13 Elul 5769
Here's a joke to illustrate an important point for people facing illness:
Joe bumps into his old friend Bob.
"Bob," he says. "You've put on weight!
Your hair turned gray, man."
"You seem a few inches shorter than I recall.
"You seem a few inches shorter than I recall.
Your cheeks are puffy. Ya even walk differently.
Ya sound different. What's happened to you?"
"I'm not Bob," the gentleman replies.
"I'm not Bob," the gentleman replies.
"Wow! You even changed your name," Joe says.
Moral Lesson: Patients can err the same way, mistaking any & all medical people to be Information Man/Woman.
Your doctors, nurses and therapists are not Bob - Information Man/Woman - either.
Sure you need affordable insurance, a means for buying necessary medication, coping skills for the pain that seems to make you "crazy," and a way to manage all the mounting details in your medical life.
You want to know HOW to do all that. You politely ask, maybe insist on, or eventually demand answers from your doctors and nurses. NOW.
But your medical team can't possibly know
the answers to all your questions.
Doctors and nurses specialize in medical care. They owe you competence, respect & acceptance. They're not computers or librarians though you wish they were.
You need resources, not a captive audience.
Reexamine your demands. Empower yourself with smart choices and coping information.
Yocheved Golani
Coping with a Medical Crisis?
Make the Changes You Need in Your Life
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