<story><title>After Surgery in Germany, I Wanted Vicodin, Not Herbal Tea</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/27/opinion/sunday/surgery-germany-vicodin.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jjeaff</author><text>I wonder if that doctor has ever had major surgery himself and been told not to use painkillers?&lt;p&gt;Even if that is the case, pain seems to vary greatly in how it affects people. I would be very hesitant to tell someone that they should just let the pain &amp;quot;guide&amp;quot; them, because I have no idea what it is like for them.</text></item><item><author>dpflan</author><text>This passage feels like it is premise of the article; the author eventually comes to terms with her tea-sipping and resting as recovery, and this doctor explains the reasoning behind the medical decision-making which is very clear (and mindful&amp;#x2F;thoughtful) I think.&lt;p&gt;“To paraphrase him [German anesthesiologist], he said: ‘Pain is a part of life. We cannot eliminate it nor do we want to. The pain will guide you. You will know when to rest more; you will know when you are healing. If I give you Vicodin, you will no longer feel the pain, yes, but you will no longer know what your body is telling you. You might overexert yourself because you are no longer feeling the pain signals. All you need is rest. And please be careful with ibuprofen. It’s not good for your kidneys. Only take it if you must. Your body will heal itself with rest.”’</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>clwk</author><text>I have a very relevant anecdote:&lt;p&gt;My grandfather was an open-heart surgeon. In the days following surgery, he would always insist that his patients get up and take a short walk. They would not want to, but he insisted that this was an important and valuable part of recovery (in several dimension) and that they needed to push past resistance and force themselves to do it.&lt;p&gt;Later in life, he underwent a surgery requiring general anesthesia and found himself in the same position. He said, &amp;quot;If I had known it was like that, I would not have made them do it.&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;So I think the surgeon&amp;#x27;s personal experience of the situation is -- in fact -- highly relevant in practice, even if not in theory.</text></comment>
<story><title>After Surgery in Germany, I Wanted Vicodin, Not Herbal Tea</title><url>https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/27/opinion/sunday/surgery-germany-vicodin.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>jjeaff</author><text>I wonder if that doctor has ever had major surgery himself and been told not to use painkillers?&lt;p&gt;Even if that is the case, pain seems to vary greatly in how it affects people. I would be very hesitant to tell someone that they should just let the pain &amp;quot;guide&amp;quot; them, because I have no idea what it is like for them.</text></item><item><author>dpflan</author><text>This passage feels like it is premise of the article; the author eventually comes to terms with her tea-sipping and resting as recovery, and this doctor explains the reasoning behind the medical decision-making which is very clear (and mindful&amp;#x2F;thoughtful) I think.&lt;p&gt;“To paraphrase him [German anesthesiologist], he said: ‘Pain is a part of life. We cannot eliminate it nor do we want to. The pain will guide you. You will know when to rest more; you will know when you are healing. If I give you Vicodin, you will no longer feel the pain, yes, but you will no longer know what your body is telling you. You might overexert yourself because you are no longer feeling the pain signals. All you need is rest. And please be careful with ibuprofen. It’s not good for your kidneys. Only take it if you must. Your body will heal itself with rest.”’</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>vanderZwan</author><text>&amp;gt; &lt;i&gt;I wonder if that doctor has ever had major surgery himself and been told not to use painkillers?&lt;/i&gt;&lt;p&gt;Since when is that a requirement for knowing what is best for your patients? The doctor is basing their judgement on current consensus within their field, which hopefully involves careful studies.</text></comment>