Hi Cindy,
I think there are few consultant surgeons that specialise in hernias only. Mr. Borely who did mine for instance is a colorectal specialist but a highly regarded surgeon nonetheless.
If I were in your shoes, if I felt that I could not talk freely to the consultant or that he was not trying his utmost to communicate with me in such a way that I understood what he was saying or that he didn’t understand my trepidation or concerns, then I would walk away. You are paying for this. You are entitled to be treated with respect and concern for your wellbeing and to feel comfortable with him. It’s a bit like an interview for a job really; if he strikes you as an arrogant bully would you really want to employ him to have his hands inside you? If, heaven forbid, there are complications you need to be confident that, with you in a potentially weakened state, you can talk to him about your concerns and know that he will be understanding and compassionate.
I once nearly turned a consultant down. I had to have a heart valve replaced with a prosthetic one. My GP at the time, who was very good, told me to write all my questions down on a sheet of paper, don’t pull any punches and go through them one by one with the consultant (NHS) and make sure you got the answers I needed. I did this; I had three A4 sheets of questions (single sided).
At the initial consultation I was seen by the consultant’s registrar. He was very good and explained a lot in a very easy to understand manner. He then asked me if I had any questions, so I pull out my three sheets of A4 and start going through my questions. Some of them he couldn’t answer (they were quite taxing, like what is the consultant's mortality rate for the past five years) so in the end he asked if he could see the list of questions. He then excused himself taking the questions with him and came back a bit later with the consultant himself.
The consultant was a bit put out that I was asking so many questions and said to me “It’s almost like you don’t trust me.”…… Too right I don’t .... “trust me I’m a doctor?” you must be joking, trust has to be earned and in my book you don’t earn trust by acting all arrogant and cocksure … anyway he went all quiet for a bit not answering any of the questions on the sheet and I said nothing and I was just about to tell him this was not going to work for me and walk out when he became a bit more conciliatory. After that it all went well.
Cindy, you need to be brave and ask Mr. Kurzer all the questions you want to, even if they seem minor concerns to you. Ask Mr. Kurzer how many operations of this type he has done this year and what the outcomes were. If he gets rattled or doesn’t explain in a way that you can understand or you plain don’t like him, then tell the BHC you are not satisfied with that surgeon. You don’t have to justify yourself, you are paying and you have a right to get what you want, after all it’s their reputation that is at stake and crucially, your life!
You’ve got to be as hard-nosed about this as the BHC are; they’re in it for the money.
Sorry if that’s a bit long winded and if I seem a bit forthright about it all but it makes me mad when people just filibuster and get all arrogant and expect you to buckle and agree with them.
I do so hope that you get the best of treatment that you so richly deserve.
Regards,
Phil.
