4:33 AM
Here's another short excerpt from a draft of a book--Turning Turtle--being written by my friend and colleague. As I described below, Samuel Jay Keyser--Professor of Linguistics (Emeritus) at MIT--suffered from a debilitating fall that left him severely injured and experiencing the health care system in a way he could have never imagined. This moment takes place after his second surgery for spinal cord injuries.
One day a solo doctor came into the room, introduced himself, and without much preamble told me that while the operation was a success, I probably would never walk again.
“Fuck you,” I said to myself.
To him, I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I know it isn’t what you want to hear,” he said in a consoling way. “But it’s best to be realistic in situations like yours.”
I wonder why he felt the need to be “realistic.” Perhaps it was his way of defending himself from becoming too close to a patient.
I learned later that the nurse on duty had overheard the conversation and had given him hell when he left the room. Much later in my hospital stay, he exchanged his severe demeanor for one with an engaging smile. I wonder if the nurse’s dressing down had changed him. I wonder if that’s how doctors are socialized on the job.
One day a solo doctor came into the room, introduced himself, and without much preamble told me that while the operation was a success, I probably would never walk again.
“Fuck you,” I said to myself.
To him, I said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“I know it isn’t what you want to hear,” he said in a consoling way. “But it’s best to be realistic in situations like yours.”
I wonder why he felt the need to be “realistic.” Perhaps it was his way of defending himself from becoming too close to a patient.
I learned later that the nurse on duty had overheard the conversation and had given him hell when he left the room. Much later in my hospital stay, he exchanged his severe demeanor for one with an engaging smile. I wonder if the nurse’s dressing down had changed him. I wonder if that’s how doctors are socialized on the job.
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