Family Consultation

Christmas in North Andover provided an opportunity to discuss a scheduled knee replacement with the people I consider family.

Joe, a pediatrician with a teaching gig at Harvard Medical School, is married to Magda, my goddaughter.  They have three children so we don't usually get a lot of adult time during my visits to their home in South Boston.  But we were tasked to pick up a couple of pies at Whole Foods while Magda drove the D-Kids to Tom's and Audrey's for Christmas in North Andover.

Joe's Graduation from Columbia Medical School

"I'm not an orthopedist but you've got to keep in mind that surgery is their bread and butter," he explained.  "The hospital probably lost money on your consultation.  Of course he's going to want to do the surgery there."

"Yeah, I get that.  But do you think I'm crazy to consider having the operation in New York mostly because I trust this guy after he replaced my hip?  His refusal to replace my knee eight years ago convinced me he's motivated less by money than by doing what's best for the patient."

"No, trusting your physician is only natural," Joe replied.

I also confessed that I had been feeling less knee pain since scheduling the surgery.  "Isn't that crazy?  Nothing has changed."

Joe smiled.  "Medicine still doesn't entirely understand the impact our minds have on our bodies.  You probably reduced a lot of stress just by making a plan to move forward."

He was right, of course.  Instead of imagining the worst case scenario--having to leave New York City--on a daily basis, I started to think more positively about the future.

Tom, Joe's father-in-law, and I go all the way back to Columbia.  We also share another, more relevant bond:  the same orthopedic surgeon at the Hospital for Special Surgery. Dr. Ranawat replaced both of Tom's hips; prior to the surgeries, he barely could walk. But both Tom and Audrey thought I was nuts to have my knee replaced in New York when I could just as easily do it in Florida through the same hospital.

"Does he know that you have to climb two flights of stairs?  That you grocery shop 20 blocks away from where you live?  That you ride your bike to do your laundry?  That you live with two other people in Florida who can help you recover?"

They wore me down.  I agreed to explore other options upon arrival at the Folly.