“Doctor, aren’t you glad it’s a new year?” asks my patient, who has weathered the many ripple effects of the pandemic. His cancer diagnosis and treatment were delayed but now that the cancer is cured, his “stable” problems are no longer that.
His cataracts prevent him from reading and a “dodgy” hip hampers exercise. The two surgeries to correct this are life-changing, but the elective surgery list is so long that when he asks whether this year will see him “fixed”, I am quick to temper his expectations.
