EPISODE 65
A Father-Daughter Conversation About Rural Surgery & Real Life
Episode Transcript
Charlotte Lehman (00:00):
Welcome to the Rural American Surgeon Podcast, where I'm going to be asking my dad questions and he's going to answer them.
Dr. Randy Lehman (00:16):
Well, thank you for having me, Charlotte.
Charlotte Lehman (00:18):
You are welcome.
Dr. Randy Lehman (00:20):
So you have some hard hitting questions for me today.
Charlotte Lehman (00:23):
Sure. Are you ever scared during surgery?
Dr. Randy Lehman (00:29):
That's a great question.
Charlotte Lehman (00:31):
Thank you.
Dr. Randy Lehman (00:34):
I don't know if scared is the right way to put it, but there can be some times where the anatomy is not clear and it can be pretty difficult to do some of the operations, and especially when you're a rural surgeon, sometimes it's only you in the room. And so I think that if you go through that type of a scenario and you never feel scared, then there might be something wrong with you.
Charlotte Lehman (01:01):
Okay. Next question. What is the grossest thing you've ever seen?
Dr. Randy Lehman (01:09):
Grossest thing I've ever seen. I think that some of the grossest things that I have experienced are probably actually smells.
Charlotte Lehman (01:20):
Okay. You've seen is what
Dr. Randy Lehman (01:22):
I have. Okay. Well, what I've seen is, I don't know, do maggots count? Is that gross?
Charlotte Lehman (01:30):
Are maggots? Wait, what?
Dr. Randy Lehman (01:32):
You know, maggots, like when flies lay eggs in something and then it grows in these little white worms.
Charlotte Lehman (01:37):
Yeah, I've seen those. But in surgery,
Dr. Randy Lehman (01:40):
Yeah. How about maggots inside somebody's leg, inside wounds that are in their leg? Is that pretty gross?
Charlotte Lehman (01:47):
I've seen it in pigs. Just not in people.
Dr. Randy Lehman (01:52):
Yeah, I've seen it.
Charlotte Lehman (01:54):
Okay. Well, that's a good answer. Sort of. Yeah. Did you ever mess up?
Dr. Randy Lehman (02:00):
Yeah. So again, very hard hitting question, and I think that everybody's human. And so sometimes you have decisions that you make that you want back, and there are always complications with surgery, so you talk to patients about it and you have to make the right decision. So as long as you're showing up for the patient and you are presenting them with all the options, you're engaging them in the decisions. The hard part is what if you make a decision that you felt like was good, but then something bad happens anyway?
Charlotte Lehman (02:36):
Oh yeah.
Dr. Randy Lehman (02:37):
So that's what kind of comes to mind when you bring that up and it happens. And that's part of being a surgeon. But as long as you try your best and you feel like you've left everything, you've done everything you can, then that's how you can get by even and deal with it and live to operate another day.
Charlotte Lehman (02:59):
And as you can see, I'm wearing my dad's surging clothes, so I don't know how this fits him. He's big on me. So are you proud of me,
Dr. Randy Lehman (03:13):
SHA? I'm so proud of you. Look at you.
Charlotte Lehman (03:16):
What?
Dr. Randy Lehman (03:17):
You're almost 10. And I'm proud of you, not just for what you've done, but because of who you are.
Charlotte Lehman (03:28):
Okay, thank you. A random question. I do everything. What is money for?
Dr. Randy Lehman (03:37):
Well, you know, work. One reason you work is to make money, right? Yeah. So then the question is, well, what do you need money for in the first place? So to me, money is freedom. It includes freedom for options, freedom to choose things
Charlotte Lehman (03:52):
Like horses.
Dr. Randy Lehman (03:53):
Sure. Exactly. So it definitely takes money to keep a horse on the farm. It takes money to keep an airplane in the air and anything that you may want, but also impact for the world is influenced by the money that you can have. It takes a certain amount of money, a base amount of money to be able to live. I feel like everybody has the opportunity. And in this country right now, high chance of success if things are done right, to buy their own freedom. And buying your own freedom means that you have created enough streams of income that are coming in while you're sleeping so that your base expenses are covered.
Charlotte Lehman (04:38):
Yeah.
Dr. Randy Lehman (04:38):
Then you're free. Now what do you do? Stop working. Go on a prolonged vacation for the rest of your life.
Charlotte Lehman (04:46):
I wouldn't.
