The Wrong Doctor, The Right Process

Over the next month, we scheduled a video-visit not with a surgeon, but a top-notch Gastroenterologist. He was very adamant: “No surgery. Out of anything, not surgery. I can see where this doctor is coming from, but if I had to diagnose you from a GI standpoint, you have severe IBS. The symptoms are manageable.” He prescribed me a couple of medications, just like other doctors had in the past, to take as needed when I flared. No luck. 

Around this time, we were also referred to a dietician by another family friend of ours who experienced similar symptoms to me. “I saw a dietician back in December. My gut was angry, just like yours, and she cured me. I was on eleven foods for a month, and it was hard. But if it wasn’t for her, I don’t know where I would have turned.” He gave me her information. Currently, I am under her care hoping that this tailored approach will send me on a path to speedy healing. 

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Genuine advice, compassionate communication, and empathy are qualities that must be infused into the process of healing a patient. Health care can no longer be standardized by protocol: Health care must be personalized with a holistic approach that validates symptoms and searches for their root cause rather than dismissing them and blindly medicating them. 

I am sharing this story because I want to shed light upon HOW the surgeon approached me. Although he wasn’t the right doctor for me, I believe that he came into my life for a reason (not all referrals from friends/family match even though they are looking out for you). People always do. His role in my life was to rekindle that dwindling spark of hope within me that there are some doctors who are invested in your care, and that there was a potential cure to my condition. 

The prospect of healing is the light at the end of a dark tunnel that can only be imagined when someone works with you rather than against you. A light that can only be imagined when someone guides you to it rather than pushing you back into the dark. While I sometimes find myself deep inside of that cavity, I think about this doctor to remind me that there is hope. There is hope that not only can I be cared for and cured, but that doctors like him can inspire others to approach their patients similarly. There must be others like him, who approach their patients with a personalized process rather than protocol. There are doctors who know better. Even if they are not the right person to treat you per se, their process can be the magical key to unlock doors filled with healing opportunities and as those opportunities come your way, it’s on you to decide which path you take. So yes–there are experts who know better, but as this doctor told me, “you know your body best.”

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Doctors must gain trust of their patients in the consultation before proceeding with any treatments or plans. The process of healing someone and gaining their trust go hand in hand. 

Here are some tips for doctors and patients alike so they can establish a personalized process that targets solving the root cause:

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