I posted on social media my before and after eye surgery photos and received many comments saying “amazing!” “incredible!” and so much praise for what a great job the surgeon has done.
And it’s absolutely true – he did do such a great job.
However, reading those comments also put me in a difficult spot. Yes, the work is definitely phenomenal and amazing, but the ongoing maintenance I do to make sure that the surgery is worthwhile is not seen.
A lot of people were also responding as if it was a recent procedure. Comments like, “So good you’ve just had this now Em” to “Finally, it’ll now be great!” However, it’s a battle I’ve been facing for 1.5 years now – if not 20 years with my eyesight in general.
Feeling this way makes me think that I’m ungrateful of resentful of the surgeons amazing ability of putting those tiny stitches in my eye since the ongoing impact and work that I have to do is not seen or recognised.
It’s important to consider the effort a person goes through in their own healing from surgery or any procedure. Healing is the job of the patient, not the doctors. To make the effort of the expert worthwhile, there’s always the person undergoing the procedure that has a huge role to play in their recovery.
When you see a person has undergone a procedure, ensure that you are also acknowledging their effort of healing and management of their care as well as the expert. Because it takes both to make it a success. It can so easy create bitterness in someone if their effort goes unnoticed in their own care post-procedure.
It can also be a wonderful opportunity, when asked, to learn about what is required on their side for care and management of their health. When asked, it can create the space to learn, share and educate about their experience, leaving them feeling empowered and acknowledged.
How can you ensure you’re noticing both the expert and the person in the experience?