Dr. Randy Lehman (04:46):
What would you do?
Charlotte Lehman (04:48):
I would probably just keep working because then if I didn't, I would get bored.
Dr. Randy Lehman (04:53):
Yeah, exactly. But then you can start to think about the things that you're doing when you're working and the things that you really dislike the most. Maybe you can find somebody else to do those things that actually enjoys them. You can focus on the things that you are the best at, that, the things that give you the most joy, and then
Charlotte Lehman (05:12):
Planting seeds,
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:13):
Planting seeds, and then you can effectively help more people because you are operating on your peak level. Do you see what I'm saying? So what do you think about that? I
Charlotte Lehman (05:29):
Don't know.
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:30):
So if I had to sum it in one word, I would say money is freedom.
Charlotte Lehman (05:34):
Yeah. Okay. Random question again. Who's your favorite kid?
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:44):
My favorite kid? See, that's a trick question.
Charlotte Lehman (05:47):
I know it is because
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:49):
I can't answer. But the thing is, I have two favorite kids,
Charlotte Lehman (05:53):
But
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:54):
They're just for different reasons.
Charlotte Lehman (05:59):
But
Dr. Randy Lehman (05:59):
I'm glad I got a sucked.
Charlotte Lehman (06:00):
What are those reasons?
Dr. Randy Lehman (06:02):
Well, the reasons why you are my favorite. Well, when we get a chance to be together and you're so excited and you're such a big helper, and you come along with me, and if we're doing a project and you're so good at organizing things and cleaning things and keeping things in a row, and then we can just knock things out when we're doing chores together, all that stuff, just being together and doing things
Charlotte Lehman (06:36):
Together. But why don't you say why you like Jack? Because if he ever listens to his podcast, he'd feel like you did not talk about me.
Dr. Randy Lehman (06:51):
So Jack, he has other strengths. So he's really fast and physical, right? And fun. And so right now you can still beat him in a race, but my guess is that won't last too much longer.
Charlotte Lehman (07:11):
And I'm upset about it.
Dr. Randy Lehman (07:14):
And so if you're going to go do something really, oh man, I bet he's going to be an outstanding water skier when he's, and you probably will be able to swimmer, he'll be jumping upside down and shooting hoops and things like that. So it's just a different type of thing. But still, I love to be with him. And I also love to read with both of you and snuggle with both of you.
Charlotte Lehman (07:39):
I like that too. At night. It's fun.
Dr. Randy Lehman (07:41):
Yeah, those are my favorite things.
Charlotte Lehman (07:43):
Okay. On with the questions. Are you cooler than mom?
Dr. Randy Lehman (07:48):
See another trick question, Charlotte. Now this isn't kind. I don't ask these trick questions of my guests, do I?
Charlotte Lehman (07:57):
You were, nevermind.
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:01):
No, of course. I'm not cooler than mom. She's the coolest. And I married up, you
Charlotte Lehman (08:05):
Know that. I knew you were going to say that. I hope I did because I did. Would you rather be a cow or a chicken?
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:16):
Oh man. Cow. Chewing my cut all day. Sitting in the pasture, or a chicken
Charlotte Lehman (08:22):
Being eaten by a fox.
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:23):
Oh yeah, we lost. Yeah, we lost a chicken to the fox today. But it was a baby. It was
Charlotte Lehman (08:27):
A baby,
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:29):
But
Charlotte Lehman (08:29):
We saw its mom, so it might've killed it.
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:31):
I guess I might have to go with cow. Chickens only live a couple years too. So the cows, at least they live like 15, 18
Charlotte Lehman (08:38):
Yearsish years.
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:40):
I would say cow definitely bigger, but can I at least have horns
Charlotte Lehman (08:45):
Like that one?
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:47):
Yeah. Like bell?
Charlotte Lehman (08:48):
Yeah, she's on the back, but I don't know. Can you see her right? Oh yeah. Right there. Okay. What advice do you have for me?
Dr. Randy Lehman (08:58):
Well, you could take it out a lot of different ways. So I would say whenever I think about giving advice to you, I think what if I wasn't here to give you any more advice?
Charlotte Lehman (09:15):
I don't understand what you're saying
Dr. Randy Lehman (09:17):
And,
Charlotte Lehman (09:18):
Oh, wait. Yes, I do.
