Reading Between The Lines: What The Doctor Has To Say

I’ve been admitted to the doctor’s clinic when I was four years old then, due to swollen nose. It happened because my babysitter (who’s pregnant at that moment) pinched me so hard on the nose that made the bony part or cartilage cracked. Next morning, I had a swollen and hurting nose plus an angry mother that took me to a hospital in the city. The doctor joked that my nose will be open that made me cried and promised him that I’ll be a good boy. To my relief, he just gave my mother a prognosis and a cure for my aching nose. The doctor further said that my babysitter was having a craving for my nose because she’s pregnant and this is common to pregnant women. Well. It took a week for my nose to heal and evaded people who want to pinch my nose again. Never in my freakiest thoughts that doctors can also tell lies (partly) to convince their patients that they are well or will be cured by medications they’re recommending.

Reading Between The Lines

There are people who talk by riddles. I mean, they have these ‘thing’ about words that can convince others to believe them, even if they’re just kidding. With all the body language and gestures, we can sense that a person is telling lies by understanding the undertone of what they’re saying. Well, doctors (we respect them because they’re professionals) are not exempted among persons who often said otherwise than things they want to reiterate.

Did you experience these situations?

Doctors often say: “Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”

They mean, “You’re wasting my time.”

You went for an appointment with your doctor because you have a headache. He/She gave you this advice because doctors see illness at its earliest stages because a firm diagnosis is not always possible. To make it worst, aspirin will cause harm even it will ease minor symptoms until the problem is more obvious or apparent.

2. Your friendly doctor will always say, “This won’t hurt a bit.”

He means, “This is going to hurt like hell!”

But of course, doctors are aware of patients’ fears during an injection. They have to soothe their patients as to diagnose. If a patient resist a probing fingers and needles because the muscles tensed in expectation of pain, it will surely cause pain and discomfort as well.

3. Have you heard this? “You have a virus!”

(Oh, my God!), this can’t be happening!

The doctor have no idea what’s wrong with you.

If you’re in the hospital packed with patients, viruses packed out waiting rooms and can cause a wide variety of symptoms. Either the problem will solve itself or evolve into a really deadly disease.

4. I heard a doctor say: “I’m sending you to a specialist.”

Inner thoughts will mean: I’ve had enough of you.”

Doctors know a bit about everything. Specialists, on the other hand, know everything about a bit. Or maybe, your doctor is just tired and he can’t entertain you at the moment.

5. “Is there anything else?”

Doctors mean, “Is that all you’ve come about?”

Older men tend to discuss a cold than admit their impotence just as they’re leaving the clinic.

Doctors will always be accommodating; I seldom see a doctor frown when entertaining a patient. This is just a drama of making a patient feel at ease. They always tell us good news, as much as possible, even though some of us have terminal diseases that cannot be cured at this moment.

Doctors talk in riddles, sometime; to give us hope if we are in middle of suffering, physically or emotionally.

My earliest ambition was to be a doctor. That was the profession I blurted when I was asked by my parents regarding how I wanted to be when I grow up. That was 39 years ago, but it was never realized because of the hard times that afflicted my family.

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