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Optimist or Pessimist?
By
Tom Quirk |
 Scituate
- We’ve all
heard about the glass being half-full or half-empty. The
half-full perspective is upbeat and optimistic, whereas
halfempty signifies a more negative view, without a great
deal of promise for improvement. The optimist has the
tendency to expect the best possible outcome and dwells upon
the most hopeful aspects of any situation. The pessimist
sees the darkest and gloomiest outcome, no matter what!
Routinely, we tend to operate in the mid-range of emotions.
Informed and rational thinking evaluates the severity of a
given situation, assesses and weighs the various
alternatives and with the best information available, we
settle on a course of action.
In the case of a diagnosis of a brain aneurysm, there often
is time to become better informed; possibly to seek a second
opinion, before committing to any specific treatment or
procedure. In the case of a ruptured aneurysm the pace is
accelerated, and immediate medical and surgical intervention
is required. There are no guarantees in life and although
the instance of a deliberative approach is preferred, the
emergency environment does not equate to disastrous
consequences. Today’s neurosurgical expertise, together with
skilled nursing and rehabilitative care, has enabled the
return to a normal life, for many survivors, who just a few
years ago might have died. Reasonable caution should not be
misconstrued as pessimism; it has been said that the
optimist invents the airplane, the pessimist the parachute!
The information resources available from the Brain Aneurysm
Foundation (www.bafound. org) provide patients and
caregivers sufficient background information to enable more
informed communication between medical professionals and
family members, resulting in a more positive and
realistically confident outlook. Later the community based
support groups provide the caring environment for easing the
recovery journey for survivors and family caregivers alike.
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About The
Author
For more information, you may contact Tom Quirk at (781)
545-2300 or via email at tfquirk@ aol.com. For more
information on brain aneurysms, please visit the Brain
Aneurysm Foundation’s web site at www.bafound.org.
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