In my June ISHN column, I told you about the diagnosis of my prostate cancer and the proposed treatment - a radical retropubic prostatectomy. I drew parallels between a cancer diagnosis and an occupational injury. Now I'm in the midst of post-surgery recovery - and I'm finding instructive similarities and differences between recovering from cancer surgery versus an occupational injury.
I should have stayed in the hospital longer. My rush to go home and get some welcomed sleep led to extra pain and discomfort. I won't bore you with the details, but the lesson is important for all kinds of recovery. Be patient and appreciate the need for incremental healing. This is a critical lesson for the doctors and hospital staff, also. They should not let the naeve wishes and optimism of their patients overcome their empirical observations and more experienced judgment.