Using the Net to unmask the mysteries of surgery
When I started asking questions, she wasn't very helpful. She said
that she wasn't up to date on the latest techniques used to repair
hernias and that the surgeon would be able to answer my questions.
When I asked her to recommend a good surgeon, she said that it was a
pretty standard operation and that any surgeon would do just fine.
Well, I wasn't really comfortable with her simplistic explanation, and
even less comfortable with the statement that "any surgeon would do
just fine". I mean, we weren't talking about someone to change the
oil in my car...this is surgery after all! She assured me that it
isn't considered major surgery. I told her that the definition of
minor surgery is any surgery that is being performed on someone else.
She didn't seem to see the humour. So I left the office and decided
to arm myself with the facts. I went online. I went to
Alta Vista's search
engine and typed in "hernia".
So much information came back!! I couldn't beleive it. One of the
first listings was for the British Hernia Centre's
"Hernia Information Home Page" . Here I found everything that I
needed. One stop shopping. Easy to understand, yet very thorough
subjects like: "What is a hernia?", "Different methods of repair",
and even "After the operation".
As my eyes followed the scrolling screens, I could feel my
apprehension and nervousness melting away. Knowledge is a truly
powerful thing! And the Internet had empowered me in just a few
minutes. So I fearlessly went to the phone book and began to call
surgeons. I quizzed them on their repair techniques using their own
medical jargon like a pro! I felt like I was ready for a guest
appearance on ER.
I was looking for a specific kind of repair and in no time at all
found a surgeon who could do it for me. When I met with the surgeon,
we were able to speak on more equal terms, since I now had a much
better understanding of my condition. During the surgery [Yes, I was
awake] we were able to talk about what he was doing at each stage and
I felt no nervousness at all. The Internet took the mystical magic
out of medicine for me and put me in control of my own health
choices. By the way, I'm doing just fine now, my insides are back on
the inside where they belong!
Patrick W. Mathieu has been operating an Internet Consulting business
for the past year and a half and has an impressive and diverse
international client base. Having once created a Web Site for a
hospital, he never thought that one day he would be putting his
skills to use in preperation for a hospital visit. Patrick can be
e-mailed at: patrick@mathieu.com and his Web Site can be found at:
http://www.mathieu.com.
Last February, I go to the doctor only to be informed that I am the
proud owner of a hernia. The doctor's explanation isn't very
reassuring: "It's like your insides are trying to get out...and some
of them are succeeding." Then she informs me that surgery is the
only way to repair this damage and that I should find a surgeon and
have the repair done soon.