I hope that everyone had a lovely Easter! I guess everyone's going back to work and school as holidays are over. I just have lots of time for contemplation as it's uni mid semester holidays. Tonight I start an intro to Auslan sign language class which I'm actually very excited about, I've always wanted to learn sign language.
Anyway as I've had lots of time to think over the past few days I just wanted to ask, have you ever had a health care worker that you just clicked with? Maybe it's a doctor, physio or OT. Someone that you could just talk to, that you felt comfortable with? I'm sure if you haven't you will at some point in your chronic pain journey. For me that was an OT. I just thought that she was amazing, she listened, gave me advice and after I left all I wanted to do was tell her everything that happened in my life. She happens to work in the same hospital I visit every 3 months and will visit possibly for the rest of my life, that doesn't help very much. All I want to do is talk to her and tell her everything, but since starting my OT degree I have learnt of what's called Therapeutic Realtionships, they aren't meant to be our friends, they are there to build therapeutic realtionships, which to us, is hard to distinguish. Of course I'm not saying they don't care about us and our lives, because in many ways they are often nearly as invested in our recover and treatment as we are. At the end of the day we are still their patients, it's their job to be there and listen and help us, that's what they get paid to do. As I said this doesn't mean they don't care. Theoretically the aim for them would be to have a relationship where they aren't emotionally invested in what we do, but from experience this doesn't work to well.
It doesn't stop me from wanting them to care however. And for us patients it is often hard to distinguish between true care and this therapeutic relationship, especially as we are often on our time of greatest need when we meet them. I hope that I did have a significant impact of their/her lives/life, I really do. I would never ask but I hope that I was one of those people that walked into her life and made her stop and think about why she does what she does or that maybe we did have a true friendship. I have had, like so many of you, many bad medical experiences over the years and so I cherish the good ones. I think that's why I hold on to this wish so much.
I know that at my next appointment, I'll be desperately wanting to take the elevator up to her floor. But instead, I'll use all my self control to turn around, press the right elevator button and go to my neurologist appointment. After all, it is a therapeutic relationship. However, maybe one day, maybe when I finish treatment (if that's ever possible) I'll take the elevator up and show her just how much I've changed, and just how much she has impacted my life.
:)
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