Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/1520
May/Jun 2009 | www.MyFamilyDoctorMag.com | 31 GRApHS Paragraphs from books by the experts The later in the day your surgery is scheduled, the more dehydrated you will become. That's because you can't drink fluids after a certain point. The earlier in the day that a same-day (or ambulatory) procedure is done, the more likely you are to return home by dark to recover. Sometimes your request for an early procedure cannot be accommodated because of patient volume and other surgical priorities, but it never hurts to ask. You should inquire about receiving intravenous hydration if you are required to wait a long time for your procedure. Before the Scalpel: What ev- eryone should know about anesthesia, by Panchali dhar, M.d., January 2009, tell Me Press, $24.95 Don't be completely discouraged by the costs of private mental healthcare. Whether your loved one has comprehensive insurance or not, there are usually ways to obtain the care she needs. You may be able to negotiate payments with a doctor or program so you can afford it. Even if they aren't advertised or mentioned, always inquire about sliding-fee scales or reduced fees. Don't be shy—it never hurts to ask! Schizophrenia for Dummies, by Jerome Levine, M.D., and irene S. Levine, Ph.D., october 2008, Wiley Publishing, $19.99 Most parents do not intend to expose their children to arguments. one divorcing couple i was seeing for therapy came to a session with a ten-month-old baby because the sitter cancelled at the last minute. i agreed to see the couple as long as the conversation was constructive and calm. i reserved the right to end the session early if i felt the conversation was negative or heated. shortly into the session the couple began to argue, and i interrupted to point out the reaction of the child. the baby, who had been happily cruising around the coffee table in the center of the room and mouthing the toy she had in her chubby little hand, had stopped and was standing still. she was fully focused on her parents, directing her gaze back and forth between the two. the parents had momentarily lost track of everything around them and had been consumed by their anger and aggravation with each other. they had literally forgotten she was in the room. How many times had this happened without these parents even being aware of it? Still a Family: A Guide to Good Parenting Through Divorce, by Lisa René Reynolds, Ph.D., February 2009, aMaCoM, $16.95