“Ms Sooyoung, the doctor will see you shortly.” The nurse at the counter spoke softly to Sooyoung. “Thanks.” Sooyoung forced a smile and then she made her way to the sitting area of the specialized clinic. She had literally lost count on how many times she had visited a clinic. She just got transferred to a new specialized clinic this time from her previous doctor to get her right thumb treated.

Roughly around nine months ago, she was diagnosed with something called De Quervain's tenosynovitis.  Let’s try to pronounce it - dih-kwer-VAINS ten-oh-sine-oh-VIE-tis. It is a painful condition in which affecting the tendons on the thumb side of her wrist. She first realized that there was something wrong when she couldn’t even turn her wrist or even when she had to make a fist. She had to go through immense pain for the past nine months especially waking up in the morning. “Seriously if I were pregnant, I would already have a baby by now..” Sooyoung once complained to her mother because the pain was just unbearable. The pain wasn’t worth it at all. Unlike pregnancy, even if you have to suffer being pregnant for nine months, you know that at the end of the day, you would be rewarded with something so rewarding – a baby.

“Soo, you are seriously comparing your thumb with being pregnant?” Her mother looked at her weirdly. Although the syndrome is not harmful, but it was just a really painful nuisance that Sooyoung wanted it to get rid of.

Anyhow, she had gone through countless of home remedies, doctor appointments, pain killers, and stupid hand physiotherapies but nothing worked! The pain was still there and the swelling was still there. She couldn’t even move her right hand because of the pain. It had been so long since she last used her right hand to do something.

So her previous doctor referred her to a specialized clinic and suggested for her to get surgery on the thumb since all the non-surgical treatment options did not work. Sooyoung was fully on board with it because she was given the assurance that by doing the surgery, the pain would go away permanently.

“How sure are you that this surgery would work?” Sooyoung questioned her previous doctor. The doctor just smiled at her as a response. “Seriously Dr Jung, I have listened to that same damn thing hundreds of times for the past nine months and look at this stupid hand.” She added. She was just so tired of it.

“I swear on my mother’s grave Sooyoung that it will work.” The doctor smiled. He had to refer Sooyoung to another orthopedics with a bigger clinic for the surgery since he didn’t have the tools to proceed with it in his small clinic.

“I swear on my grandmother’s grave and my 3 cats’ grave that if this doesn’t work or if this new doctor transferred me to another new doctor, I would burn down all the clinics in Seoul and that includes yours Dr Jung.” Sooyoung responded back looking seriously at the doctor.

“Hmm maybe I should refer you to a psychiatrist as well..” The doctor smiled after hearing Sooyoung’s response.

So there she was at the specialized clinic that day trying to at least have a positive mind about this new doctor. She only had to wait for 20 minutes until her name was called. She entered the doctor’s room and sat on the couch. “The doctor will be in shortly, she’s in the restroom at the moment.” The nurse smiled at her. “Sure.” Sooyoung nodded her head. Then she looked around the doctor’s room and it had a good soothing smell to it. It was certainly different from the other doctors’ room that she had been to.

Two minutes later, the door was opened and the doctor came in. “Hi Miss Sooyoung is it?” She smiled warmly and offered Sooyoung a handshake. Sooyoung stood up from the couch and looked at the doctor. She was surprised to see that the doctor was so young. “Hi, yes I’m Choi Sooyoung.” Sooyoung replied as she returned the handshake. Sooyoung swore the doctor has like the smoothest hand ever. And she was definitely beautiful.

“I’m Dr Jessica. So sorry, I was in the restroom just now.” She smiled before she sat on the next couch to Sooyoung. “Oh it’s okay.” Sooyoung straightaway replied. Dr Jessica reached for the file that was on the table and flipped it through.

“So, my father referred you here because of De Quervain's Tenos.” She mumbled in her soft spoken voice which Sooyoung was immediately drawn to.

“Oh I didn’t know Dr Jung is your father..” Sooyoung was surprised. Jessica just smiled while she was still flipping the medical report in front of her. Sooyoung then looked at the doctor’s desk and there it was the name plate. It said ‘Dr Jessica Jung - Orthopedics, Hand & Reconstructive Microvascular Surgery’

Jessica then put the down the report back on the table and then went closely to Sooyoung. “You have been experiencing the pain for 9 months is it?” She asked softly before she took Sooyoung’s hand. She held it gently and softly touched the thumb side of Sooyoung’s right hand.

“I’m sure you have done the Finklestein test hundreds of times..” Jessica smiled. The finklestein test is where the doctor determines the severity of the injured tendon. It was just a simple test. Yes, Sooyoung had done it countless of times and she grew extremely tired of it. She would definitely go crazy if she had to do it again,

“Hmm yes but I don’t mind if you wanna do it again.” Sooyoung replied innocently looking at this beautiful doctor sitting next to her touching her hand.

“No it’s okay. I just want to see whether you can bend your thumb.” Jessica said. “Hmm not really.” Sooyoung tried to bend it in front of her and it was unsuccessful. “You have taken Cortisone injection before with Dr Jung?” Jessica asked another question before she took the report again.

“Yes once and it was fine for a week, but then the pain came back.”  Sooyoung informed.

“Alright. So here’s what we’re gonna do.” Jessica smiled. Sooyoung just loved seeing the woman’s smile. “I really want to avoid this from becoming wor