Sunday Inspiration: What do you expect from a doctor

This week I read a post from Sue Ingbretson asking what you expect when you visit your doctor, more specifically What Rx Do you Expect from a Doctor? As her posts often do, this question got me thinking and I decided I would share my thoughts here (because that’s what Sunday Inspiration is for).

I get frustrated when I visit the doctor, OFTEN! And they often get frustrated with me. As Sue points out in her post 2/3 of dr visits end with a prescription being written (statistic provided by recallcenter.com). I’m tired of the standard prescriptions. I’m tired of doctors throwing prescriptions at me to cover up symptoms instead of trying to find the root of the problem and FIX it!

What do I expect when I visit a doctor? Not much…

• I want compassion – I want them to care about me and what I’m going through. They can’t empathize with me because they aren’t in this same trench I live in. They don’t feel my pain, so they can’t really empathize, but they can have compassion. They can treat me like I’m a real person who really is suffering. They can acknowledge my symptoms when I lay them out and treat them as if they are real problems that I have a right to complain about and seek answers for.
• I want answers – I know this is often asking for a bit much when you live with multiple chronic illnesses that have no distinct treatments or cure. But, I still want them. If my doctor thinks that all these symptoms I’m reporting might relate to one key thing (IBS, urinary incontinence, pain, etc all may relate to small fiber neuropathy) then tell me that they think that’s likely and follow that up with the option to test for said link. I have a post coming soon about small fiber neuropathy and how many things it links, as well as the potential that it may be at the root for many Fibro patients. That said, don’t just shrug me off with a “it’s all just Fibro” when you have no answer for Fibro.
• I want options – Don’t’ just throw a pill at me. How about prescriptions for alternative therapies? How about suggestions of things that I can personally do to improve my situation. And for that matter, if you are going to give me a prescription I still want options. I want to know what the options are for treating the symptom and have a real discussion with you about the pros and cons of each.
• I want to work with you – continuing from the discussions above I want us to work together to find answers. I am happy to do research and find options, but I need you to be willing to discuss what I find in an honest way.
• I don’t want you to give up – when you give up I can tell. When you give up I move on and find a new dr that has a fresh point of view and might be able to give me new treatment options and new answers. When you give up on me, I will give up on you.

I’ve walked out of so many doctors feeling completely at a loss. I went in hoping they’d have answers and they gave me nothing. They looked right through me as if I wasn’t there, and treated me as if I were less than human. They sent me away with prescriptions and no explanation for how to follow-up or use the prescription (thank goodness for the pharmacist). They sent me away without answers or any hope of getting any. They tried one or two treatments and then just gave up. I know what I want and need, and I know that when I walk in with that in the forefront of my mind I’m much more likely to leave feeling satisfied. Granted, there are some doctors you just can’t help, because you can’t fix stupid, but the better prepared I am the better the whole situation ends.