Comedian Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck deserves major accolades. Not because of the female empowerment, off-the-wall jokes, or sex positivity, which were, of course, amazingly liberating, but because of one scene when a patient advocates on his own behalf.
The romantic interest of the movie, Dr. Aaron Conners, played by Bill Hader, is a slightly nerdy physician who specializes in sports medicine. While at times his portrayal as a physician is idealized, it is, above all things, a portrayal of a human being.
You already know, we at 18 Seconds for Health, love it when doctors are shown to be real people.
Dr. Connors’ big moment, when he will perform a radical and ground-breaking knee surgery for Amar’e Stoudemire of the Miami Heat, has finally arrived. The night before the surgery, the doctor and his girlfriend Amy get it a fight. His parents taught him to never go to bed angry, so they stay up and fight — all night.
In the morning, Dr. Connors shows up at the hospital, understandably red-eyed and exhausted. He visits Stoudemire to prepare him for the procedure. Stoudemire can tell that his surgeon isn’t doing well. He keeps talking about the big fight he had with his girlfriend, and almost marks the wrong knee for surgery!
Stoudemire’s NBA career depends on his knee surgery going perfectly. He knows he can’t take a chance on anything going wrong. If the doctor is tired, it is more likely that he will make a mistake and Stoudemire’s career will be over.
Stoudemire tells the doctor and the nurse, “You know what, this is a bad idea….We need to reschedule this.” They both assure him everything is fine and give him a dose of sedative. Stoudemire insists that they take a rain check. When no one listens, he pulls out his IV, stands up and walks through the nurse, out the door.
Ultimately, several days later, Stoudemire has the surgery and all goes well.
I know, I know. This is all a bit dramatic. It probably wouldn’t happen that way in reality. But, when it comes to your health, your body, your career, your life sometimes a little drama is necessary. If you are in any way uncomfortable with the care you are about to receive, you need to speak up. When you feel like your doctor might not be at their best, you must look them in the eye and say that you would like a rain check. Your doctor will very likely try to address your concerns. You may feel like you are being pressured to continue with the treatment.
If you have doubts, you should not continue until all of your questions are answered. And if your doctor is too tired, you should not continue until they get some rest!
Your health is your responsibility.
