THIS PRIVACY ISSUE HAS GONE TOO FAR in my opinion! Return with me for a few moments to the pre-op prep room at one of our local hospitals. Listen in as the attending nurse goes over a list of questions regarding my health history and current situation. She goes over a litany of ills from sexuality to sanity. Then one last question: “Do you mind if we say your name out-loud?” “What?” I ask. “Could you repeat that again?” She did, and I said, with a tone of disbelief, “Of course not.”

What sort of madness is this about? I can only think of a few categories of individuals that would want to remain anonymous:

1. Fugitives
2. Dead-beat dads
3. Men who ran away from the marriage altar
4. Celebrities
5. Illegal aliens
6. Debtors
7. Terrorists

There are, of course, situations that demand privacy, but have we gone over the top on this issue? I must admit that I don’t want the government, or anyone else, for that matter, poking their noses into my personal life, but it seems to me that there is a whole lot of difference between stealing my ID and speaking my name. Frankly, I was glad when I entered the operating room that the surgical team addressed me by name. Suppose they hadn’t and they somehow mistakenly confused me with the guy in the suite next to mine who was scheduled for brain surgery!

Common sense! That’s what I’m calling for. If I had said “No” to their request, would they have put a name tag on me? Probably not, because I already had one on my wrist, which is an invasion of my body, and is kind of a joke because I had already surrendered my entire self to the pleasure of the staff. I suppose they could have used another option: a number! I can just hear the surgeon now: “Good morning, 44, how are today? Are you ready to get this gall bladder out?”
Oh well, just some rambling thoughts from a discharged patient who has nothing better to do while cooped up.