Once in a while, I come upon someone who seems perfectly suited to the work that they do.  I am thinking of my niece, Kim, who is an at home mom, something she has dreamed about forever. I am thinking of my friend, Art, who went off to study the ministry and now is a UU minister. I am thinking of Maria, this fun and smart lady who works at GAP at the mall. When JoAnn and I ran a used clothing store, we were a wildly good team. We provided the service of offering second hand kids’ clothes but also snuck in a lot of casual parenting counseling. Those were good times.

The person I am thinking of now is Dr. Dennis Oh. He is a neurosurgeon at Baystate Medical Center, near me. I have hardly had a break from cervical back pain in three years. I have done rounds of PT, of acupuncture, of massage, of chiropractic. I had consulted an orthopedic surgeon who very kindly said that there wasn’t anything he could offer me. Plugging on in my quest for relief from pain, I brought the idea of seeing a neurosurgeon to my primary care. We had both just been hearing about Dr. Oh, not a name that one easily forgets, and decided I would try to see him. I figured it would be a couple of months before I would get an appointment. Surprise #1 was to get an appointment a couple of weeks hence.

June 6, I went to meet Dr. Oh. Oh my. I love thinking about  that visit. He walks in the room and brings sunshine. This may sound trite but it is simply true. He is an attractive Asian man, maybe late 30’s though it is very hard to tell. He listened carefully, showed my friend and me my MRI’s. Here’s from the front; here’s the cross section. He explained just what we were seeing, where it was healthy in there and where it wasn’t. Then we came to the moment of truth. I was fully prepared for him to kindly say, as others have (for my back but I also used to hear this regularly with my knee), “I am so sorry but there is nothing I can do.”  HA. That is NOT what he said. He said he could operate and most likely, it would be a big improvement. WHAT? Was he for real? I nearly burst into tears, the relief kind of tears. We talked about the risks, the benefits, what he would do in there. Then he said I could go home and think about it. What’s to think about? Let’s do it!!!!

So we have covered Surprise #1 (fast appointment), Surprise #2 (he can fix me) and now, for Surprise #3. I got a call the next day from his scheduler/nurse. How about May 17? WHAT? That is 9 or 10 days away. Really? That soon? YAHOO. Let’s do this thing.

I am now 9 days post op. This has definitely been the easiest surgery I have ever had. My 4 knee surgeries were nightmares, for many reasons, including the fact that after the surgery, I was on crutches, feeling helpless, and alone. And in pain. Don’t forget the pain. For this, I stayed one night in the hospital and came home 24 hours after I had arrived. I have been walking a mile or two (or 4, but that wasn’t a great idea) every day since. I nap, read, putz on the computer, cook. My girlfriends have been great in coming by to walk with me or take me for errands. I am not driving for the first 2 weeks. The pain has always been reasonable. The question that everyone asks, which I can’t yet answer, is, “Did it work?” Check back with me in a few weeks. Considering that Dr. Oh mucked around in there, just where the nerves and muscle have been in spasm for 3 years, there is a lot of healing that has to occur, just from the surgery. So I try to be very peaceful in my waiting  and not knowing.

I have to backtrack to when I first saw Dr. Oh on the day of surgery. I was in one of those little cubicles in the pre op area. I had just changed into a hospital johnny. Dr. Oh excitedly yanks back the curtain and there stands this man, looking like a  little boy about to open his birthday presents.  It was that busting-happy kind of look. He had his fingers crossed on both hands. Words burst out of him: I have a great feeling about this, Katie. I really think this is going to work. I am so happy to be able to do this for you. This is going to be great!

This, from my surgeon. There is so much light in this man. All of the nurses I have met speak of him with something barely short of adoration. I learned from a doc at my health center that Dr. Oh will call the primary care physicians, just to get information or keep them in the loop. This is rare, a surgeon doing his own calling. In my life, I have figured that your first priority in a doctor is skill, which he has in spades. He is a highly respected surgeon, primarily working in the brain and spinal chord, I believe. AND he is, in my tradition, a mensch. He is a good man. His bedside manner makes you feel special. His attention, in that moment, is wholey on you. When he came to see me the next morning, again, he wore this delight and excitement on his face. This is the right man doing the right work, combining medical skill with kindess and  a delight in treating each patient as a unique and special individual. I truly feel honored to have had him as my doctor. Dennis Oh, you are the best.

I think what often links these people doing the right work, their calling, perhaps, is that they know how to focus on their work AND the individual person. Maria may be a store clerk, but she makes each person feel welcome and valued. Wait till my Juliana starts teaching Bikram yoga. This is most certainly her calling and she will offer clarity, intelligence and personal attention through her classes. She will be a rock star of Bikram yoga. She will spread around a lot of light.

Let there be light!