08 May When Your Medical Expert Hurts You
May 8, 2011
What a mistake my first physical therapist was!
At the time, I was desperately trying to find improvement from being completely debilitated after I was first diagnosed with fibromyalgia in 1998.
I sensed from the beginning moments of my 1 ½ hour physical therapy appointment that this was not going to work. She had come so highly recommended; I guess some people like a drill-sergeant approach, someone who ignores the patient’s input.
I told her what I had learned from previous disastrous experience with exercise, and that my body needed massage and gentle, cautious movement. But this boisterous, overly confident woman wouldn’t listen, putting me through her paces of exercise and overbearing instruction.
I was new in this process. I hadn’t yet learned to listen and respond to my inner voice, which in this case was screaming out to me in warning. It turned out that ignoring my own good sense meant spending a long time recovering from the damaging effects of her exercises and methods.
This was the first in a series of lessons along my journey that taught me to trust my own good judgment, even when it flew in the face of so-called “medical expertise.” (From Breaking Free, p. 31)
What about you? Have you had similar experiences? What has helped you in learning to be assertive in the process of wading through medical appointments and dismissive healthcare workers?