Truman Customer Story Column
I Walked into the Operating Room and Music Was Playing
What I hear most often at the operating-room door is "I'm nervous." An unfamiliar space, equipment you have never seen, bright lights. Not being nervous is the rarer case.
Someone who had gynecomastia surgery this past June wrote about the operating room in their review. "Before the surgery I walked into the operating room and music was playing, which seemed to loosen the tension. I liked that."
A Single Sound Can Change a SpaceThere is no grand meaning behind playing calm music in the operating room. But a space with no sound at all stiffens people by itself. With one familiar sound present, there is at least a sense that this is not an entirely foreign place.
Easing tension at the preparation stage is not only a matter of mood. Severe tension raises blood pressure and heart rate. Anesthesia is administered by the anesthesiology team, and I begin the surgery after it is complete. The calmer that earlier stage, the more smoothly preparation goes.
Leaving No Question UnaskedThis person also wrote about the consultation process. "The staff, the manager, and the doctor were all kind, and they told me everything I was curious about, which I appreciated."
What the state of the glandular tissue is, how the incision and scar will be left, how long the compression garment must be worn. Walking into an operating room without knowing these things doubles the fear. That is why we spend time on explanation in the consulting room.
Asking a lot of questions does not make you a difficult patient. If anything, I more often see the parts left unasked come back later as anxiety. Even something that seems trivial is better said plainly at the visit.
If Something You Want to Do Next Has Come UpFor what they wanted to do after surgery, this person wrote: "I want to exercise more and build a good physique." When to resume exercise is set in stages while watching the wound and swelling. Recovery speed differs between individuals, so please do not judge on your own; discuss it at follow-up visits.
On the final question, they wrote that it had not hurt, so it would be good to try without agonizing. But that is what they experienced, and the degree of pain and the course of recovery differ from person to person. Whether to have surgery is something to decide after confirming your own condition through an examination.
Reading a review in which a single song was what stayed with someone, I confirmed again that things which look trivial in care are not actually trivial. We will keep that place exactly as it is.
