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Episode 184:
Health and the
Importance of a Second Opinion
My mailman,
grocery checker,
and cabinet-maker all have scars on their wrists. Repetitive
motion they
say. Carpal-tunnel syndrome seems to be all the rage. After playing the
classical guitar for two or three hours each day for several years, my
hands
felt the pain and agony of something gone wrong. Was it Carpel Tunnel?
Though
threatened with the knife, I escaped the procedure. Personal experience
and a
strong resistance to surgery revealed a surprising analysis for me.
This is
Retirement Talk. I’m
Del Lowery.
Health
decisions seem to
mount as we move into our retirement
years We have to make lots of decisions. Sometimes we’re faced
with choosing
between alternative treatments. What to do? Where do we turn for
advice? Most
of the time, we can readily agree with our doctor. Other times,
it just
doesn’t feel right. We seek a second opinion.
My family
doctor prescribed
drugs to reduce the inflammation in my hands. I’ve always
practiced a
minimalist approach to taking any sort of drug and so I didn’t
take what was
prescribed. Later a hand-specialist took X-rays and prescribed a
different
drug. Once again, I refused. Then a neurologist suggested yet another
drug and
pronounced the presence of carpal-tunnel syndrome. He recommended
surgery.
Reluctant to
accept the
drugs or the surgery, I searched for yet another answer. Inquiries led
me to a
source that was in Seattle. I was referred to a hand surgery clinic
where
doctors examine hundreds of hands each month.
I called the
clinic and
asked if all they did was surgery as their name implied. I was assured
that not
all problems required surgery. Promised that I would just receive
an
examination, I drove the ninety miles south with high hopes.
In the elevator
all the
people had their hands in bandages. In the office were several patients
waiting
for their doctor. They all had bandages on their hands. Everyone had
bled. I
wanted to flee, but the long drive, and my wife, demanded that I
see and
hear the expert.
Dr. John Sack
appeared to be
in his early fifties. He was tall, with an athletic build and a gentle
presence. He was in no rush. Looking at my chart, he asked me about my
occupation or retirement: how I spent my time, hobbies, kids, wife,
diet,
physical activity, and medical history. He even inquired into my
attitude
towards life. As a former teacher of philosophy, I particularly warmed
to that
question. My existential bent surfaced. I told him of the intensity
with which
I approached each day and yet accepted the absurdity of life. He told
me a
little about himself – his career choice and his rowing on Lake
Washington each
morning. He gave me time and set me at ease.
He then put me
through a
series of hand gymnastics. “Push here. Pull there,” he
commanded. “Do they hurt
when you sleep? When you walk?” He looked at my hands.
“Is there any pain
at the moment?” There was no pain.
He handed me a
small piece
of paper and a pen and asked me to write. “Write anything.
It doesn’t
matter what it is.”
I wrote only
three words and
the Doctor and the nurse broke into loud laughter. They looked at each
other,
shook their head from side to side, and then laughed some more.
They excused
themselves for
laughing and then asked me to continue writing a little more.
Reluctantly,
I put pen to paper for just a few words. Sweat broke out on my
forehead.
Embarrassment swept over me. I sensed the analysis.
The Doctor
shook his head
and said that I had written enough. He explained that the
laughter was
because he had never seen quite such a severe example of my problem.
“It is
text book,” he said. Then he went on, “Del, you’re
just not that important. You
need to let up. You’re going to press that pen right
through the table.
I’m surprised that you can play the guitar at all.”
The doctor gave
me the
medical term for my problem and then said that it is commonly called
“white
knuckle disease”. When I wrote on the paper, my knuckles had
turned white
instantly. My effort far exceeded that necessary. I grasped the pen too
hard. I
pressed on the paper too hard. The wise physician looked at my hands
and saw
clearly into my mind. The intensity with which I lived life had to be
harnessed, reduced, or controlled. My existential attitude had created
an
intensity that was overwhelming my body.
He advised me
to go home and
play my guitar, and even more importantly he advised me to let up -
when
playing music and when not playing music. On parting he said, “I
should never
see you again. You just need to relax”.
Within two
weeks my
diastolic blood pressure had dropped 15 points. Many times during the
day I
would give myself relaxation tests. I would focus on the hands and see
if I
could relax them more than they were. I always found them tense. They
would be
knotted while walking down the street; tight while I was washing the
dishes,
reading the newspaper, or driving the car. They would even be
tight when
I would wake in the middle of the night and give them a quick check. I
began
noticing the tenseness in my tongue, checks, back and everyplace else.
I had
never noticed this all-encompassing tenseness. It had become a way of
life.
Habits
developed over a
lifetime change slowly. It has been almost 14 years since my visit to
Doctor
Sack. Now my hands are relaxed as well as much of the rest of me.
I
felt stupid about causing so much grief to myself, but I felt good
about
refusing the drugs and the surgery. Fad treatment for a problem that
is difficult to diagnose may miss the true problem.
Spinoza
believed that the
mind and body were one. In my case, pain attributed to repetitive
motion, was
really a mind problem. Asking for a second, third, or even forth
opinion paid
off for me. Dr. John Sack understood complexity of the true art of
healing.
This is
Retirement
Talk.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from. A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops. Copyright 2010 RetirementTalk.org |
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