Your potential patient here!
Look, I know you're the professional and you always want to look like you know what you're doing. The thing is, if you don't know what you're doing then tell me plz? Bc maybe, just maybe, I might have some answers about the conditions I deal with every day of my life.
Yes! Look! I have some kidney issues! That's been going on for years now and has nothing to do with the migraines that started last week! If you had asked me about the 'history of rhabdo' that I wrote down after the part about my muscular injury, then you wouldn't have gone on a wild goose chase! And no! My kidney issues do not mean I have been drinking or on drugs. I. Had. Rhabdo. After. A. Core. Muscular. Injury.
Not to mention, no! My hand suddenly not working is not Raynaud's. I have had Raynaud's my entire life. I know what it looks like. I would not go to the hospital to get help with Raynaud's.
Yes! My blood tests were a little off! Yes, I have an autoimmune disease and a blood clotting disorder. Thank you for diagnosing me with a diagnosis that is already on your computer. You are oh-so smart and I am oh-so grateful that you spent three hours on that instead of investigating the real problem.
No, I am not trying to be difficult. You keep just telling me things I already know and that I already told you. My hand and my foot will not move and I cannot feel them! Focus on that.
Oh. You're going to discharge me? Bc there's nothing life threatening? Are you sure? Bc you've done nothing- No! All your research into the wrong things bc you didn't listen to me do not count.
Oh? A new doctor. Wonderful. Okay.
And will you look at that? This guy checked my file, made sure he understood my chronic illnesses, and wow! He ordered a brain scan, bc it's incredibly obvious that there is something wrong with my neuromuscular system and motor control?
Well, will you look at that! A goddamn golfball sized brain tumor! Look how easy that was?
You may have spent years in medical school, but your patients have spent a lifetime managing their chronic illnesses. Listen to your patients and don't be a jerk when a patient with a chronic illness tells you that their chronic illness looks different than you assumed. Bc most patients with chronic illnesses will know their conditions -- especially rare conditions -- better than you. There is a reason we have to go see specialists. It is hard to deal with. Most of us are fine with explaining it in detail to you, but we will get frustrated if you're being ignorant and not even bothering to check our file -- especially if we're waiting 5+ hours only for you to come back and reveal you wasted both of our time.
Don't be the idiot who tells a patient with a golfball sized (potentially cancerous) tumor that it's just Raynaud's syndrome.
