Recycling The Past
Brittney Melton has long been fascinated by how things work, so it’s no wonder her downtown Oklahoma City loft reflects her abiding interest in everything from old graphs and clock gears to farm implements and bug collections.
If Melton has a favorite word, it must be “eclectic.” That is how she has cleverly furnished her 1,000-square-foot loft, which is only two blocks from Plenty Mercantile, which she and her mother, Tracy J. Lofton, own with their partner, Chris England.
Melton knows loft living is not for everyone. It might be inconvenient for young families with children or older people who prefer ground floor living to walking three flights of stairs to the front door.
But Melton is a young college graduate, enthusiastic about her decorating style and loves her retail work.
The loft was a blank slate, ready for Melton’s inventive design style. The 10-foot ceilings begged for loft living drama with whimsical touches. The open space includes the living, dining, kitchen and sleeping areas. There is ample room for Melton’s unusual furnishings, accessories and wall art.
The entry gives a glimpse of the living area. To the right is a full bath; the shower curtain features Boy Scout badge emblems. Brittney streamlined a closet, using her organizational skills. The washer-dryer hides behind double doors near the kitchen.
The Pullman-style kitchen is eye-catching. Although compact, its blonde wood and white trim is a crisp design touch, overlooking the main living area. A high shelf shows a sign spelling “Brit,” her nickname. For seating at the kitchen counter, Melton used bar stools with old plow seats. Nearby, an antique tea cart holds beverage serving items.
Melton defined the living area with an L-shaped overstuffed sofa, comfortable lounge chair and ottoman and a coffee table that was once a cable spool. Open bulbs hang from the ceiling. Exposed pipes and peeling paint add vintage character.
A custom-made teak sofa table was recently replaced with a 10-by-one-foot steel conveyor belt track, which has been raised into a long table by “found” pieces. With this addition, Melton has given new life to an industrial workhorse.
An antique white iron bed anchors the sleeping area, and an old graph chart accents the headboard.
One of Melton’s most dramatic finds is an oversized gilt mirror of unusual shape and design. It adds class to what was once a bare wall.
A spacious paned window provides an expansive downtown vista. Under the window, a 16-foot work bench rests on old sawhorses, serving triple roles: a library, office and gallery for varied treasures, some from Plenty Mercantile.
Don’t call the goods at PM antiques or junk. Much of the inventory has a colorful history from other eras, which have found new uses in today’s “anything goes” decorating climate.
A first impression of the mercantile includes its red trademark pickup and suggests a warehouse with a sense of humor. The merchandise is surprising: children’s items, funky gift choices for all occasions and dining accessories in paper, linen, glass, plastic and stoneware, showing how even a novice can be inventive and entertain with a flair.
There’s also hardware, doors, windows, decorative iron and wood and metal furnishings fashioned from old utility items. Like Melton’s loft, the Mercantile is a place to reinvent a lifestyle and give any home a fresh, slightly quirky take on interior design.
The key to Melton’s style of decorating is to look at functional items – like those plow seats that became bar stools – and find new definitions for things that had other uses in a previous life.
“I steer away from vintage and antique items,” Melton says. “They are vague and hard to relate to. Experienced or authentic seem to me words that keep the integrity of pieces. Each has a history of its own. It seems that’s what draws the soul.”
Dark Horses
It takes a lot to lure me to Dallas. It takes even more to make me remember it fondly.
Despite a deep antipathy toward the city, in April 2011, I traveled there to see my favorite, The Decemberists. Along the harrowing ride through metropolitan traffic, I made the mistake of expressing indifference toward the opening band, Other Lives, of whom I’d never heard. I was graced with a look of withering scorn from my driver, who proceeded to play an album by the band’s previous incarnation, Kunek. I was reluctantly intrigued, but still not entirely sold, until literally the second the stage lights came up and the music began. I was instantly transfixed, surrounded by orchestral sounds that were by turns hauntingly uncomfortable and embracing. It was simply, as they say, epic.
During the break between shows, I rushed to the merchandise table only to be informed that the new album was not yet for sale. The ensuing wait until the record’s release was spent foot-tapping and mentally reliving the auditory saga of the show, hoping against hope that the album could somehow deliver the same utterly immersive music I’d experienced live.
Tamer Animals fully delivered on the promise of the Stillwater band’s live performance and is now on constant rotation for music fans across the globe.
