Breaking Bad News

It’s important to show compassion when breaking bad news to patients or to med students interested in neurosurgery

[amalgamatenull]

Telling an oncologist, “it’s starting to grow on me, ” is the funniest thing ever.

[Aristotle]

Oncology has such a calm way of breaking bad news, and sprinkles in those "studies" and "we're not sure" stuff.

[jess]

My old neuroscience professor used to be a neurosurgeon, I remember one time she said ‘I know the exact number of children that have to bleed to death in my arms before I stop being a surgeon.’ It really gave me perspective on how difficult it must be to be a surgeon, where so often you lose patients right in front of you. I don’t know how they do it, so much respect for them.

[DrAditya]

SPIKE Protocol right there!
Setting (the candle and donot disturbe)
Perception- What do you know about Neurosurgery
Invitation - do you know how long NSx lasts
Knowledge - 7 years but no one knows
Empathy - Always there in the entire process

[JessicaN]

We have a neurosurgeon as a close family friend and she was 45 when she finally became one. HAD to send this to her 😂

[sabastiantaylor]

I had a surgery that required 4 neurosurgeons in shifts of 8 hours for a total of 25.5 hours. I was expected to only go in for 4.5 hours. Thank you to all the neurosurgeons out there that give up so much of themselves for their patients.

[Donde_Lieta]

So I was surprise diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma when I was a 22 year old university student. I study opera, so it took me a long time to notice the giant-ass tumor in my lung, so I was stage 4 before I really noticed anything was really “off”, I was miss-diagnosed with pneumonia for a while and then after a few months of late-night chest pains, my mom drove down to drive me into Pittsburgh so I could go to a better hospital and at first I was in a crappy curtain-room and then they moved me to a private room and a young guy walks in and was like “hello… I’m the current oncology resident… do you know what oncology means?” I did not, but by the tone of his voice, I knew I was fucked lol. Turns out that he was a Hodgkin’s lymphoma survivor, they must’ve called him down to break the news to the young patients lol… 1 relapse later, but 2 1/2 years in remission, except I’m not an inspirational resident that breaks the possible diagnosis to patients, just an opera singer lol 💜💜💜

[questionsigetjustlikethat]

My dad is a neurosurgeon
He finished his residency when he was 43


One thing i will say is that he never really has time for family

[mamavswild]

My daughter was in a car crash and was in a coma and had brain surgery…the attending neurosurgeon operated on her over the entire night and saved her life and more than that…her mind and self. She was 9. He and the cardiology attending stood over her from 5pm to 4am.
She’s graduating 8th grade this year!
And yes, the attending neurosurgeon was what some would call a quirky genius who was, yes…about 65.

Edit: thanks for the good wishes! My daughter was saved at Children’s Hospital of Colorado where she was life-flighted to. She was an 8 on the coma scale, the Cardiology Attending was legitimately at a golf course when he answered the phone asking about what to do about signs that pointed to her trachea being perforated most likely by the medics trying to get an airway. He came in and stayed the whole night, they all did and they put their heart and souls into saving my beautiful girl who they said later to me, they thought almost certainly had no hope of ever waking up or leaving a vegetative state…she had a Stage III DAI (Diffuse Axonal Injury…a brutal worst of the worst diagnosis) and yet they STAYED and put everything they had into her. She was in a natural coma for TWENTY SEVEN DAYS before started to move her eyes while I was reading to her the book Angelina Ballerina…I’ll never forget it. The trauma, cardiology, neuro and ENT surgeon all became very close to my family and would visit her often for the four months she was in the hospital, the hospital began rehabilitation even while she was still in a coma…we would lay her over a big ball and start her off with exercises she once had as an infant at The Little Gym. They never gave up on my girl. Me and her brother and sister were allowed to move into her hospital room where I got to decorate it as if it were her room at home, and they let me help with her nursing and feeding her through her G-tube as she couldn’t swallow…she was a newborn all over again. Every day I was warned, with each improvement…’this may be the best she will ever improve’…and I had to live with that and say my thanks for each and every tiny improvement. And then, after nearly three months of not speaking, she looked at the speech therapist and in almost a whisper said, ‘my name is Rose’. It was the most beautiful moment in my life.
She now is neurologically normal! She runs cross country and plays video games. For Christmas I got the most beautiful picture of her in her Christmas dress, smiling brightly and hugging her dolls and I put it in a frame with the words, ‘In case you wondered what you saved her for’ and gave them to each of her four saviors and a fifth one for the nursing team who never gave up on her.

I’m telling this story so if any one of you find yourself living a parent’s worst nightmare, you know that you must keep on trying and hoping. Read to her. Talk to her. Hold her hand (or his). Put on her favorite movies, her favorite songs.

While there is life, there is hope. Thank you Colorado Children’s Hospital for bringing my little girl back to me. 🌹❤️

[elementcuatro]

"I didn't like it at first, but it started to grow on me."
An oncologist would know all about that, huh?

[kutekakes]

This is almost exactly how I was counselled against neurosurgery when I mentioned my interest in neurosurgery
🤣

[lisasweeney]

Christ. The “ what is your understanding “ and then the straight up “ some studies say 7 years but we just don’t know.”
Literally been the patient in this situation.

[mjdalicandro]

The "what is your understanding of neurosurgery" is perfect because that's exactly of how Onc doctors start breaking bad news.
Source: I work as an RN on a HemeOnc unit.

[Alpha-upmo]

My dad is a neurosurgeon and he also did emergency medicine and some other stuff so when he graduated from neurosurgery residency he was closer to 40 than 35. This hits home.
Edit: HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THE LIKES ARE INSANE!!

[eguy]

“Jesse, I retired from neurosurgery because I’m a 50 year old man. We need to cook.”

[Matrim]

I saw a neurosurgeon attending once. I’d been tracking something big through the Canadian Rockies. I’d been following its trail for three days, but had yet to spot the beast. Finally, as dusk was fast approaching, I heard it crashing through the brush. I quickly circled around, staying downwind, sighted in, and waited for it to emerge. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting, but whatever it was I didn’t expect what stepped out of the foliage. It stood at least five feet at the shoulder, and rather than the typical white coat it sported a brilliant blue pelt. It took my breath away. It moved tentatively, I could tell it’s suspicions were raised, and it scanned the tree line. I didn’t fire, I was too spellbound by what I’d seen. Then it locked eyes with me and went still. We stayed like that for what seemed like eternity, neither of us moving. Then it’s beeper went off, a consult most likely, and it moved back into the brush, never breaking eye contact.

That trip I only managed to bag two rheumatologists and a gastroenterologly resident, nothing to write home about, but I’ll never forget that magical moment.

[BooglePoots]

Something about the line "Some studies suggest it's 7 years, but we really don't know" is just hilarious 😆

[isaackay]

Jonathan is secretly a neurosurgery resident dropout-turned-scribe

[dovebair]

Omfg - as a person whose degree is in neuroscience, and with all of the considerations on how hard it was to even scrape together teachers for it, I can only imagine how difficult it would to meet your benchmarks in neurosurgery 😭😭😭

[OmarAbdulMalikDHEdMPASPACPAPro]

Years ago, I was interviewing for PA job in neurosurgery. After I got through listening to the chief neurosurgeon tell me about their "typical day" and, speaking with the NS resident who was only in his 4th year of his SEVEN year residency, I told them that I didn't think that this job was a good fit for me. BUT, I wish them well with their search. Ironically, this SAME NS team ended up working on my mother who had developed a rare brain tumor! God bless all of you, NS! 🙏🏾😊👍🏽😷🔪🧠