Coping With The Medical System

Navigating through the medical system successfully can be a stressful challenge in itself. Having a chronic disease means that over time you will likely need to make use of a variety of medical resources, including hospitals, clinics, and laboratories. You are also likely to come in contact with a wide range of professionals in these settings — nurses, dietitians, enterostomal therapy nurses, family doctors, gastroenterologists, surgeons, emergency department staff, pharmacists, and many others are often helpful along the way. Some will be seasoned experts and some will be students full of enthusiasm and recent knowledge.

 

 

Treating pain appropriately is a common challenge for many people with IBD and may easily become a source of conflict and miscommunication with health-care professionals. Most medical care starts with a conversation in which patients try to explain their symptoms, while the doctor tries to listen, understand, and explain the available options. Then patient and doctor try to come to an agreement about how to proceed. Such a conversation amounts to a negotiation — and negotiations are difficult in a context of pain and stress.

 

Fortunately, when both parties negotiate in good faith, which is almost always the case, it is not too hard to build an alliance and face the problem as team.