Truman Customer Story Column
Deciding a Second Time
For someone who has already had surgery once, deciding on it again is different in nature from deciding the first time.
The first time you are afraid because you do not know; the second time you hesitate because you do. You stand before it again knowing in your body what the process is.
That is exactly what this person worried about before surgery. That it was a revision was the biggest worry, and they wrote that there was also unease about it being a clinic they had not been to before.
The Unease of a New ClinicThe second worry read as heavier to me.
You choose a clinic the first time with expectations; choosing again is not like that. You come already knowing what to check, and you keep checking even while listening to the explanation. From our side, that is if anything better. The more specific the questions, the more accurate the explanation.
They wrote that the atmosphere and the staff's easy manner put them at ease — but I think the important word in that sentence is not "easy" but "at ease." Someone who arrives carrying unease needs time to reach ease, and the only ways to shorten that time are explanation and manner.
That It Finished the Same DayAs a memory of the surgery, they wrote that there was no pain and it all finished the same day, which was a relief.
The surgery is performed under sedation and takes about thirty minutes. How it went is explained in the recovery room afterward. Sensitivity to pain varies widely; some, like this person, feel little discomfort, and some do not. I want to be clear that this person's course does not apply to everyone as it stands.
The post-operative schedule follows the same principles regardless of whether it is a revision. For 12 to 48 hours after surgery you spend the time with additional compression over the garment, and the next day we check for bleeding before removing it. During that period you do not do upper-body exercise; light walking and lower-body squats are fine.
The Words About Straightening Your ShouldersFor what they most wanted to do after surgery, they wrote: "I want to walk with my shoulders back, confidently."
I think the reason they decided a second time is contained in that one line. Even if the difference is barely visible to others, if you were conscious of it dozens of times a day, it is not a small matter.
To others with the same concern, they answered to the effect that if it remains a source of worry and stress, it is better not to leave it alone. That is their view, and whether your condition calls for surgery is something to judge after confirming it through an examination.
As for what they would ask of TRUEMAN, they wrote that we should keep on just as we are. Knowing how carefully a person chooses a clinic the second time, I will not take that line lightly.
