I'm a Person!

Today's  #NHBPM prompt is, “I want to change THIS about healthcare…”

Strange as it might sound, I wish medical care-givers treated every appointment as if you were a "special case." What I mean by that is I have seen a LOT of doctors, for some rather serious issues, over the past 20+ years. A few, plain and simple have been JERKS, but for the most part doctors have tried to be helpful but either don't know how to help, or seem to forget I am a person and that while my issue may be fairly routine (or sometimes, beyond their scope of capability) to them, it is very important in my mind, or I wouldn't bother being in their office!

I know medicine can become "just a job," and providers are overworked, but I don't like feeling like my doctor are too busy to listen to my concerns or that the are so board and disinterested that they would rather use our appointment time to be taking a nap! Fortunately, there are a few exceptions. I'm talking in broad generalizations here.

I have seen my share of extraordinary specialists through the years. I think of one who was never rude but remained rather alufe until we started on a rare form of treatment. Up until that time, perhaps most would feel our relationship had been professionally cordial, but it suddenly became much more a give-and-take of mutual respect, including more personal details from each of us. Did I receive adequate medical care prior to the relational change? Absolutely! Did I more look forward to my appointments one I was treated more as an equal? Indeed.

I guess when your life becomes defined by being a "professional patient," you just hope your doctors, who are so of the only human beings you encounter, are not only competent, but kind! You are investing your life into their care, so you hope they will invest in your life, as a person, in return.

When I went to see two different specialist earlier this year, I had been repeatedly warned about each, that while I would receive excellent medical care under their supervision, to be prepared for the reality that neither one had personality or good bedside manner. I found both to be very kind gentleman, the one with the worst reputation, while very odd an initial acquaintance, very personable and interesting as he began to understand the specifics of my case.

I came to the conclusion that the more difficult of a challenge I present to my medical caregivers, the more they invest in me as an individual. I just wish it didn't require such intensity of situation to become personally inviting to my doctors!

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Today I am thankful for modern technology, medical advancement, and the medical caregivers who do treat each patient as a real person.

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First Published Book: Hannah's Hope : Seeking God's Heart in the Midst of Infertility, Miscarriage, and Adoption Loss

Book-in-progress on drawing on the fruit of the Spirit in times of trial: Harvesting Hope from Heartache

Next book-in-progress: 6 strokes at age 39, Stroke of Grace

Future manuscript in the plans: Given Me a Thorn, the apostle Paul's story as applicable to living with chronic illness