In under 2 weeks we’ll be celebrating the Bar Mitzvah of my oldest child, Jacob. He’s a great kid (apple…tree…’nuff said) and I couldn’t be more proud to be his Dad for too many reasons to mention during this short post…so I’ll spread the kvelling out over time.
Bar Mitzvahs are really happy celebrations. And…like many other big milestone celebrations in life…there’s a lot of stress to be had during the planning process. My sister is way more JuBu about things and exudes a calm aura. That gene, as it relates to party-planning, must have skipped being passed on to me: as we come down to the wire I’m starting to get a little frazzled.
And that’s weird…because , as you may or may not know, my background is also in Emergency Medicine. During and after my training, I was intellectually, mentally and any other “–ally”… ready to deal with whatever landed on my doorstep during the shifts in the ER. And I saw enough crazy and frazzleworthy stuff to last a lifetime.
Puhlenty
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So why should some happy party cause such a mental kerfuffle? Why do we get stressed out in general?!
I think the answer to that question is: Unfamiliarity
In the ER, just as things would be at their most frazzly and kerfuffly, in my mind…things would just get quiet and focused…slow down. I had the knowledge base…the experiential templates to draw from. I didn’t know what to expect behind the curtain, but whatever it was I could compartmentalize it and work out an algorithm to handle it.
But it all starts with knowledge and familiarity.
[context alert…here’s where Dr Rosen starts talking veiny stuff…finally]
So…I see a lot of patients who start off feeling anxious about their varicose and spider veins. Anxious about how they look…about the treatment process…about costs…
My answer to that is, again: knowledge and familiarity.
I spend an hour with my patients during their initial consultation appointment. A big part of that time is spent in teaching about vein problems in general and relating those concepts to the patient’s specific issues. I answer as many questions as are asked and am happy to repeat anything that didn’t make sense at first.
We talk openly about the treatment process. Patients are comforted to learn that:
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There is no down time
. You can resume most routine activities immediately after treatments
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Vein Treatments are well tolerated.
I perform minimally-invasive, maximally comfortable procedures only
. Most only need little or no local anesthetic whatsoever. We chat and listen to music during procedures. You can pick the music and topic!
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Vein Treatments are affordable
. Many procedures may be covered by commercial insurance and Medicare. For those that aren’t, I do my best to make treatments as efficient and cost-effective as possible. Payment plans are available.
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Vein Treatments are safe and effective
. I take a very conservative approach to patient care, generally opting for as little treatment as needed to reach the goals my patients wish to achieve.
So…when the time comes for the next big event in my family…I’ll be all over it.
Speeches? No prob.
DJ? Covered.
Food? Drink? Done and Done.
Now…how about you and your veins?
No worries…truly. I have so much info to share with you…in these blog posts…on my website…in person during appointments…that, in no time at all, you’ll be as familiar with sclerotherapy as I now am about floral centerpieces. And, G-d willing, it will all be worth celebrating in the end!
Let’s Get Started! If you haven’t done so already, CLICK the button below to request your initial consulation appointment with me. See you soon!