According to Other Lives frontman Jesse Tabish, the band’s unique sound has been informed by such iconic musical acts as Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Sigur Rós and Radiohead. “These are bands that went beyond just drums, bass and guitar, and made other bands realize there’s life outside a three-piece rock band,” he says. “Those bands were with us when we first started, and they’ve always been an inspiration to us.”
Recently, the members of Other Lives (Tabish, Jenny Hsu, Jon Mooney, Colby Owens and Josh Onstott) came face-to-face with some of their heroes when they played a show in Oxford, England, and Radiohead just happened to be in the audience. “We luckily didn’t fall apart on stage and kept our nerves together,” Tabish says. After the show, the band found themselves in the realm of fantasy when they were asked to open for Radiohead’s U.S. tour.
“It was a dream come true for us,” Tabish says. “Radiohead is a band we’ve always looked up to, and to open up for them was quite an experience.”
Tabish says touring with such major acts as Radiohead, The National and The Decemberists “stretched the band and made us focus on details of playing together on high-quality sound systems. We grew as a band and learned to really perform together.
“There’s a different feeling when you see people right in front of you, when you hear the sound coming out of speakers,” he says of playing smaller venues. “There’s no pretense there, no barrier between you and the audience. We always feel at home playing those shows. That’s how we started … at the same time, with bigger audiences and stages, you focus more on the band. There’s a different intimacy there because you play to each other.”
For other bands, a national tour might present the opportunity to live the quintessential rock-and-roll lifestyle; not so for Tabish and his bandmates.
“Being on the road for such a long time becomes like home,” he says. “You develop routines as if you were a family of five, waking up, making breakfast. The craziest thing about being on the road is how domestic you get.”
After months of touring with Radiohead, Other Lives kicked off its own headlining tour last fall at Tulsa’s historic Cain’s Ballroom, sharing the stage with long-time friends Colourmusic. For the band, it was an extraordinary evening.
“It’s such a special venue,” Tabish says. “Everybody feels that way when they walk in the place. It was such a great Oklahoma night for us to start our tour there with friends and family. We were happy to finally headline there.
“Living in Oklahoma has allowed us to have the time and space to create our music,” he says of the state’s creative inspiration. “I don’t think we could have made the same music with the same patience in New York or Los Angeles. Tamer Animals is about writing the landscape of Oklahoma. It wasn’t on our minds in the beginning, but living there for 10 years, it seeps into your subconscious, and that’s what we found ourselves writing about.”
Of the new album – currently being recorded in Portland, Ore. – Tabish says that the process closely resembles the recording for Tamer Animals. “We rented a house and are recording it ourselves. We’re not doing anything fancy. We’re in a new space and a new environment, taking it song by song. We just started our first song last week, and we have a lot of material to sift through. We’re taking it a day at a time.” He says it might be a year or two before the new work is released.
The band’s move to Portland has generated some anxiety among Oklahoma fans that they will no longer get to see their favorite native musicians in such hometown venues as Cain’s or Oklahoma City’s Blue Note. Tabish assures that this is not the case and explains why the experience of recording elsewhere was necessary for the band and its music.
“A lot of kids go to college and get to leave home for a while,” he says. “I’ve never had that experience of moving from home. I’ll always consider myself an Oklahoman, but we decided it was time to go somewhere where we don’t know anyone or anything and record there. Traveling for the past two years gave us the bug. We wanted to put ourselves in an unfamiliar, uncomfortable situation.”
He compares the move to the band’s musical transition from Kunek to Other Lives. “Kunek is still a part of Other Lives and always will be,” he says. “But in some ways, it’s almost like this change, like the move to Portland, is again a matter of challenging ourselves, of putting ourselves in new places and headspaces. The name change (to Other Lives) itself is metaphorical: to rethink what we’re doing and start over again. When we finish a project, we instantly want to change what we’ve done and disregard the past and move to places that are new and kind of uncomfortable.
“Oklahoma is always our home,” he says. “We’re taking a year to live somewhere else, but we always come back home. No matter where we go or are at, Oklahoma is in us.”
Well Within Range
One of the many noteworthy things about Lone Chimney, the eighth disc from the trailblazing Oklahoma band the Red Dirt Rangers, is the presence of four Grammy-nominated guest artists.
I’m not one of them. However, I am on the disc.
