Truman Customer Story Column
When he woke after surgery, there was a button held in his hand.
The Mystery of the Button in His Hand
What is this? He was puzzled for quite a while, he says. It turned out to be a pain-control button to press whenever pain was felt. Reading this scene in his review made me smile, but it also gave me pause. What is obvious to us is, to a patient, something seen for the first time. Today's story begins with that cheerful bit of bewilderment.
"Once I actually did it, I only had to endure about 3 to 4 days."
Before surgery, his worry was how long the everyday discomfort would last. The sentence above is his answer afterward.
This course was his case. Recovery speed varies with the amount of tissue removed and the individual's condition, so not everyone passes through the same timetable. Still, I do want to say that the size of the worry and the size of the discomfort actually experienced can differ, and that narrowing that gap in advance is the role of the consultation.
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From What Is Removed to Insurance
As what he liked about the clinic, he pointed to the explanation. He said it was explained clearly — which area is removed and how, answers to his questions, and even the insurance-related matters.
When a surgical explanation is filled with difficult terms, the patient gives up on asking questions. Our goal is for the patient to understand his own surgery in his own words before he enters the operating room. Matters like insurance and coverage also differ according to each person's terms, so we make sure to walk you through your own case in consultation.
02
Back to the Button
The pain-control button is a device we provide so that the patient can manage pain himself during recovery.
Rather than enduring to the limit and only then speaking up, the patient presses it directly when needed. It is a way of handing the initiative in pain management to the patient. But as with him, if the button ends up in your hand before you have heard the explanation, it can be bewildering. To tell those who have just woken, once more from the start, what it is they are holding — that is the improvement this review gave us.
"Going out in just one layer, without covering my chest."
This is his answer to what he most wanted to do after surgery.
I know the daily life behind this sentence. Applying nipple stickers, layering an extra shirt under the T-shirt, checking the angle in the mirror before heading out. I hope he regains a daily life where going out in a single layer is no longer a wish.
03
A Review With No Bad Memories
To the last question about what he hoped for, he answered that he had no bad memories, and for those with the same concern he left one short line: "This place is good."
To add a light note, this line too is his experience. Whether surgery is needed for you is something to decide after confirming your condition through an examination. From that very first check, we will help you accurately.
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- Dr. Kim Seok-won, TRUEMAN Gangnam -
