The journey continues with various doctor appointments as I continue heal my body and mind. There is something about a doctor’s office that has caught my attention since the day I had my thyroid biopsy. Think about the last time you were in a doctor’s office and how it made you feel.
11/7/2017“Here I am again in a waiting room waiting for a doctor to treat cancer cells on my lip. I thank technology to help keep my mind occupied as the anxiety sets in. When are they going to call my name? What kind of music are they playing? Maybe I should leave? How do they really know if this is going to take care of the crazy cells that seem to be swimming all over inside of me?”“JoVal……………” said the nurse.
I know no one really loves going to the doctor and is excited for a visit that may not have the best outcome. How about those yearly visits that everyone dreads, however those preventative visits are so beneficial as I know first hand. If you only go once a year maybe a doctor’s office doesn’t bother you but if the doctor’s office becomes a place you visit regularly then the four white walls start take on a different meaning.
“I am so sick of being here in a room with these ugly white or yellowish walls. I am tired of having tears due to everything I have going on. This music is like listening to someone take their fingernails and scratch a chalkboard. It is so depressing sitting in these surroundings over and over again. How am I supposed to feel after being here?”
I feel like I am in the beginning of the movie, “Wizard of Oz,” stuck in the house up in the tornado and it just keeps spinning. When will I eventually be over the rainbow where there is color and music? I feel punished every time I go in to the doctor as if to say you deserve to be sad and depressed. Maybe there are some regulations or studies that show having white walls helps a person feel calm? I think about the individuals who have to go in more often than I do and how it could affect them. What about people who are in the hospital taking their last breath and have these white walls closing in on them. I know this is probably the last thing people are thinking about when they have to be there but I find it quite depressing. If you have been in different Pediatric wards there is color and fun music to help children not think about what is actually happening to them so why does this change as we get older? I haven’t been to all hospitals or clinics so hopefully there is some where that has beautiful colors that help make the visit a little more bearable. What if we were given virtual reality glasses when we arrived for our appointments?
“Why does she have that torch as it is quite large? I just want to go home. Thanks for the puff of cold air but it isn’t reassuring that it is all taken care of.”“We are done torturing you now, just let us know if it gets infected.” Said the doctor.
Music is my outlet and what is played in these places literally makes my skin crawl. When I was at my thyroid biopsy the nurse stated before they inserted the needle that they should really think about changing the music as it makes her cry. If it makes the nurse cry of course it is going to make the patients sad. Again, may be there is certain music they are required to play but it is definitely not one size fits all type of music. Would it not be interesting if after you finally get out of the hospital from a long term stay they would play “Eye of the Tiger” by Survivor or “Roar” by Katy Perry. The struggle some have to go through I think the least they could do is help them celebrate the mountain they just climbed. Maybe someday there will be an app where we can choose the music we would like in the hospital room, just maybe?
My parting thought is enjoy the music you love and look at all the beautiful colors of the world before the four white walls is all you know.
I want to leave with you these two amazing songs:
Until Next Time……..
Traveling With Jo 