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“Name and date of birth, please.” How many times are we asked that in our lifetime? Regardless of what it’s for, that line is a staple at the beginning of every single medical appointment one has. Generally speaking, most adults see their general physician once a year for a physical. As we get older, often our bodies start to age and we need to see some doctors who specialize in different areas. For multiple reasons, developing a trusted relationship with medical professionals can be key in one’s health care journey. When you have a medical provider who you get along with, you don’t only have an easier time trusting the person with your needs, you also feel more comfortable and relaxed during a potentially high anxiety time. Developing that relationship can take time.

Years ago, I wrote about how until I was 26, I was a really healthy person. Other than seeing a few specialists here and there to explore different things that would potentially help, I saw a regular physician once a year for a physical and that was it. Until my third or fourth year of college, I had the same pediatrician since birth. He was there the night I was born. Obviously, he gained trust with my parents walking with them through my diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy (CP) and helped connect them with all the resources. He was awesome and we really trusted him. He kept me as a patient as long as he could, and, when it was time to switch to a general practitioner, he recommended one based on her experience with people with disabilities. It wasn’t long after switching to hear that I started having some medical problems. I really liked her, but, unfortunately, she left only a few years after I started with her.

As I’ve written about in the past, 2012 was a hard year. I was having problems with my spasticity and ended up getting a Baclofen pump placed. That added three more doctors to my team—a neurosurgeon and two nurse practitioners. Three weeks after that, I had emergency gastrointestinal surgery, so that added a gastroenterologist and a general surgeon to my list of medical providers. Since then, I’ve had a slew of different problems ranging from a toe that needed to be amputated to a deviated septum that can’t be repaired due to having cp. Each issue usually requires me to see a different specialist.

There are very few doctors who truly understand CP. About eight years ago, after complications from a pump replacement surgery, I was referred to a Pain and Rehabilitation doctor.  He specializes in CP and understands how it affects the aging process. After the initial appointment, I had several different referrals for things. At first, yes, it was pretty overwhelming, but he has been such a huge help. He specifically blocks out extra time, so I can talk directly with him using my communication app.  I actually enjoy seeing him. It’s so nice having who truly understands CP.

Unfortunately, majority of doctors just have basic knowledge of what cerebral palsy is. Between the last week of June and the month of July, I had seven medical appointments all for various things. While only one or two were directly related to CP, all of them had an element that had to do with cp. Medical providers try their best to understand and address the issues at-hand, but, oftentimes, they’re just playing trial and error because they simply don’t know how CP will affect whatever it is. I appreciate their honestly when they tell me that they honestly don’t know how it will be with the level of severity of CP I have.

Several times, I’ve had doctors try to relate CP to different types of disabilities such as Autism or Multiple Sclerosis because they are more familiar with those. While I understand that some conditions have similar characteristics, it gets irritating when a doctor keeps doing it. I recently switched one of my providers due to this. I had my initial visit with my new provider a few weeks ago, and I’m still on the fence about how I feel. I understand that I have a pretty complex history, but, if I were a doctor, I think I’d at least glance at person’s file before initially seeing them. That said, I know it takes a couple of visits to develop a relationship with a doctor, so I’ll give it another couple times.

There are some doctors who I really connect with and others who are just there to get a specific task done. While I think it’s human nature to put more trust in the people who you connect with and like, it’s also important to realize that you don’t have to necessarily like an individual in order to trust him/her. Obviously, especially in stressful medical situations, it’s better to have someone who you connect with directing next steps.  However, in emergency situations, we need to remember that doctors have patients’ best interests in mind and it’s their job to do what’s best for patients.

As much as I’d love to just have an annual physical, that’s just not in the cards for me. While I don’t necessarily enjoy doctor appointments, they’ve become a regular part of my life. Doctors have literally saved my life multiple times over the years. While some doctors are more personable than others, I’m extremely grateful for the many I’ve had over the years!

***The views expressed here are strictly those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of InControl Wisconsin, the Network or any of our sponsors