Surgery not required

My wife then told me how relieved our maid and her daughter were after seeing the doctor. After a long time, someone took time to explain to them what the issue was and more importantly, no surgery was required. No doubt, after they were told a surgery was required, they must have started worrying about everything from how much money the surgery would cost to the surgery itself.

Last week, our maid came home, worry writ all over her face. When asked for the reason she told us that a doctor had told her daughter that she would require a surgery.

Our maid’s daughter had been suffering from severe cramps and abdominal pain for some time. They took her to the local government hospital where they were asked to take a scan. On viewing the scan, the doctor advised surgery.

We asked her for the report and sent it to my sister who is also a doctor. She couldn’t conclude anything on seeing the report and said it’s better she consults with a gynecologist. The maid then told us that the doctor they had been seeing wasn’t very forthcoming and was a bit terse when prodded.

My wife then decided to take our maid’s daughter to a gynecologist that my wife had visited before and felt comfortable with.

On seeing the report, the gynecologist didn’t find anything alarming, definitely not anything that warranted a surgery. She asked about her lifestyle and explained the problem to her in a way that she could understand.

My wife then told me how relieved our maid and her daughter were after seeing the doctor. After a long time, someone took time to explain to them what the issue was and more importantly, no surgery was required. No doubt after they were told a surgery was required, they must have started worrying about everything from how much money the surgery would cost to the surgery itself.

A couple of takeaways from the entire incident:

a) We take our privilege for granted. People from the lower middle class are at the mercy of government hospitals where most of the doctors are overworked and underpaid. Taking a second opinion and diagnosis mean spending more money and time.

b) I had written a few weeks back about overcoming a wrong diagnosis. When this incident occurred, I realised how this can affect our lives too.

When we are told we can’t do something, that we’re not good enough, that we aren’t capable enough, that we’re not cut out for something, they can become the false reality we walk around with. If my maid hadn’t seen another doctor who assuaged all her worries, she would have walked around with countless worries, none of which were based on reality.

If you’re walking around with a bunch of wrong diagnoses, maybe it’s time for a reality check.