Terror in the ward

A good physician does not treat the disease. He treats the man who has the disease.

I heard this in a movie today, but it is something I have known myself for a very long time.

Many of today's doctors DO try to cure the disease, because they do not really know the man who has it. They treat symptoms.

In medical school they learn what to do for fevers, or aches in certain parts of the body. They learn that a certain set of symptoms often indicates this, or that disease and those with little experience, or large egos assume that they know better than the patient because they went to medical school and treat lots of people.

But patients are all different. They are not just bodies, or aches, or fevers. They are minds, and fears, and life styles. The human body is a miraculous thing, but not all the miracles are for our own good.

I went to a clinic that treated me for high blood pressure in spite of the fact that I told them it was fine at home. I even took my machine in to them and they continued to look for the problem. I told them I have white coat syndrome, but they did not listen to me. One of the drugs they put me on caused kidney problems and eventually gout.

Two doctors and one kidney specialist later I have a doctor who listened. Now, after two years she can take my blood pressure just before I leave her office and it is fine. I have other little quirks that cause me problems too, but now she and I are dealing with them.

We need more people like her, otherwise a doctor who treats a nameless, faceless disease can be the biggest liability in the room. My brother would be dead tonight if he had not refused treatment for all the various and sundry things hospital interns wanted to do today.

His doctor retired and the new one sent him to a hospital without paying attention to the old doctor's records. It was a terrifying day. The medical profession does not take kindly to people who question their snap decisions.