Heel (Heal) Like A Dog

Have you ever wondered what dictates the pace of the healing process?

Why do some of people recover from a cold in a day and in others, it lingers for 1-2 weeks?

Why do some college students with mononucleosis lose a semester of college due to extreme fatigue but others just need a little extra sleep for a few weeks?

Why do some adults just take one day off from work to get their wisdom teeth extracted and others are home, on narcotics, for a week?

Yes, level of  severity, comorbidities, and complications drive variation, but is the "each person is different" rationale completely about the differences in cellular physiology?

Exactly 2 weeks ago, Isabella, our 13 pound dog, a shitzu-bijon mix and a bit of a diva, was spayed. In human medical terms, she had a total abdominal hysterectomy--1-1/2 inch incision, anesthesia, and removal of her ovaries and uterus. When I picked her up from the vet, she was subdued, and as he handed her over, his post-op instructions were "Follow her lead, she'll tell you how she's feeling." Within 24 hours, she was eating and drinking with normal bowel and bladder function. She didn't appear to need any pain medication; in fact, our bigger challenge was trying to protect her stitches and keeping her from running laps around our kitchen counter.

As I watched her recovery, I was amazed. If she were human, she'd be in the hospital for 2 days, on narcotics for 2 weeks, and unable to drive for 4 weeks. And, regardless of the actual healing process, the "standard of care"  would be for her ob-gyn to authorize 6 weeks of disability...whether she needed it...or not. 

"Why the stark difference?"

There are many possible reasons. Clearly, dogs have a different biology than women. Their abdominal wall muscles are thinner and they don't experience the same hormonal shifts post-operatively. In addition, they are generally more physically fit which accelerates the healing process as well. And, age is undoubtedly a factor. Dogs are spayed when they are young whereas women generally have this surgery after age forty.

Nevertheless, Isabella's recovery was 20 times faster than the average woman's recovery.  And, even if I take into account that 1 dog year = 7 people years....the recovery was still 3 times faster. Why? Are there other considerations?

The following offer some thought-provoking rhetorical questions.

• Do women need the emotional healing time to deal with the loss of their reproductive ability and a fear of a loss of sexuality?

• Do they need to protect themselves from the demands of work and home? One of the most popular articles on HysterSisters, a social networking/support site for women pre- and post-op, focuses on what NOT to do after a hysterectomy. The bullet point list reads like a strategic military plan for protecting oneself from colleagues and family.

• Do people have a hard time asking for, and affording, a mental health break? How often do the final few weeks of prescribed disability offer a valid reason to be off work, receive a paycheck, and de-stress? 

You may be wondering...why does this matter? Why dissect how much of the needed healing time is influenced by biology and how much by our brain? Because the care process is different.

Unfortunately, we have a medical system and a culture that understands wound healing but doesn't know how to support emotional healing. As a result, many women simply stay in a traditional "sick role" for longer than necessary...with the hope of getting their needs met.

The advice women give to each other in HysterSisters is "Don't act too good too soon. Even if you feel good, try to look lousy and weak. When you act better you automatically lose everyone's help and  sympathy. Make it last because even though you feel better you still  need the help..."

While adequate rest, activity limitations, antibiotics and pain medication support wound healing, they do not address how to cope with mourning, addressing fears, and managing stress. Dogs seem to escape these issues, but women don't. With 600,000 hysterectomies performed each year, think about how many womens' quality of life and productivity would be improved if they could stop being "sick" and get support they need for the emotional aspects of the healing process.

Create Health, 
Archelle

PS: About 1 hour after I posted this blog, I got some constructive feedback that I could have been more "to the point." So, here is what I was trying to say:

 

There are various dimensions to the healing process: physical and  emotional. But, the "system" and our culture only acknowledges one: being physically sick. So, what do we do? We stay "sick" for longer in hopes of being able to figure out the other one. But...is that effective? Or does it  prolong the recovery process because meds, etc etc do not address the real needs?

AG