Communication is key—it's practically everything, especially in my line of work, which I truly love. Delivering short, clear messages with full transparency is my expertise. In healthcare, effective communication can be lifesaving, while poor communication often leads to unnecessary suffering.
Examination of the baby
I've experienced this firsthand in ways that left me deeply dissatisfied. When I gave birth to my middle daughter at the hospital—due to a chronic condition that emerged a year earlier alongside my knee issues, requiring the right medication dosage—the medical team instructed me to have her umbilical cord blood tested immediately after birth for a potential hereditary abnormality.
Oops After a long labor, my precious little girl was placed on my stomach, and in that flood of emotion (fueled by surging hormones), I completely forgot about the cord blood draw. Tragically, so did everyone else. The nurses realized too late that it hadn't been done, leading to finger-pointing between the midwife and nurse. The result? A three-day unexpected hospital stay, with blood drawn repeatedly and painfully from my tiny daughter's heel. Far from ideal.
Miscommunication
A year later, during my third knee surgery at the same regional hospital, I stayed overnight as planned. Post-op in the ward, I received extra paracetamol, but the pain persisted. As someone experienced with these procedures, I was puzzled. The nurses bristled at my request for more pain relief: "It was just keyhole surgery—do you have a low pain tolerance?" The discomfort intensified, and their inability to explain raised red flags.
Grumpy
Previous arthroscopies had been far less painful. When I insisted on speaking to the surgeon—whom I hadn't even seen—the response was, "He's too busy." I persisted, especially since discharge was imminent. Finally, the irritable orthopedic surgeon arrived: "You had a microfracture, and yes, it hurts." A what? No one had discussed it with me. "No weight on the knee for six weeks—hope you've arranged help at home with your young kids!" I was stunned. Uninformed nursing staff had encouraged weight-bearing, which could have caused serious damage. Had I not demanded that meeting, I'd have gone home and wrecked my recovery. I switched hospitals after that.
Wrong knee
Communication truly is everything. And when they nearly marked the wrong knee for surgery—marking my right instead of left—I was still awake and yelled, "No, LIIIINKS!" Short lines, crystal-clear communication.
NOTE: Microfracture, also known as icepicking, involves drilling tiny holes in the bone with an awl-like tool. This releases blood containing stem cells, forming scar tissue that mimics original cartilage to repair defects.
Who is Marie-Anne? Marie-Anne, 48, is married with three daughters. She battles a serious cartilage issue stemming from a skiing accident, compounded by hereditary factors and unknowns in medical science. Biweekly, she blogs about her patchwork family, Dutch healthcare, and her knee—now post ninth surgery.
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