Although I’ve played in a few garage-rock bands over the years, I’m not really a musician. However, I have some good pals who are, and, occasionally, they let me come in and pretend to be one in the studio. It’s an experience I liken to being called out of the stands at Arlington Stadium and asked to play first base for the Texas Rangers for an inning or two. In other words, it’s thrilling, intimidating and not a little dreamlike.
It started around 2002, when my longtime friend, Steve Ripley, the man behind the multiplatinum-selling group the Tractors (and one of the Grammy nominees on Lone Chimney) asked if I’d like to help him write a nostalgic song for his upcoming solo album. Although my contributions to the finished tune, “Gone Away,” are minimal, Ripley was kind enough to give me a co-writer credit. Knowing I owned a 1965 Vox Jaguar organ, he also asked me to bring it into the studio and play on the “Gone Away” track. He was running Tulsa’s fabled Church Studio at the time, and doing a Church session under Ripley’s tutelage ranks right up there in my book of life’s great moments. (I was doubly gratified last year when country greats Bill Anderson and the Oak Ridge Boys released a version of “Gone Away,” adding a couple of country music-specific verses but retaining the musical bed from Ripley’s release – which means my wheezy little organ can be heard behind Whispering Bill and the Oaks.)
Not long afterwards, I got another call from Ripley, asking if I wanted to drop by and play on a track for the new Red Dirt Rangers disc. The Rangers – who had also been chums of mine for a long time – were fans of what has been dubbed “the cheesy organ sound,” exemplified by garage-band classics like Question Mark & the Mysterians’ “96 Tears” and the Sir Douglas Quintet’s “She’s About A Mover” and “Mendocino” (the latter two played by my keyboard hero Augie Meyers). They knew I loved that sound, too, and that my limited skills included the ability to play the Vox in a similar style. So I delightedly shot over to the Church Studio and cheesed up a nice number called “We Don’t Have to Say Goodbye,” which ended up on the Rangers’ 2002 release, Starin’ Down the Sun.
At that time, Ripley and the Rangers had begun what would turn out to be a long and fruitful musical partnership,
“The first time we made contact with Ripley, we were getting ready to record what became (the band’s third album) Oklahoma Territory,” recalls Red Dirt Rangers guitarist-vocalist Brad Piccolo. “We did some pre-production plans, but then (the hit single) ‘Baby Likes to Rock It’ took off, and the Tractors really started to hit it big. So Steve had to concentrate on his own career, and we understood that and went with Lloyd Maines as our producer, For the next one, Rangers Command, it was Lloyd and (Asleep at the Wheel drummer) David Sanger. After that, it’s been all Ripley.”
Lone Chimney features Ripley as performer as well as producer and engineer, along with Maines, a Grammy winner for his production of the Dixie Chicks’ album Home, on steel guitar and dobro. The other two Grammy-related performers are Fats Kaplan (fiddle, steel), a member of Jack White’s band as well as a Tractor, and recently nominated Oklahoma boy John Fullbright (Hammond B3 organ, banjo, guitar, dulcimer, piano, harmonica).
Other guests include vocalist Monica Taylor, horn players Steve Ham and Gary Linde and musicians Randy Crouch and Don Morris, who play regularly with the Rangers: Piccolo, mandolinist-vocalist John Cooper and lead guitarist-vocalist Ben Han.
It’s the eighth disc from the band, which has done more than any act to popularize and perpetuate the Stillwater-born, earthy, lyric-oriented amalgam known as Red Dirt music. This time around, the guys decided to approach the studio process differently.
“Basically, on all the discs we did before, we’d write the songs, go in and do the basic tracks, and then we’d bring the band back in and have any special guests play with us one at a time, and that was it,” says Cooper. “In a way, it was just like doing a gig. But when we got together with Ripley for this one, we said, ‘Let’s do something different. Let’s make a real studio record.’ So we play all the drum parts. Ben plays bass and electric guitar, I play some guitar, octave mandolin, acoustic mandolin. Pic plays everything from student bells to sitar. We all play percussion, and Ripley plays different instruments on it, too.”
“We’ve been working on it about two years,” adds Piccolo. “The record was so large in scope that it just took time to get all the people we wanted on it. Also, it took time because of our schedules, and some of it was just the slow pace of living in the country, which transferred to making this record.”
Country living is also reflected in the disc’s title, which refers to the rural area where Cooper and Piccolo and their families reside. (Han is a Tulsan, but, as Cooper points out, “he spends a lot of time with us in Lone Chimney.”) Ripley, who moved several years ago to his family’s former farm in rural Pawnee County and set up a recording studio in a former outbuilding, is, by country standards, a neighbor.
