Health & Fitness
GREAT EXPECTATIONS (NOT the book!)
A family friend is getting a total knee replacement done in a couple of weeks. After setting the surgery time with her physician, she tells me that her game plan is to get back to her desk job in early January.
Early January? I asked what her doctor told her about the post-surgical rehab, and she explained that even though the doctor told her about requiring 8 weeks of physical therapy… she thinks she should be able to get back to work a few weeks after surgery.
OMG! What don’t you understand about someone chopping the center of your leg out and screwing in a new knee????
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When I quizzed her about the length of the hospital stay, or whether she was going home or to a skilled nursing facility… she admitted that she hadn’t really asked her surgeon too many questions about after the surgery.
Therein lay one of the toughest problems we all deal with… expectations!
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Whether it’s the great price on a dishwasher that DOESN’T include delivery or installation… a 30 day warranty on a 60inch flat screen HDTV with a brand name you’ve never heard of… or a medical procedure … asking questions helps to set expectations so there are no surprises.
Regardless of what written materials your doctor’s office provides, simple, open-ended questions like: “What should I expect after surgery?” “What should I plan for my rehab?” should be asked and answered before anything gets written on a calendar.
Keep moving!
