Once we've introduced ourselves to each other, the warmth emanating from Dr.B's eyes deepens upon hearing how calming I find every detail of his office environment, and after thanking me for expressing the postive nature of my reaction, his soothing smile turns to Will, to whom he says, I'm sure you have a list of questions, so ask away, and I'll do my best to answer as thoroughly as possible.
With that, Will holds up his yellow legal pad and shows Jerry the length of his list. At a glance, Jerry smiles while reassuring my husband with these words: You're my last appointment, for good reason … my staff will leave at the end of their day … so relax; take your time and fire away.
See what I mean about how naturally Jerry's empathetic attitude soothes anxiety away? Having walked in Will's shoes, a decade ago, this surgeon is anything but emotionally removed—and nothing relaxes anxiety, concerning mortality, as a shot of empathy coupled with professional precision.
With a sigh of relief (though nothing has changed), Will asks question #1… and though I wish my memory bank could withdraw Will's list questions, followed by each of Jerry's detailed answers, the truth of the matter is this: I was standing in the wrong line when photographic thought processors were handed out. So though I paid close attention to every question and answer this pair of surgeons exchanged, the best I can do, five months later, is to cough up a summary of Dr. B's empathetic responses … and I emphasize empathetic for this reason: Over the next several months, information imparted by more than one urologist will offer our anxious minds a mixed bag in that one response will prove as reassuring as the next makes us catch our breath …
As mentioned in an earlier post, I'd mistakenly cued up in the talking line twice, thus missing my once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive a photographic memory, so when next we meet, I'll do my best to summarize Jerry's responses to Will's lengthy list of questions …
With that, Will holds up his yellow legal pad and shows Jerry the length of his list. At a glance, Jerry smiles while reassuring my husband with these words: You're my last appointment, for good reason … my staff will leave at the end of their day … so relax; take your time and fire away.
See what I mean about how naturally Jerry's empathetic attitude soothes anxiety away? Having walked in Will's shoes, a decade ago, this surgeon is anything but emotionally removed—and nothing relaxes anxiety, concerning mortality, as a shot of empathy coupled with professional precision.
With a sigh of relief (though nothing has changed), Will asks question #1… and though I wish my memory bank could withdraw Will's list questions, followed by each of Jerry's detailed answers, the truth of the matter is this: I was standing in the wrong line when photographic thought processors were handed out. So though I paid close attention to every question and answer this pair of surgeons exchanged, the best I can do, five months later, is to cough up a summary of Dr. B's empathetic responses … and I emphasize empathetic for this reason: Over the next several months, information imparted by more than one urologist will offer our anxious minds a mixed bag in that one response will prove as reassuring as the next makes us catch our breath …
As mentioned in an earlier post, I'd mistakenly cued up in the talking line twice, thus missing my once-in-a-lifetime chance to receive a photographic memory, so when next we meet, I'll do my best to summarize Jerry's responses to Will's lengthy list of questions …
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