My Bear had an appointment to see his terrific pediatrician today again about his swollen finger joints. She was home with a cold, but we waited an hour to see an alternate. The fellow didn’t seem to welcome my questions or opinions.
I was in the familiar context of my pediatrician’s office – 6 years with 5 kids – that’s 30 years of service. And I was experiencing the familiar feeling of having someone make inaccurate statements about Rheumatoid disease. However, experiencing the two things together was entirely unfamiliar – and unacceptable.
I successfully suppressed my tearful desire to tell the guy how wrong he was. Care for my son’s hand – or health – does not depend on him, so arguing would be pointless. However, three things became crystal clear:
(1) No doctor can know everything about everything. But there’s one thing that makes ignorance unacceptable: arrogance. A doctor needs to know that he doesn’t know things, so he can continue to learn. Arrogance makes a doctor ineffective, unless he knows everything.
(2) I will not tolerate my son having the incompetent medical care that I’ve had. Remember my mother of a patient voice? If my son needs rheumatological care, he will see a professional that knows more about Rheumatoid disease than he does. It’s long been reported that general practitioners lack knowledge about RA.
(3) It emphasized the great need for the work that the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF) has begun. As the RPF clarifies to the world the facts about Rheumatoid disease, people in many situations can experience less of such devastating ignorance that can cause confusion or delays in treatment. Erroneous notions about Rheumatoid disease obviously interfere with appropriate care decisions. We have a big opportunity to help the RPF help patients, but we have to hurry! Please read below!
But first, I know you’re curious, here are a few of the facts the fellow had wrong:
- If an ankle, or knee, is swollen, “it has to be swollen here in this spot.”
- “It would hurt and be more stiff in the morning” if it were RA.
- An x-ray would help determine whether it’s RA (at this early stage).
- Genetic testing gives no help in determining whether it’s RA.
Take a Survey & Raise Funds for RA Awareness – Hurry, This is a Limited Time Opportunity!
We need your help! Last year, the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation (RPF) was formed as the first and only non-profit with the sole purpose of improving the lives of people with Rheumatoid Arthritis. We have a great fundraising opportunity coming up soon, but we need to act fast!
Find A Cure Panel specializes in patient research for rare and serious diseases including RA–and they have an upcoming 15 minute anonymous online survey for those with RA and on medication.
If you complete the survey, FACP will donate $25 to Rheumatoid Patient Foundation.
If you would you like to participate, please contact FACP at info@findacurepanel.com
and put “FACP RA Survey/RPF” in the subject line. This will pre-register you to receive the survey, which should be available next week.
Here’s the kicker: there are only 200 survey spots available and other organizations are competing for the funds. Please help us raise money for RA Awareness by pre-registering for this survey – the opportunity won’t be there for long! Thank you in advance for your support and helping the RPF continue to make an impact!
Recommended reading
- An important post about the Rheumatoid Patient Foundation on Dan’s blog!
- How Much Does Patient Testimony Matter?
- General Practitioners Need Basic Rheumatoid Arthritis Information
- Reliable Sources: Orencia Cough Side Effect & Notions of e-Patients
- Who Are e-Patients? A Simple Explanation