The title song, “Lone Chimney,” was written by Cooper and Piccolo and veteran Red Dirt singer-songwriter Chuck Dunlap. Other songwriting collaborators include Stoney LaRue, Morris, Scott Hutchison and the late Red Dirt godfather Bob Childers, who Cooper says is “all over the record.”
“We’re calling it Lone Chimney because a lot of the songs were written out here, and this is where we live,” he adds. “We feel like this is a representation of the lives we’ve lived for the past few years.”
I’m happy to have lived a little bit of those lives with them and honored to have been asked into the studio to contribute to Lone Chimney. My Vox Jaguar stylings are heard to best advantage, if that’s the correct word under the circumstances, on a peppy, horn-accented number called “Main Street U.S.A.,” but I may show up on one or two more cuts as well.
“You’re probably on ‘Heaven or Hell,’” Piccolo tells me. “That’s our ‘kitchen-sink’ song, where we threw a little bit of everything in. In fact, there’s actually a kitchen sink on it. I was driving by a construction zone when I saw this big, old metal kitchen sink they’d thrown out. I took it, and we hung it up in the studio and beat on it.” He laughs. “It had a pretty good tone, actually.”
So listen for the actual sound of a kitchen sink in “Heaven or Hell.” And if you also hear something that sounds like a cheesy organ, that’ll be me.
New Athens in the Northeast
Check into your accommodations early enough to take a stroll and get the feel for the area right outside your hotel – most likely the Center City area and its rich collection of restaurants, bars and attractions. Opt for something light for dinner, such as Israeli-Middle Eastern fare at Zahav or anywhere you see locals lining up for hoagies or ethnic food. You’ll want to get a good night’s rest before a busy weekend.
Saturday is all about history and culture, and it will be a busy day. After breakfast at your hotel or at a beloved site, such as Sabrina’s Cafe or Reading Terminal Market, it’s time to see history brought to life. The must-sees of the day start with Independence National Historic Park. Philadelphia’s signature historic site in Old City features the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and Constitution Hall (home of the Declaration of Independence and Constitution). It also features historic buildings from the city’s revolutionary past, approximately 20 of which are open to the public. After again opting for a lunch featuring local favorites, you will also want to take in the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Academy of Natural Sciences, Franklin Institute Science Museum, Mutter Museum, Rosenbach Museum & Library and the Rodin Museum. After your long day, consider fine dining for dinner at the famed Le Bec Fin, Morimoto or Fogo de Chao.
After breakfast Sunday, consider a few sites you might have missed the day before or opt for other acclaimed favorites, such as the Philadelphia Zoo, the nation’s oldest, or otherwise the Morris Arboretum, Fairmount Park or the spectacular site of the Dram Garden glass mosaic near Independence Hall for a rare and breathtaking creation. Complete your afternoon and evening with a visit to South Philly for an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, and you will be ready for bed and then to return home with your tales of visiting the city that native son Ben Franklin dubbed “New Athens.”
Stay In Style
The Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia is centrally located within easy access of some of the city’s finer restaurants and attractions, and service is typically excellent. Some 299 rooms feature exceptional views in a setting that perfectly pairs the historic with the ultra-modern. Amenities include a business center, beautiful lounge, numerous meeting rooms and an award-winning spa, among many others. www.ritzcarlton.com
The elegant Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia is an AAA Five Diamond hotel benefitting from both its location and numerous attractions and amenities within. A beautiful pool setting, luxurious spa treatments, delightful lounge and extraordinary concierge service helps guarantee all vistors’ needs can be met. www.fourseasons.com
The Rittenhouse Hotel is an AAA five-diamond property at Philadelphia’s most prestigious address. As a member of Leading Hotels of the World and ranked among the world’s finest places to stay, the Center City Philadelphia hotel provides well-appointed guest rooms and sprawling suites just steps from the pristine lawns and pathways of Rittenhouse Square. Guests can indulge in the comfort of the Adolf Biecker Spa and Salon, a full-service spa, salon and fitness center complete with a beautiful sunlit indoor swimming pool and terrace overlooking the city and follow it up at one of the several prized restaurants and lounges on site. www.rittenhousehotel.com
At a Glance
Access: Philadelphia International Airport is served by most major domestic carriers.
Population: Approximately 5.9 million in the metro area.
