I saw my surgeon first thing this morning.

In her words I am “a complicated case” and she “wants the best” for me.

Her best is not to rush into surgery. She does not believe the invasive surgery typically prescribed to restore the health of someone with the congenital condition my symptoms point to – at least the non-complicated version of the condition – will eliminate my chronic pelvic pain and the referred pain (i.e. pain felt in an area remote from the site of origin) I now have in my back and legs. Additionally, she foresees a multitude of post-operative complications and she believes there will likely be others she can’t predict because of how unpredictably my body has been behaving.

What she decided to do, to make sure I get the best care, is refer me to her more senior colleague for a second opinion. She has been consulting with him about my case and thinks it’s time he met me to make direct observations. If after reviewing my chart and examining me the senior surgeon decides surgery is the only way forward, my surgeon wants to be a part of the surgical team.

I want her to be part of the team too. I trust her because of her thoughtful reluctance to pick up a scalpel and her attempts to find alternate, less invasive treatments to treat my complicated case. And I trust that if she is a part of the team I will receive the best that she desires for me.

If you’re a child of the 80s you will remember this song appealing to a doctor for help

Thompson Twins – “Doctor Doctor”