[Openurmind]

Having been there with family members several times it is very hard to find even a moment to slow down and reach out to update.

It is a constant flurry of pokes, prods, and drip bag changes. And even being right there it is slow getting any updates from medical staff about anything.

Communication is the #1 problem with the medical industry.

After my wife’s major operation it was a day and a half before she communicated at all and we had any real information how it all went.

[Rockingham]

Doctors tend to be cagey about how someone is doing after major surgery because a lot of things can go wrong even if the operation is initially successful. Post-surgical adverse reactions to anesthesia and other medications, failed sutures, blood clots, and infections are common problems, with other issues depending on the type of surgery. Communicating even good news to patients is a lesser concern.

Some years ago, recovering in bed in an academic teaching hospital a couple of days after removal of a brain tumor, my doctor came through with a small flock of medical residents in tow to discuss my case. I was being featured on rounds. With my throat still raw from a breathing tube, the best response that I could manage to the assessment of my status and the good news that I would be discharged that afternoon was a grin and a thumbs up.