Moaning and Groaning
By Gene Aronowitz
In early 1986, I felt numbness in my shoulder, and the doctor assigned to me in my HMO assumed it was a pinched nerve and referred me to a local hospital for physical therapy. I did what I was told, even though my pain was very mild. All around me, in the adjoining curtain-draped cubicles of a large room, patients were moaning and groaning.
I received pleasant massage and periodic electrical stimulation that I was told would strengthen my back muscles and help improve blood circulation. I enjoyed it and returned for two more appointments, continuing to appreciate the delightful treatment I received.
Even though the patients around me differed each week, those in the adjoining cubicles were still moaning and groaning, increasing the embarrassment I felt about taking the time of the therapists when they could have been treating those with serious issues. I said to my therapist, “I should stop coming so you can take care of those who are moaning and groaning all around me.”
He smiled, looked at me and said, “Don't be a shmuck. The people around you are getting better, and so are you. The moaning and groaning I worry about are those coming from the HMO that has to pay for this.”
