Doctor Patient Relationship

When a doctor goes home at the end of a day, I presume he doesn’t take his work with him, or at least he shouldn’t for his own sanity and the sake of his family. But for a doctor to fully understand what it means to live with a chronic disease, he needs considerably more time than the short allocated slot in a regular patient/doctor visit.

It’s all very well comprehending the mechanics of a disease, but can a doctor appreciate the quiet desperation of a patient who is clutching at straws, ready and willing to try anything that might eradicate what ails them? A doctor would have to step into some pretty uncomfortable shoes to get a glimpse of, or understand fully what it’s like from the patient’s perspective.

In the short time allocated during a visit to a doctor, an awful lot, possibly too much, has to be accomplished. The seemingly less important factors often get dropped by the wayside, which are either brushed aside, or dealt with through another channel. I should imagine for many doctors it’s frustrating not being able to help adequately and improve quality of life when treating Parkinson’s patients. Ultimately I'm sure this makes a doctor’s job far from satisfying and is not the reason why a doctor chose such a vocation.

Although the present system and medications leave room for much improvement,  progress slowly but surely from both doctors and patients is being made and hopefully participatory medicine is the way of the future. Take a look at this clip, “From God to Guide” which you may have seen before, but is well worth watching again. 

I've recently added swimming to my weekly routine, but have come up against some strange reactions. To read more take a look at my article in The Huffington Post.