I can still remember the day when my overt trust in my doctor put my own health at risk.
The ideal doctor and patient relationship never really developed. In retrospect, there were quite a few red flags that should have prompted me to action. But, I was young and didn’t realize that “firing” my doctor was an option.
My doctor and I didn’t mesh. We didn’t see eye to eye on everything, which was difficult. I had to put forth a lot of effort so we could work well together. I was looking for a partnership, and his spittle spattle of my health care directives was not the best fit.
My physician often retreated to his “ivory tower” of pretentious decrees. I thought a doctor should be open and thorough about his recommendations, and the results of any test should be shared information.
If it was MY BODY being tested, then I should be given the marks versus being kept in the dark.
Too often, I felt uncomfortable with him. I was supposed to communicate intimate details that I didn’t even tell my own mother. I forced myself to disclose such particulars because I knew it was in my own best interest.
I swallowed my anxiety because I couldn’t pinpoint exactly why I was worried about my physician’s competence and advice.
Breaking up with my doctor was not a choice I took lightly, but it was the single best decision for me and my health.
Regrettably, it took about a week in the ICU after my doctor dismissed one of my major health concerns for me to make this decision.
It took a phone conversation of, “Doctor, I think I’m in real trouble over here,” and a, “I think you’re over-reacting, and you just need a good nap.”
I guessing that’s why it was refreshing to read Angela’s blog: My Health Story as she writes these words:
“You don’t have to believe everything a doctor says!”
Angela journeys her diagnoses of ulcerative colitis and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)—her experience serves as a testimony to anyone who wonders: What are the signs it may be time to fire my doctor?
