I recently received an email from a
woman with CRPS who was angry at her doctor for not telling her that an
epidural block did not always work and that sometimes it can cause more pain.
She was furious because she believed that her doctor said that this treatment
would eliminate all her pain. I also got an email from a pain patient who
said that her doctor told her that a series of ketamine injections would
"cure" her of CRPS and was furious with him because it did not. I
have read so many comments from people who believe that the doctor is an
all-knowing god with supernatural powers and are disappointed or mad when they
discover that the doctor did not have all the answers or when a treatment did
not have the results that they expected it to have. PALEZZZZE...
Doctors are human beings and there is a limit to their knowledge. They have more education than the average person and have invested years in training and practicing in their specialty but they are not gods. There is an old saw that says that a doctor is not a "superman" because they "practice" medicine. I believe that is the spirit of how we should view our doctors. Doctors can give you an educated guess but there is no way that they can tell what will work for you or how you will react to a treatment or even how your disease will progress. If a doctor talks cure or tells you how you will react in a certain way with absolute certainty then you have the wrong doctor. You know your body and should be able to educate your doctor in some aspects of your disease; after all you are the one that has to live with it day in and day out. A pain patient should know everything there is to know about their disease: what are the symptoms, what are the current treatments, what is the current research, what is the disease progression, how do the medications work, what is your doctor's reputation and how do other patients feel about him. No one can be a better advocate for you than you.
I am fortunate to have doctors that I trust and who will listen to me when I ask questions or suggest a change in my treatment plan. I am always asking them about new treatments that I have read about. I can talk to my doctors about how certain medications are affecting me and whether a medicine needs to be discontinued or have the dosage increased/decreased. I believe that I have a good relationship with my doctors and that they respect the fact that I know as much as I do about my disease. I respect their opinions but realize that there is no guarantee that a certain treatment or medication will work for me the same way that it works for a fellow pain patient. There is always an element of doubt or surprise in how my body will react.
I feel that my doctors and me are a team; working together to find a way for me to live with the pain. I accept the fact that what I am hearing from my doctor's are their best guesses. I ask questions and then I go home and do my own research; including talking to other patients who have experienced the same treatment. I don't ask about medications because I know my body and my disease is unique and what works for you might not work for me.
There are no certainties in life. There is no harm in asking questions so make sure that you do. Make yourself a part of your medical team by learning about your disease. If your doctor objects to you having any input in the conversation then switch doctors. No one should feel intimidated by their medical team or blindly follow their suggestions. Be your own advocate because no one else can do it for you.
Doctors are human beings and there is a limit to their knowledge. They have more education than the average person and have invested years in training and practicing in their specialty but they are not gods. There is an old saw that says that a doctor is not a "superman" because they "practice" medicine. I believe that is the spirit of how we should view our doctors. Doctors can give you an educated guess but there is no way that they can tell what will work for you or how you will react to a treatment or even how your disease will progress. If a doctor talks cure or tells you how you will react in a certain way with absolute certainty then you have the wrong doctor. You know your body and should be able to educate your doctor in some aspects of your disease; after all you are the one that has to live with it day in and day out. A pain patient should know everything there is to know about their disease: what are the symptoms, what are the current treatments, what is the current research, what is the disease progression, how do the medications work, what is your doctor's reputation and how do other patients feel about him. No one can be a better advocate for you than you.
I am fortunate to have doctors that I trust and who will listen to me when I ask questions or suggest a change in my treatment plan. I am always asking them about new treatments that I have read about. I can talk to my doctors about how certain medications are affecting me and whether a medicine needs to be discontinued or have the dosage increased/decreased. I believe that I have a good relationship with my doctors and that they respect the fact that I know as much as I do about my disease. I respect their opinions but realize that there is no guarantee that a certain treatment or medication will work for me the same way that it works for a fellow pain patient. There is always an element of doubt or surprise in how my body will react.
I feel that my doctors and me are a team; working together to find a way for me to live with the pain. I accept the fact that what I am hearing from my doctor's are their best guesses. I ask questions and then I go home and do my own research; including talking to other patients who have experienced the same treatment. I don't ask about medications because I know my body and my disease is unique and what works for you might not work for me.
There are no certainties in life. There is no harm in asking questions so make sure that you do. Make yourself a part of your medical team by learning about your disease. If your doctor objects to you having any input in the conversation then switch doctors. No one should feel intimidated by their medical team or blindly follow their suggestions. Be your own advocate because no one else can do it for you.
Great post Leslie - I'm so glad to see this. With healthcare workers in my family, I know they've been blamed for not pulling a miracle out of their noses, which to me is quite frankly, obnoxious. Not to mention some people's lack of asking questions and becoming an INFORMED and EDUCATED patient. On the flip side, when I was growing up, I saw patients flooding our doorstep with gifts for my Dad at Christmas time, as they were just grateful for what he HAD done for them..........it's a bizarre thing to have witnessed at such a young age the animostiy on one hand, but the humble, thankful patient on the other hand. Many had the same ailments, and similar outcomes. And yes....we, the patient, are part of a team....along with the doctors, nurses, therapists, or even the orderly if/when we are hospitalized, who says a kind word to us at 3 a.m.......
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