Climate: Summers are typically hot and muggy, fall and spring are generally mild, and winter is cold. Snowfall is variable, with some winters bringing only light snow and others bringing several major snowstorms.
Main Attractions: History and culture abound in one of North America’s most historic cities, with fine dining and beautiful public spaces also key appeals.
Hot Picks
Eat: There is plenty of high-end cuisine to be enjoyed in Philadelphia, but don’t miss some of the less glamorous but equally delicious specific local fare: the cheesesteak, scrapple, hoagies, soft pretzels, water ice and Tastykakes. Competition among cheesesteak fans is fierce – as the ordering process can be, particularly at famed Pat’s King of Steaks. Watch how locals order or be prepared for a true “Soup Nazi”-like experience.
PASS: To see a number of local sites economically, consider purchasing a Philadelphia CityPASS. Check out www.citypass.com/philadelphia for details.
Shop: Time permitting, check out the Reading Terminal Market, where some of the vendors have been operating for a century.
Invisible Furniture
Acrylic furniture first became available in the late 1930s when designer custom pieces were marketed to chic, glamorous and wealthy clients. The clear resin product was developed in 1933 for use during World War II by DuPont under the trademark Lucite and by Rohm & Haas as Plexiglas. Now there are more than a dozen trade names for high-grade acrylic, often making the terminology confusing. Acrylic was initially used for military applications, including submarine periscopes and airplane windshields, but as the war ended, manufacturers looked to other ways of marketing the product. Within a few years, acrylic was used in jewelry, lighting fixtures, furniture, even handbags.
The style surged during the 1960s, and today that era’s light fixtures, furnishings and accessories are sought after collectables for Mid-Century Modern enthusiasts. By the 1970s, with technology making furniture pieces larger and more affordable, clear acrylic furnishings were a popular design choice.
“The really big pieces tend to look dated now,” says interior designer Richard Neel, co-owner, along with Lori Sparkman, of Richard Neel Home in Tulsa’s Brookside. The store carries a number of acrylic accent pieces, including end tables by Gus* and lamps by Pablo. “People come in with a vision in mind and often want to see our ‘clear furniture,’” adds Sparkman. And although clear acrylic remains the most popular, most lines offer a variety of colorful translucent and opaque choices for each style.
The current popularity of transparent furniture can be traced back to the introduction of Philippe Starck’s Louis Ghost Chair for Kartell in 2002. But this chair is not acrylic. It is fabricated by pouring polycarbonate into a mold. Polycarbonate is also used as bullet-resistant glass. But it wasn’t the first of Starck’s “invisible” chairs. Earlier, the la Marie came out, but its stackable design was simple and straight.
“The Ghost chair is a play on form,” explains Brian Hughes, showroom manager at SR Hughes. “It is a familiar French style but done in an exciting way that brings old and new together.”
Neel recently matched Starck’s classic chair with an ornate Asian writing desk. “The desk was an important piece, so I used a Ghost chair,” says Neel. “It was minimalistic and basically disappeared, so the desk was featured.”
High tech manufacturing utilizing polycarbonate has produced an array of designs over the last decade. “Because of the indestructible nature of this furniture, it works in commercial applications as well as residential,” adds Hughes. “And since it is mass produced, consumers can get high design furniture that is both durable and affordable.”
According to Hughes, SR Hughes gets numerous requests for two of Kartell’s newest high-style “plastic” chairs often featured in design and style magazines. The traditional Comback Windsor chair is transformed into a contemporary version known as the Comback and is available in a variety of colorful opaque choices. And in 2010, Philippe Starck teamed with Eugeni Quitllet to create The Masters Chair that pays homage to three iconic Mid-century Modern designers blending elements of the Eames Molded Plastic Chair, Jacobsen’s Series 7 Chair and Saarinen’s Tulip Armchair.
Cowboy Clock Work
When you think of Okmulgee, the first thing that comes to mind probably isn’t high-end, luxury watches. But since 1946, Oklahoma State University’s Institute of Technology in Okmulgee has trained individuals in the art of watchmaking and watch repair.
OSUIT’s Watchmaking and Microtechnology programs has its roots in the economic expansion following World War II, as many veterans returned from overseas looking for education and work.
“We (OSU, at the time) were developing programs for returning veterans,” says Anita Gordy-Watkins, vice president of institutional advancement at OSUIT. “Watchmaking was a profession that even injured soldiers could do.”