Dr. Randy Lehman (09:19):
Right? And what I would say is I would trust God because there's a book that's been preserved for thousands of years written by dozens of authors over multiple continents that's all tied together. And the answers are in that book more than they're in my brain.
Charlotte Lehman (09:47):
Okay.
Dr. Randy Lehman (09:47):
Do you understand? Yeah.
Charlotte Lehman (09:49):
What's something you don't want me to know?
Dr. Randy Lehman (09:52):
Something I know
Charlotte Lehman (09:53):
You have to tell me. Okay. It's time to reveal your big secret.
Dr. Randy Lehman (09:59):
What's something you don't want me to know? Not prepared for this question, Charlotte.
Charlotte Lehman (10:06):
Bad.
Dr. Randy Lehman (10:07):
Well, there. Okay, fine. I'll take it this way. There are things that you don't know now that you're going to learn about life that I just wish you didn't have to.
Charlotte Lehman (10:27):
Oh. Because
Dr. Randy Lehman (10:28):
There are things,
Charlotte Lehman (10:30):
Why don't you
Dr. Randy Lehman (10:30):
That I would love to protect you from what I mean is No,
Charlotte Lehman (10:34):
I think I know
Dr. Randy Lehman (10:35):
Feelings. No feelings about betrayal and the pain that's going to happen to you in life. And the thing is, you are never going to be given anything that you can't handle. But if you knew everything right now that you were going to have to handle over your whole life, it would crush you. But you're going to get it one day at a time, and you'll have enough grace to be able to handle it. So
Charlotte Lehman (11:04):
Could you just tell me one thing
Dr. Randy Lehman (11:07):
That I don't want you to know right now?
Charlotte Lehman (11:10):
Oh,
Dr. Randy Lehman (11:12):
Is that what you mean?
Charlotte Lehman (11:14):
Yeah, sort of. Or what's one thing that you forgot to tell me in your life and you keep forgetting to just tell me. Try to think of it.
Dr. Randy Lehman (11:31):
Man, this is a very tough question.
Charlotte Lehman (11:36):
We have to get this question done.
Dr. Randy Lehman (11:38):
Okay.
Charlotte Lehman (11:40):
I need to know
Dr. Randy Lehman (11:43):
One thing that I keep forgetting to tell you. Well, I tell you a lot of the things that are important and that are true. For example, I'm proud of you,
Charlotte Lehman (11:56):
Like track practice whenever you're coaching. Did I do something that you really liked and you forgot to tell me? Thank you.
Dr. Randy Lehman (12:06):
Well, I remember at our last track meet, you were really cheering for the kids, and I thought that that was awesome. And the notes that you write to your uncles that are running, I mean, it just cheers everybody up. So thank you very much, Charlotte. That's a great example. And keep it up because you know what? This was
Charlotte Lehman (12:24):
Helping you think of the answer.
Dr. Randy Lehman (12:27):
You know what Coach Coker said?
Charlotte Lehman (12:30):
What
Dr. Randy Lehman (12:31):
He said? The two mile is a very, very long race. And if you can't get up and get to the side of the track and cheer your teammate on that is running the two mile, I'll make you run the two mile next time. I heard him say that to somebody.
Charlotte Lehman (12:49):
Well, I am glad I was not that person.
Dr. Randy Lehman (12:52):
Yeah, you were cheering. That's
Charlotte Lehman (12:54):
Great. Yeah. Okay. The last final question, I think is what do you hope my life looks like when I grow up?
Dr. Randy Lehman (13:05):
Well, I hope that you are the one that gets to choose what your life looks like, and I hope that you have feelings of feeling loved and safe, and I hope that you know that I'm always going to be in your corner.
Charlotte Lehman (13:25):
Okay. I have one thing to say before we leave this podcast. Thank you for being my dad.
Dr. Randy Lehman (13:36):
Thank you, Charlotte. I love you so much. It's amazing.
Charlotte Lehman (13:42):
Oh, and try not to break your arm. It's horrible.
Dr. Randy Lehman (13:47):
Oh, we actually broke her arm recently, but fortunately we got an x-ray the next day. All right. Are you going to take us out?
Charlotte Lehman (13:57):
Sure. Okay. Wait. What?
Dr. Randy Lehman (14:00):
Thanks for joining us on this episode of the show, and we'll see you next time on The Rural American Surgeon Podcast.
Charlotte Lehman (14:05):
You just did so. Bye.
Dr. Randy Lehman (14:06):
See you.
