Out of Practice?

Well, I was cruising right along ... already thinking of my return post ... when Mom2Amara threw me off.

You see, she posted this about her daughter's doctor ... and it got me thinking to my recent experience with my Dad.

Specifically, it got me wondering whether doctors can get too old to practice. I mean, we talk about taking away driver's licenses ... what about medical licenses?

Dad underwent surgery for a hernia ... which was a much larger operation than I thought it would be. He has a big incision, and about 70 staples holding him together.

To top it off, his healing was delayed by a bit of pneumonia which he came down with post-surgery.

He got great care ... his nurses were fantastic, his surgeon is said to be a "perfectionist", and the respiratory therapists were out of this world.

But, there was one small problem.

You see, the surgeon took a few days off, and left one of her "partners" to cover. And this "partner" seemed to me to be a little past his prime.

The first day he visited my Dad, he entered with a hearty "Ready to go home?" and all but signed his discharge papers ... after a visit lasting about one minute.

Unfortunately, and I apologize for the graphic detail, Dad did not have a bowel movement yet, something they wanted to see before he could go home.

That didn't seem to worry the doc ... who, like I said, was ready to let Dad get out of there.

Thankfully, a nurse basically tackled the doc in the hallway, told him about the BM situation, which caused the doctor to return to the room, with a "Well, it won't hurt you to stay one more day."

So, Day 2 comes ... and Dad has made the magic happen in the bathroom.

The same doc returns ... and is again ready to discharge my Dad ... after a consultation that lasted about 30 seconds.

He didn't look at my father's incision ... nor his stomach swelling ... just a quick ... "Let's get you out of here" ... and a hastily planned exit ... probably to go golfing or watch the Ravens game.

Of course, my Mother says "What about that drain that he still has in?"

The doc's response ... without even looking at the drain ... "You know what, it wouldn't hurt you to stay one more day."

Thankfully, Dad's surgeon returned the next day, gave him a thorough exam, ordered the drain removed ... and sent Dad home.

Of course, this is only AFTER a pair of nurses told him that he was the subject of conversation at the desk.

That conversation ... "Why is Mr. H still here???"

We explained the doc's visits over the last few days ... and discovered from the nurses ... that the doc has a bit of a "reputation" around the hospital. And by "reputation", I mean "subject of repeated jokes."

Thankfully, Dad is home ... hopefully never to see that particular doctor again.

Lots of Docs

Since my current situation hasn't resolved itself, I'm using the time for more important family matters.

My Dad has a couple procedures this week, and I decided to head East, to keep my Mother from going insane with worry.

Normally, people wouldn't worry about colonoscopies and hernia surgeries.

However, my dad's last colonoscopy nearly killed him.

The doctor, who refuses to admit his mistake to this day, apparently punctured something inside my dad while removing polyps.

Of course, this wasn't discovered at the time, nor was it found during a follow-up x-ray when my father complained of discomfort.

Only after a life-threatening condition erupted, did a surgeon decide my dad needed to be opened up in order for the problem to be corrected.

12 days later my dad got to go home, and of course, that's when the post-surgery hernia developed.

But here's the kicker ... the same doctor that punctured my dad (but won't admit it), recently sent him a letter announcing that his next colonoscopy was not only due ... it was scheduled!

My dad called the doc and nicely explained that he wouldn't be undergoing the procedure, since the physician nearly killed him last time around.

The surgeon recommended a new doctor ... and I'm happy to say we got that part of the visit out of the way this morning ... with dad getting a clear bill of health.

Tomorrow is the surgery ... so I'll be back at the hospital more often than I like for a parent.

But, hopefully, things will go as well as they did today ... and he'll be home in 3-5 days.