Laughter Therapy - Visiting the Doctor
Today my mother Tulara Lee saw a Cardiovascular Specialist about her lung cancer and even though the news wasn’t good it wasn’t all bad. Obviously to hear you have about a golf ball size tumor that is most likely malignant isn’t something that you are going to celebrate, but the doctor was confident that if it turns out to be malignant they can go in and surgically remove it with a full recovery.
The optimism of the doctor gave us both hope, but what really helped mom cope with the news was the doctor’s sense of humor. Upon learning that mom had been in comedy all her life and now a motivational humorist he felt comfortable using humor during the examination, helping put us both at ease. The doctor and my mother joked back and forth creating a positive rapport.
The doctor examined her, then went and started to write down his findings. He said, “I’ll be right with you. I need to write this down. I have a great memory; it’s just a short one.” Mom laughed. He also joked with her about her age and what good shape she is in for age.
After we left the doctor’s office she was relieved. She was optimistic and ready to get on with the treatment. I don’t think she would have been so positive had she not liked the doctor. If the doctor didn’t have a humorous bedside manner she wouldn’t have wanted to face a major operation. Henry Ward Beecher said, “Mirth is God’s medicine. Everybody ought to bathe in it.”
I have found that when the doctor has a sense of humor it creates a positive rapport. When my ex-wife was sick and needing a kidney/pancreas transplant the doctors that she responded to more positively were ones that had a sense of humor. Sharing humor creates a bond between two people and this is especially important when a person has a major health problem. Humor puts the patient at ease. Again it goes back to attitude. Bill Cosby once said, “You can turn painful situations around through laughter. If you can find humor in anything….You can survive it.” That is exactly what she intends to do. Survive it. Mom says she has too many things to do to let this get the best of her. I believe with that attitude she will be just fine. After all, she is booked to speak a little over two months after her scheduled operation and mom is from old show business and their motto is “THE SHOW MUST GO ON!!!”