From those beginnings, the program has grown to become one of the premier watchmaking programs in the country. Famed watchmaker, Rolex, has sponsored the program since 2008, donating approximately $200,000 per year as well as the most modern equipment and tools. In fact, watchmaking at OSUIT has received some form of sponsorship from luxury goods manufacturers like Richemont, Rolex and Breitling since the 1990s.
Several professionals from Rolex even sit on the program’s advisory board.
“They help to develop our curriculum, help faculty in professional development and help determine our standards and what the emerging trends are,” says Watkins. “But that doesn’t mean our students just go to work for Rolex or at Rolex service centers.”
Graduates of the program can be found working from right here in Oklahoma to around the globe.
“There’s a huge demand for high-end watchmakers,” says Watkins. “It used to be that our students went to work in service centers, but now more and more the retail sector wants watchmakers on site to help them sell their timepieces.”
Admission into the two-year program is a rigorous process. Beyond the standard admission materials that all OSUIT students must submit, prospective watchmakers partake in two rounds of interviews and undergo a range of vision, mobility and tactile tests to ensure they have the physical skills to work on small, complicated devices. OSUIT can admit as many as 14 students into the program each year. There are currently eight students enrolled in first-year classes and seven in second-year.
For admitted students, the program is demanding, with classes five days a week from 7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and sometimes longer if students have lab work to do.
“We run it pretty much like you’d expect to work at your job,” says Jason Ziegenbein, one of the program’s two full-time faculty members and the school’s second-year instructor.
During the students’ instruction, they not only learn how to repair and manufacture fine watches, but also customer service skills and aspects of the business side of watchmaking.
“We try to do a complete immersion into that career field as much as we can in our classrooms,” says Jason Champion, the program’s first year instructor. “They walk the culture, wear the clothing and learn the expectations for behavior.”
Students even come to class every day in a suit and tie.
After two years of well-dressed and intensive instruction, students in the program earn an Associate’s Degree of Applied Sciences. Students will also leave with a Certified Watchmakers of the 21st Century certification from the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute, considered the benchmark in the industry.
With so few luxury watchmaking programs in the world, OSUIT faculty and staff are rightly proud of what they do.
“In the entire country, there are two other schools that are at the same level as we are,” says Champion.
Under The Knife
Your doctor says you need surgery, but you aren’t sure. How do you know if surgery is the right choice for you?
The good news is you have a choice in the matter. The American College of Surgeons (ACS) says patients today are more in control of their medical care than ever before.
“Thirty years ago, you probably would have agreed to have an operation with few questions asked. Back then, most patients did not feel comfortable questioning their doctors. Patients relied on their physicians to make medical decisions for them,” says ACS Executive Director Dr. Thomas R. Russell in his book, I Need an Operation… Now What?.
“Those days are gone. Today, health care is all about you,” says Russell.
Every year, between 15 and 25 million Americans undergo a surgical procedure, and most of those are considered elective surgery, simply meaning planned, according to ACS.
Should I?
“Elective surgery commonly refers to procedures done for reasons other than medical necessity,” says Dr. Kamal Sawan, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Oklahoma College Of Medicine. However, any surgery considered non-emergent is technically defined as elective, explains Dr. Fredrick Greene, clinical professor of surgery at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine and a fellow with the American College of Surgeons.
Think of it this way: If you are able to plan a surgery, you are electing an operation as your course for medical treatment.
“There are lots of options for patients nowadays,” says Greene. “For most conditions, surgery should be the last option when other treatments have failed.”
Of course, surgeries for medical conditions such as cancer vary greatly from joint replacement surgery or an operation for a hernia repair, counters Greene.
The ACS recommends asking yourself whether your medical condition will get better on its own or with nonsurgical treatment.
“Realistically ask yourself, ‘Will this procedure improve my outlook on life?’” says Greene. “Am I going to feel better if I have this surgery?”
Thinking surgery just might be the right choice for you? Your next step should be to do your homework.
“The most important thing you can do is to become an informed patient,” says Russell. “Research shows that patients who are well-informed about their treatment have better surgical outcomes and are more satisfied with their results.”
There are many books and pamphlets to help you be prepared. The web can also be a great way to learn what to expect from your operation, provided you seek reputable websites, says Greene.
Your surgeon is also a great source for information about your suggested procedure as long as you are willing to ask questions.
