Every surgeon looks to do the perfect surgery. The desired result which he promised the patient or even better, the smile on their face as they leave the hospital and the words of gratitude when they come across the doctor again.
Sometimes, however, being perfect has it's own drawbacks.
I came across a funny incident the other day.
A young girl had come from the Gulf along with her parents to get operated at the hospital. She had a significant strabismus / squint (a condition where the two eyes are not properly aligned). Now, the ophthalmologist did a splendid surgery and I happened to see the girl before she left the hospital and the change in appearance was remarkable. She and her parents were overjoyed with the cosmetic change.
The patient came back a month later for her follow-up with her surgeon. And yes, her parents had a significant bone to pick with the doctor. Can you guess what it was ?
The girl had no problems in vision. The squint had been completely corrected and there were no surgery related issues. The problem was that because of the surgery, the family was detained and not allowed to exit the airport !
The fact is that the surgery had gone so perfectly well that the airport security in the Gulf refused to let her pass, claiming that this was definitely not the same girl in the passport picture ! The family was detained at the airport and only after an hour of cursing the surgeon and finally opening up the cardboard luggage boxes and showing a discharge summary from the hospital were they allowed to leave. The family came back to complain (not necessarily in good humour) that the surgery had gone too well. They claimed that if only the surgeon hadn't done such a good job, they wouldn't have had to go through such an embarrassing situation while returning back!
Sigh... even perfection has it's side-effects.
Sometimes, however, being perfect has it's own drawbacks.
I came across a funny incident the other day.
A young girl had come from the Gulf along with her parents to get operated at the hospital. She had a significant strabismus / squint (a condition where the two eyes are not properly aligned). Now, the ophthalmologist did a splendid surgery and I happened to see the girl before she left the hospital and the change in appearance was remarkable. She and her parents were overjoyed with the cosmetic change.
The patient came back a month later for her follow-up with her surgeon. And yes, her parents had a significant bone to pick with the doctor. Can you guess what it was ?The girl had no problems in vision. The squint had been completely corrected and there were no surgery related issues. The problem was that because of the surgery, the family was detained and not allowed to exit the airport !
The fact is that the surgery had gone so perfectly well that the airport security in the Gulf refused to let her pass, claiming that this was definitely not the same girl in the passport picture ! The family was detained at the airport and only after an hour of cursing the surgeon and finally opening up the cardboard luggage boxes and showing a discharge summary from the hospital were they allowed to leave. The family came back to complain (not necessarily in good humour) that the surgery had gone too well. They claimed that if only the surgeon hadn't done such a good job, they wouldn't have had to go through such an embarrassing situation while returning back!
Sigh... even perfection has it's side-effects.
U win some, u lose some....
ReplyDeleteAnd the rest are totally bonkers!
True. You get some really weird complaints after surgery...
DeleteThat was one funny anecdote !I am curious to know about the able doctor's reaction though...:D
ReplyDeleteI guess he showed some real restraint.. can't really do much else.
Deletewow they took pains to actually come back and complain ! Some people go a long way to let others know their displeasure. However to appreciate a good job is a virtue only a few possess.
ReplyDeletethats the funny part..they actually made sure to let him know how his hands caused them so much suffering.It's usual when the surgery goes wrong, but this...
DeleteOh My God, that is actually funny!! They actually 'complained'?? Good God!!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to India :) This is what we have to live with at times..
DeleteYou can't make it good, you can't make it bad!! Some people are just born-naggers!!
ReplyDeleteI know. Just looking for a chance to complain. This just felt like a new height.
DeleteThere are no free lunches.There is a price for everything in life...even if it means perfection
ReplyDeleteThats the lesson we learnt from this. No matter what we do, there will always be a way to find an issue.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIf they faced such a situation at the hospital, the surgeon might have indeed done a great job. Some people are born to complain always.
ReplyDeleteThe surgeon really did a good job. I saw the patient before and after surgery and the alignment was perfect. That sadly, was the error ! :)
DeleteWell, the surgeons can warn any more patients coming from the Gulf in advance rt....Yeah, I have heard about the iris print check security done ! :)
ReplyDeleteI dont know if it was an iris check... they seemed to only tell the surgeon regarding how the picture in the passport didnt match the girl in real life !
DeleteThis is so ridiculous. I mean really, such stupidity.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to our world... the surgeon has to silently listen or else he will risk being called haughty !
DeleteI pity doctors. They have such a difficult life!
ReplyDeleteAnd I don't even feel like commenting on this family. Weirdos!
Everyone talks about loss of faith in docs... see it from our point of view : its incidents like this that erodes our faith in patients :D
DeleteIt's perhaps the only job where ppl end up in trouble for being perfect and otherwise. Kudos to his surgical skills. Respect.
ReplyDeleteTrue... he was as shocked as anyone else when he heard their complaint.
Deletehahaha..this is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteokay..do i sound like a sadistic biatchhh?
well..its monday morning,with a bloody 2nd chumming day(pun intended)
and extra annoying colleagues talking and gossiping like a bunch of idiots.
I WANT TO LAUGH AT OTHER's MISERY.
grrrr..
okay..i guess my alter ego wrote that stuff.
*looks around to hide somewhere*
Cheers Doc,
I Respect your profession...COMPLETELY.
hahaha..this comment is so hilarious:)
Deleteno point respecting my profession completely pal..there are as many nuts and evil dudes as in any other profession. Just in this case, I ( and the surgeon ) felt that doc got a really raw deal..you'd be surprised at some of the hilarious comments we get to hear daily
ROFL!!!! This is hillarious
ReplyDeleteIt is weird the kind of complaints we usually get, but this one took the cake
DeletePerils of cosmetic suregery? ha ha.
ReplyDeletei know... who would have thought ? :)
DeleteThat's awful - he needs to be sacked immediately! I got cross-eyed reading this! ;)
ReplyDelete:D now you know how the doc feels :D
DeleteHa ha..nice :)
ReplyDeletetell that to the doc :D
DeleteThey should have asked their daughter to pretend having a squint at the airport. It would have saved them the trouble.
ReplyDeleteif only life were that simple...or nutty !
DeleteA very unique case Roshan! But I still feel that perfect surgery remains perfect in the long run. Maybe that's what was conveyed to the girl and her parents when they came back to 'complain' :D
ReplyDeletei think the doc was as dumbstruck as anyone else :)
DeleteHey guys,
ReplyDeleteWanted to share some stuff with you. I used Vistaprint for some embroidered t-shirts with logo. Damn impressed. Check it out if you can.
A day in the life...
ReplyDelete