brian@berner.UUCP (Brian A. Jarvis) (05/29/89)
It's a Monday morning and I'm bored. So what else is new?
One of the people with whom I work isn't going to be coming into the office
today. He's taking his fiance to the hospital, as she's a little nervous
about some upcoming surgery. She's having... a tonsillectomy.
Ooooo... scary, eh folks?
Well, anyway, I was just informed in passing that she's just going into
the hospital for the day; she'll be released later this evening. This
caught me by surprise. When *I* had *my* tonsils out, it was a three day
affair: a day in, the day of the surgery and a day's observation.
Why the difference?
A few possibilities:
1) Medical technology/practice has advanced, and modern patient management
theory suggests one day is sufficient. After all, I had my tonsils
removed in 1975, hers are coming out in 1989.
2) Toronto hospitals are so crowded the extra space is needed for more
serious cases. I underwent surgery in a hospital in Northern Ontario;
perhaps the doctors were bored! B{) ("Hey, Bill! Want to practice
that vasectomy thing while we're at it?" Ouch!)
3) Thanks to government cutbacks ("Not on my tax bill, they haven't!"),
today's hospitals can't afford to keep patients for three days.
4) McDonalds and the medical profession have gotten together to form the
McSurgery Corporation: drive-thru operations!
Now, personally, I think likely item 1 above is the most probable. But
then again, I haven't been in a hospital for some time. Chronic good
health, you follow. Can anyone enlighten me as to modern tonsillectomy
technology?
Curious sysadmins want to know!
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__ __ Brian A. Jarvis,
/ ) ...berner!brian / ) (late of) Berner & Company Inc.,
/--< __ o __. ____ /--/ (late of) Berner Information Inc.
/___/_/ (_<_(_/|_/ / <_ / ( o My dog, Goof, says "Hi!"
"It's all guesswork. Want to be fancy? Call it physics."
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