Truman Customer Story Column
I Think I'll Worry Less When I Get Dressed
It is not only long accounts that carry sincerity.
A patient who recently underwent gynecomastia surgery left just a few short sentences. Yet those short answers held the beginning and the end of gynecomastia surgery as they were, so today I would like to follow this plain account just as it is.
The worry was less the surgery than what came after
Before surgery, this patient's worry was "life after surgery."
Whether there would be any trouble returning to daily life weighed on him most, he said. And now, having finished the surgery, he briefly wrote that he seemed to be fine. One line of worry, one line of confirmation. What lay in between was the consultation and the surgery.
Just before and just after
His memory of the clinic was concise too. That the staff were kind, and this one sentence:
"They took good care of me both just before and just after the surgery."
Surgery does not take place only inside the operating room. Easing the tension in the moment before going in, checking on the condition in the moment after coming out — these too are part of the surgery. When we meet the words "just before" and "just after" in a patient's account, we feel that what we tried to attend to came through.
What changes is a few minutes in the morning
When we asked what change he hoped for after surgery, again a short and precise answer came back.
"I think I'll worry less when I get dressed."
To those who have never experienced gynecomastia, it may sound trivial. But for someone who checked the contour of his chest first, every morning, while choosing his clothes, "worrying less" means the start of the day is different.
In his case, the burden of pain was not great
In the words he left for those with the same concern, this patient said, in effect, that since the burden of pain was not great, it was worth considering.
Because the degree to which one feels pain differs from person to person, we cannot say it will be the same for everyone. What his experience tells us is one thing. That it was not a surgery as painful as the size of the worry — at least, that it was so for him.
If you need a plain confirmation rather than long words, please come confirm your own condition first in the consultation room.
