The classic definition of “minor surgery” is surgery someone else is having. That being said, some surgeries are clearly more serious and extensive than others. A heart transplant, for example, is a lot more serious than surgery for a hernia, which is what I had. I am not sure how or when I developed the hernia, but I had an inguinal hernia that required surgical repair. The principal disadvantage of not having regular physicals with a physician is that it sometimes takes a while to figure out that a problem has developed that needs addressing. I didn’t notice my hernia until it “popped out” in a visible way.
Sometimes herbal supplements just aren’t sufficient. This past winter Michigan was in the middle of the “Polar Vortex” of cold and snow. I shoveled a lot of snow. For most of the winter, I had been noticing a pain in the area of my left hip when shoveling snow or doing other lifting. I thought my back was the problem until the hernia became obvious. I asked a friend who is a cardiologist (and with whom I work out at karate) to recommend a surgeon. He did, and I made an appointment. This blog entry is about my experience in the medical system and is a follow-up on my previous article on “Holistic Health.”
As some of you already know, I have had limited contact with doctors of the M.D. variety for more than 15 years now. I work out with one, and several of my neighbors are medical doctors, but I haven’t seen one professionally for a long time. That has both advantages and disadvantages. The main advantages are that I have avoided all sorts of medical tests that have increasingly been shown to do little for health and a lot to increase hospitals’ bottom lines. The main disadvantage is that the medical system becomes a foreign territory, so navigating the ins-and-outs of “the system” is a lot like visiting a foreign country when you don’t understand the language. Hospitals are not easy to navigate for a variety of reasons. Everything tends to look (and smell) the same, so unless you’ve traveled the route a few times, it’s easy to get lost.
My initial visit to the surgeon confirmed the hernia and the need for surgery. The surgeon’s office and support staff, including the physician’s assistant, were friendly, courteous, and helpful. I expected to have to argue about my not having a “primary care physician” (AKA “family doctor”) and taking herbal and homeopathic remedies instead of pharmaceuticals. If the physician’s assistant and the surgeon were anything other than accepting, they didn’t let it show. When the support staff took my personal and insurance information, they warned me that the hospital would not have access to the information and that I would need to provide it again. They didn’t lie. In “the system,” the right hand doesn’t let the left hand know what it’s doing. And I did get lost. On leaving the doctor’s exam room, I encountered three doors that looked the same, all bearing the word, “Exit.” I had to ask which way I had come in to find the proper one. You’ve probably seen enough movies to know what happens if you exit by the wrong door….
I took the first date the surgeon had available for my surgery. It’s possible, of course, to live with a hernia. In the old days, men would wear a truss to reduce the discomfort of the hernia, but that’s not a good long-term solution. The surgery now is relatively quick, including about an hour of prep time, about 45 minutes of surgery, and about an hour of recovery. The hospital routine before the surgery, however, was not so easy. In addition to receiving complete instructions for preparation, I received seven presurgical interview phone calls. I finally got annoyed and asked why I was getting so many phone calls covering the same questions and information. The answer was that the information I had provided previously hadn’t been recorded, so none of those on the “call team” knew that I had already provided the information they were seeking.
Debra accompanied me to the surgery in the role of “supervising adult.” When we reached the check-in desk for the surgery, we learned that I was in the hospital computer system twice. That may partially account for the seven presurgical phone calls, but it is not exactly confidence building for those about to have surgery. While I had confidence that my surgeon knew exactly where to locate and repair my hernia, I developed some insight into the way surgeons end up amputating the wrong leg or otherwise do the wrong surgery on a patient. The chances are good that the error was primarily in the hospital system rather than the surgeon. The hospital where I had the surgery was definitely “communication challenged.” Fortunately, the medical personnel knew what they were doing.
The nurse and nurse practitioner responsible for my prep made that process easy. The anesthesiologist stopped by to say “hello.” I was to be given propofol and fentanyl. I knew about propofol because of Michael Jackson. It wasn’t until after the surgery I learned that the combination of propofol and fentanyl is often used for executions. I can tell you that once they started the propofol, I went totally unconscious instantaneously. Fentanyl is an opioid designed to kill pain. It does that very well. Its effects lasted through surgery and most of the following day (a good reason to avoid driving after surgery).
I had the surgery on Wednesday. Thursday morning I felt good enough that Debra and I were able to get out for a walk. We didn’t walk at our usual pace, but we walked our normal distance. I was worn out afterwards, but the residue of the fentanyl, in combination with a homeopathic pain remedy (Arnica Montana) and a Bach Flower remedy (Acute Rescue), kept the pain at bay. That changed Friday morning. At that point, I added aspirin to help with pain management. For a variety of reasons, I didn’t want to fill the prescriptions I had been given for opioid-based pain meds. I was less than fully comfortable Friday and Saturday, and Sunday still didn’t feel all that great. But I had planned for stay-at-home days anyway and spent those days meditating, dozing, and watching movies and football on TV.
By Monday, I was feeling reasonably decent. Tuesday I was able to drive myself to the grocery store, but I didn’t do much else the rest of the day. Wednesday I had the first of my postsurgical checkups with the surgeon. He said I was doing well. Although I was still not back to my presurgical energy levels, I was definitely feeling better. I had the second postsurgical check with the surgeon on the 22d of October and received clearance to have my life return to normal. I was warned to “ease” back into my activities and to “listen to my body.”
Minor surgery, such as a hernia repair, is typically done on an “out-patient” basis, with no hospital stay being required. I am glad that I had the surgery. Even so, I continue to believe that both surgery and pharmaceutical medications should be “last resorts” rather than first choices. A healthy diet and regular exercise will help you avoid most physical ailments, while acupuncture, Energy Medicine, and appropriate supplements can correct many imbalances in noninvasive ways. When you need a surgeon, however, you need a surgeon, and sometimes surgery is the best, most holistic, route to better health.
For my most recent adventures in alternative therapies, see Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy.