False Expectations

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 00:00:00 +0000

“Life is pain, Highness.” — Dread Pirate Roberts, The Princess Bride

“Suffering is a precondition for existence.” — Jordan Peterson

It’s not realistic to believe you will go through life without any pain, hurt, illness, or discomfort. It’s also not realistic to expect that the ER can immediately eliminate those symptoms whenever you decide it’s time. The body simply doesn’t work that way. Healing takes time.

I frequently see patients who have broken a bone and explain that bones generally take about six weeks to heal. That’s a general rule, of course, and it varies somewhat depending on the patient and the injury. My youngest daughter broke her collarbone when she was a toddler. I have a video of her doing the “wheelbarrow” just two weeks later with no apparent discomfort. If you’re older or in poor health, however, six weeks may not be enough. There is very little that Big Medicine can do to meaningfully speed up that natural process.

Healing on Paul Nystrom

False Expectations