Spring New Shoulder Moon
Finally. Kate’s home. An iatrogenic problem. Squared. The surgery was the first culprit, of course. A surgeon cut into her. An anesthetist put her into a drugged sleep. New, unfamiliar elements got installed, in her body. Lots of insults. Why surgery is not ever to be taken lightly.
Recovery, then. In the newer, fast paced, get’em out of the hospital mode, the gold standard is one night, then back home or wherever. Knock back the pain. Make sure the gut’s working, pass gas and you win the prize, get some discharge instructions and Bob’s your uncle.
However. If the pain is bad, so are the drugs. In this case dilaudid. A powerful narcotic it apparently upset Kate’s sensitive stomach. She couldn’t keep food or water down. But the pain. More dilaudid. You see the problem here. This is the second iatrogenic cause.
Sometimes, the treatment can rival the presenting complaint as a source of pain and discomfort. Medicine is as much art as science, a truth not always palatable to consumers who want certainty in matters critical to life. I know I do. But, it’s a fool’s desire. The human body is far more complex than we understand. Just look at all the new information about gut microbes as an example.
To my non-medical mind the biggest issue is the interdependency of all the body’s organs, systems. Poke one, many respond. It’s like trying to repair a car while the engine’s running. So, I’m grateful that the folks at Ortho Colorado stayed in the messy and confusing twists as Kate’s body tried to recalibrate. It did. Joy, to mention a word from a few posts ago.