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8:45am August 27, 2014

Medical shout-outs

Because seriously, some people deserve them.

To my pulmonologist, who did an actual CAT scan of my lungs in anticipation of a hospitalization she knew was coming, so that they’d see the unmistakable signs of pneumonia and know they’d have to take me even though they very much did not want me in their hospital no matter how sick I was.  Who has never failed to recognize medical discrimination for what it is, and who has encouraged me when I’ve fought back.

To my GP, who has stuck with me since I moved here in 2005.  Who has dealt fairly gracefully with the fact that my body pushes him to do things that, as someone who normally advocates conservative treatment, he is highly uncomfortable with, but knows will mean my survival.  Who has tried his best to talk my ‘good side’ up to doctors who see nothing but “bad social skills, rude patient” when they meet me, no matter how nice I try to be.  Who has stood by me when I desperately needed treatment that nobody wanted to give me, and has argued for that treatment even when it was treatment he would rather have not had to give.  Who has done his best to smooth my way with other doctors when the other doctors really disliked me.

To my endocrinologist, who is new to me, but is shaping up to be a pretty awesome doctor.  He is guiding me through the process of learning how to manage adrenal insufficiency.  This involves a lot of judgement calls.  He answers my emails.  He answers all of my questions about stress-dosing (adjusting your dose of hormones to deal with physical illness and emotional stress).  And I am finally, thanks to him, beginning to become confident that I know what I am doing.

To my neurologist.  Who is methodical and thorough.  He asks detailed questions and listens in detail to your answers.  Then he writes everything down, taking equally detailed notes.  Then he thinks up what conditions, no matter how obscure, might cause your symptoms.  Then he thinks up the tests for those conditions.  And he figures out which ones to do in what order, and which ones may not be worth doing at all depending on how invasive they are.  He is also, throughout this process, quite respectful.

To the entire nursing team on the neuro ward.  When I had meningitis, you made what should’ve been a completely awful experience (which it still was, in a lot of ways) way more tolerable.  You were professional, you were respectful, you did your best with my meds despite how complicated my med schedule is, you were nice to me, everything went about as well as a hospital stay for meningitis can go.  Even being in isolation wasn’t all that bad.  The nursing staff can make or break a hospital stay, and you guys made me as comfortable as you could given the raging headache and stuff.

The neurology team:  I know it’s a teaching hospital, so I often see a doctor walking down the hall with a gaggle of med students trailing behind them like ducklings.  Both the doctors and the ducklings were very nice and respectful during that hospital stay.  And they did their best to help me go home as soon as I wanted to go home.  They let me decide when I was feeling well enough, and then they helped make it happen.  They neither told me I was well when I wasn’t, nor told me I was still too sick when I was fine.  (Although they did insist on making sure I wasn’t contagious before I left.  But that actually makes sense.)

The Housekeeping team:  Because you come into everyone’s room at the hospital room and clean it, and half the time you look like you’re just trying to be invisible.  And you look startled when anyone talks to you or thanks you.  Even though you’re keeping all their rooms clean for them.

tl;dr:  I really appreciate my pulmonologist, my GP, my endocrinologist, and my neurologist.  And also, many of the people on the neuro ward from my last hospital stay: the nursing team, housekeeping, and the neurologist and his team.  All of these people have made my life better, some of them have saved it many times.  And with all I complain about the medical profession, I figured I should mention the ones I have to thank, too.