggested questions would be both wasteful and unhelpful. With that being said, there are still areas that can be addressed, to wit, focus on your occupation and lifestyle. Sketch your average workday in five to ten sentences on paper. Pay extra attention to the amount of time you spend standing, sitting and walking, and the amount of time you feel you are under "uncomfortable levels of stress." With regards to lifestyle, imagine during a two week period how often you exercise (and what type of exercise you partake in), how frequently you are out with friends socializing, and what type of responsibilities you have to other people. If you are married, have children, or are responsible for taking care of another individual or a pet, this is where you should make note of it.
Whether it's your first time making an appointment with your spine surgeon or you are preparing to undergo your spinal operation, any time is a good time to bring in personal information and ask for personal attention. Take your occupation and lifestyle sketches in with you to the doctor's office and, without seeming aggressive or upset, tell your doctor that you would like him to consider your way of life and how he thinks the operation will affect you. From there, you should be able to open up a dialogue about what you will need to do to successfully recover and live with your spinal operation.
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