Now 'Ear This

    If you've ever had your ears cleaned or "dewaxed" in a medical office, you know how unpleasant that can be, with the flushing, the scraping, and siphoning. I underwent such a procedure a few months ago, and the practitioner kindly apologized for the pain, discomfort and the resulting inflammation, for which she prescribed a course of antibiotics. She was unable to complete the process and recommended further treatment.

  So I scheduled an appointment with an ENT. First comment was, "We have better ways of doing that now."  And that was true, a quick and painless way that obviated all the discomfort. 

  Great. But in today's world of mass and fast communication, why is that knowledge not at every practitioner's fingertips. If they don't possess what appears to be a simple piece of equipment, why would they not refer the patient to a facility that does, rather than carrying out a semi-barbaric procedure. Should it be the patient's job to alert doctors to medical advances. Google it, Doc, for Pete's sake.

    I could expand the above concept to an even more crucial surgical undertaking.  I have undergone at least 4 procedures by a single doctor which he acknowledged were not successful. He admitted to me he was unable to successfully achieve the goal of the procedure, even illustrating the graphics  of the difficulty he had encountered. He said he would try again, the alternative being extensive surgery. We don't want that, do we. No! 

   On the advice of my primary doctor, I sought that oft-cited "second opinion."  What I found, right away, was "We have better ways of doing that."  And that too was true. (Although the failed attempts by the first doctor added complications to the procedure, as well as to impending  risks.

  And if I, at my place in life, am now aware of the progress of medicine in these areas, how is it possible that doctors don't know.