Christine describes the potentially serious impacts of an insensitive conversation on a patient.
Transcript
Shutting down the conversation about COVID – has way longer consequences than just in that moment. It leads to a feeling of isolation. It leads to self-doubt. It leads to – your job is to care for a person’s health. And even if I’m psychosomatically, hypochondriacally ill, that’s a problem. And so blowing that off, when we know that there’s so much anxiety involved with this and people are scared, the callousness with which that happens, I would like them to take a sober second look if they are doing that … And I know they’re stressed and I know they’re overworked but it’s the difference between people becoming suicidal or not. Because I would be lying if I said there weren’t a couple of moments in the last couple years that I’m going, “You know what, it’s easier – I’ve had a good life – I’ve done everything I [laughs] needed to do. I’ve left a legacy. I’ve left a mark. My kids are fine. I’m done. I don’t want to deal with this anymore. I don’t even know who I am anymore.” And that can be changed by one doctor listening. Or at least being honest and going, “You know what, I don’t know enough about this. I don’t feel comfortable.” And at least somebody finding a doctor who can do it and then giving you some hope, “Go here.” Why doesn’t the doctor say, “Go to this Long COVID Group?” How hard is that?
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- Support from Employers, Colleagues, and Worker’s Compensation Boards – ChristineChristine is only allowed to use her sick days midweek even though a Monday or Friday would give her more recovery time.
- Advice to Healthcare Providers – ChristineChristine describes the potentially serious impacts of an insensitive conversation on a patient.
- Impacts on Partners and Households – ChristineChristine worries that she is often too sore to welcome physical contact from her husband.
- Support from family and friends – ChristineChristine’s sister criticized her for the way she was caring for their mother, and accused her of being selfish and abandoning their mother.
- Navigating the system – ChristineSometimes you don’t know about the helpful services that are out there, says Christine.
- Impact on professional life and career – ChristineChristine was so caught-up in caring for her mother that she never resolved her employment situation.
- Impact on health – ChristineChristine was so exhausted that she reached a point where she considered suicide.
- Hospitals and facilities – ChristineChristine realized she had to leave her mother’s home to protect herself. When she left, her mother moved to a care facility.
- Home care and live-in caregivers – ChristineInteraction with the home care staff was difficult for Christine’s mother as she kept meeting new people.