Dealing with Doctors

[Guest guest]

Dealing with Doctors

I Am

NOT Fine!

How many times have you waited for weeks to get into a

doctor's office?

How many times have you said,

“Fine” when the doctor asks you, “How you doing?”

How many times have you then

wanted to kick yourself because you lost your chance to get the help you

needed?

As Lupus patients, we are constantly bombarded with

negative replies to our quests for help from family or friends. We are tired of

having to explain how our “exhaustion” is not something that can be

cured with a good night's sleep, or a fifteen minute nap.

We have become gun shy from having to dodge the bullets

of sarcasm, so it has become a habit for us to answer “Fine!” when we should have answered

differently.

In talking with other Lupus patients, I constantly hear

“My doctor doesn't listen to

me.” “I don't think my doctor cares about anything but money.”

So I ask them, “Did you tell your doctor exactly

what is happening in your life? Have you told the doctor the pain is so

relentless, you cannot sleep more than an hour at a time?”

More times than not, the replies have been to the effect

of:

“He is a doctor, he should

know what to do about my pain.”

To those people I say,

“Contrary to popular belief, just because a person has the letters DR in

front of their name, does not instill in them knowledge and common sense, nor

does it make them a mind reader. You need to tell the doctor exactly what kind

of pain you are having.”

“I

have told him, but he just brushes me off.”

If a doctor brushes you off,

it is only because you ALLOWED him to brush you off. If you don't persist in

finding the answers, why should he take you serious when you yourself don't?

“Why

should I bother telling him, he doesn't listen to me anyway?”

When you tell your doctor a

problem, do you tell him in an offhand manner or are you direct and to the

point? Or do you come prepared with a list of questions and information you

have gleaned from books or the Internet?

Dealing with your health is something you cannot do on

your own. You need medical help from doctors and hospitals. You need the

support of family and friends. If you try to accomplish all of this on your

own, depression will overwhelm you and you will lose the battle mentally as

well as physically. You begin to believe suicide is the only option open to you.

Asking for help doesn't show a weakness of character, it

shows strength. By letting someone else help you control your health, you show

that you are strong in the belief the battle can be won.

The next time someone asks you, “How are you?” don't automatically

answer, “Fine”.

The next time someone asks

you, “Is there anything I can do for

you?” say, “YES!”

By allowing someone to help when they offer not only

helps you, but helps them as well. They will gather a satisfaction from having

performed a good deed and, because you didn't have to expend the energy

performing the chore, you will get the rest you need to help you heal.

It is not a crime to say, “I am NOT fine!”

© 2002 “Rion” Sewell

Hugs,

Deanna

LUPUS Serenity

Prayer...

Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot

change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to hide the

bodies of doctors I shot when they said, You're perfectly healthy, it's all in

your head "