Testing Time For The Doctor

Hard dealing with an aged and experienced patient.

- Vijai Pant

He seems to be having a slight congestion in his chest," I told the doctor, my soft tone ensuring that my 92-year-old dad does not hear it. He, probably like all aged persons, never likes the idea of telling the doctor a great deal.

"Tell about the symptoms, but never go beyond that," he would often suggest that to us also.

So, even straightforward questions about existing symptoms elicit complex answers from him, which often do the work they are intended to not helping the doctor at all.

As for hazarding a guess about the ailment, which for him is the doctor's sacrosanct domain, it's a complete 'No! No!'

Even blood reports, X-rays and any such investigations advised by some other doctor in the recent past as well as his prescription are, yes, carried along, but treated as highly 'sensitive information' and only 'declassified' at the opportune moment - once the cause of the affliction has been unravelled by the present doctor.