“Patients should feel free to ask their surgeon anything they want answered about the operation, including the surgeon’s competency to perform it,” advises Russell.
“I often get this question: ‘If it was your family member, what would you do?’” says Greene. “That’s the ultimate question.”
You’ll also want to think about post-surgery, as well.
“Be sure to ask about the effect of the operation on your quality of life,” says Russell. “Will it alter your lifestyle?”
The biggest benefit of an elective surgery is that you have time to plan. You have more freedom in the when, where, how and who.
“Elective surgery is not only elective, but should be selective,” says Sawan. “So choose your physician wisely and pick the ones who are honest in their evaluation of your desires and expectations and who are experienced in the type of procedure.”
This is where a second or third opinion may be necessary.
“You have to have faith and confidence with the physician you have consulted,” confirms Greene. “If you are uncertain about a procedure, it’s always a good idea to have a second opinion. Most surgeons will even encourage it.”
Russell points out that it’s important to remember a second opinion is simply an opinion and not necessarily better than the first. Therefore, trust is vital when choosing a surgeon. Training and credentials matter, but your feelings matter, too, writes Russell.
“You need to feel comfortable with your surgeon,” says Russell. “If you have a good doctor-patient relationship, you can more easily communicate with each other.”
Look for someone willing to listen to you, Greene advises.
“A good surgeon will tell the patient about all their options, then give a recommendation on which is the best option for them,” he says.
Financial concerns may factor into your decision whether to have a suggested surgery or not.
“Insurance may or may not pay for the procedure,” cautions Greene.
Talk with the hospitals billing department about the hospital’s charges. If you find that you cannot afford the procedure, talk frankly with your surgeon and the hospital’s financial advisor about options, suggests Russell.
Risks And Rewards
Elective or not, surgery is still surgery, and that carries some risk.
“Just because it is elective surgery does not reduce the risks associated with it,” says Sawan. “Patients should be aware of the risks and potential complications.”
“There are certainly downsides to surgery,” says Greene. “(The risks) vary depending on the type of surgery. It is not an exact science. We try to do no harm.”
The process of choosing a surgery is often a balancing act that weighs the good versus the bad to make the right choice for the patient, Greene explains.
Risks can include infection, bleeding, wound complications and respiratory or cardiac problems associated with the surgery or anesthesia.
“It’s important to know what kind of anesthesia you will need,” says Greene. “The risk of an operation is generally tied to the type of anesthesia.”
“The healthier the patient is, the lower the risks,” Sawan says.
Smoking significantly increases risk of complications, says Greene.
“You should stop smoking for a surgery, even if it’s just for a short time,” he suggests
Also, if you have time, try to reach a healthier weight.
“Under your doctor’s supervision, start an exercise program or work out more regularly,” suggests Russell.
It is also important to have realistic expectations about what your surgery can do for you, says Sawan.
Every surgery is different depending on the individual’s condition and the physical response of each patient, writes Russell.
“A surgeon cannot guarantee results,” explains Greene.
“Elective surgery is on the rise, and there are thousands of happy, satisfied patients who made the right decision for themselves,” says Sawan. “It is all about you, the patient. You are in charge of your destiny.
“Choose wisely and have realistic expectations to avoid disappointment later,” he adds.
Healthy And Light
In our obsession to be healthy, fit and trim, we go to great lengths and occasionally do crazy things to achieve our goals. However, if the ultimate goal truly is to get healthy, shed pounds and lessen the chances for disease, the Mediterranean Diet is a sound idea because scientists have studied its effects for 50 years.
The Mediterranean Diet emphasizes eating less red meat and more fish, poultry, beans, grains, eggs, fruits and veggies. Unsaturated fats like olive oil, canola oil and even avocado replace saturated fat.
The diet is based on the traditional way that people from the Mediterranean coastal region have eaten for thousands of years. Studies have found that those areas have fewer incidents of obesity and chronic disease due to a healthier lifestyle.
Lemony Tabouli
Makes 4-5 servings
1/2 c. bulgur wheat
3/4 c. water
1 1/4 c. chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tbsp. chopped mint
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. peeled and finely chopped cucumber
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium bowl, combine bulgur and water. Cover with plastic and allow to sit for two hours. In the meantime, chop vegetables and place in a large bowl. After two hours, drain any excess water from the bulgur, and add bulgur to the bowl of vegetables. Add the lemon juice and olive oil. Stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic and let chill overnight.
