Posted by jealibeanz on March 10, 2007, at 5:46:03
In reply to Re: Wow, your doc said he was taking Parnate » bulldog2, posted by UGottaHaveHope on March 10, 2007, at 0:51:54
> Your doc told you he is taking Parnate, it is working for him, and recommended that you try it? First of all, bravo for the doc, for dropping his ego and shield to admit he is like the rest of us (Ive never had any pdoc admit they take anything). Secondly, if you choose to take Parnate, he will be a wonderful source to walk you through it. Man you are lucky. You going to do it?
Wow... as a med student, I've wondered how I'd approach this situation myself. It's tricky!As a provider, you're taught not to get too close to the patient. If they start to think of you as a friend, their treatment could suffer for many reasons.
But at the same time, if you want to really be a good practitioner, you want to have some sort of relationship. Smalltalk about both the doctor's and patient's lives helps.
I was thinking about this the other day actually. If someone came to me, embarrassed and scared to admit to being depressed, and told me there's no way I could understand, what would I say? I've been there before? I've been depressed and taken several medications? I know what it's like to be frustrated when you have to endure side effects or find a medication to stick with? I know that weird little feeling you get, physically and emotionally, inside your head on days 4-5 on a Effexor XR trial?
Or would I just want to stick with the... "I've seen this many times. It's much more common than you think, don't be ashamed. It's OK to talk about. There's many medications to try and all my patients have different reactions and preferences" line?
I think most doctors tend not to share any medical experiences whatsoever. Haha, I remember last year I was complaining about my allergies and the bad allergy season, my doctor was like... yeah, I noticed my eyes have been really itchy lately. I was sitting there thinking to myself... whoa! oh my god! you're not supposed to tell me that! You're my doctor, not a real person. Doctors don't have medical problems! They can't admit them to patients!
Haha, yes, that is what I thought. About a small allergy comment. Not even about medications. And this is a doctor who I have a pretty close relationship with. But I was just floored by the first time that a practitioner ever gave any information about their own health.
I think this really depends on the situation. A well established doctor can do this much easier than a young one. You need your credibility built up first. You'd also need to judge your relationship with the patient, and the emotional capacities of the patient. If you know and trust your patient, and have earned his/her trust, revealing something after years may be OK, although I'd have to say... telling someone you're on Parnate is risky!
OK, I'll stop now with my random thoughts on life and medical practice.
poster:jealibeanz
thread:739518
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070308/msgs/739738.html