A SURGEON'S FITNESS MANTRA OVER FIVE DECADES

In continuation of last week's article that explained the scientific basis of PM Modi's fitness and energy levels with four hours of sleep and ability to avoid jetlag, and altitude sickness, this article explores this surgeon's fitness in his fifth decade in a high-stress profession, with its own unique demands.

- DR P.S.VENKATESH RAO

Surgery demands steady hands, sharp vision, stamina to stand and operate for hours continuously without a break, handle wounds, blood, pus, live human flesh, and sometimes excreta, and be available 24x7, dedicated to patient care. Also, continuously reskill and relearn to avoid obsolescence, and most importantly, have excellent communication skills to manage emotional patients, their family, and friends in an emergency, when you may be exhausted, sleep deprived, hungry, and desperate to visit the restroom. Convincing a patient to accept elective surgery and risk his or her life in your hands demands another set of unique communication skills that are not taught in medical college, and are essential for a surgeon vis-à-vis other doctors. I do high-risk, complex, and redo surgeries, many with a definite risk of death, and it requires extraordinary convincing skills to get the patients' consent for such a potentially lifesaving procedure.

MANAGING STRESS:

In a highly stressful five-decade-long career, including the need to do risky, complex cancer surgeries on my 90-year-old father and a very sick first cousin, both of whom were considered unlikely to survive surgery by other surgeons, stress management and mental health have been vital. As in charge of AIIMS emergency services during the Delhi riots in 1984, I had to manage hundreds of patients over three days and nights, and also coordinate between chiefs of various specialities, who were double my age. It was a warlike situation except that our lives were not at risk, unlike our colleagues in the armed forces medical services. Though I advise my patients to adopt meditation to manage stress, I have managed stress by positive thinking, problem solving, exercise, and multiple hobbies, such as gardening, art, photography, and listening to soothing music. Exercise suppresses stress hormones, enables sound sleep, strengthens muscles and bones, and burns fat.

MANAGING BODY WEIGHT: