Rheuminations on Phraseology & Semantics
Cats make good pets; peeves do not. |
Starting with this: managing your disease. Especially when it's posed as a question: How are you doing at managing your rheumatoid disease? Why does this bother me so much? I think because the disease really has a mind of its own, and there's only so much a patient can do to manage it. Sure, we can take our medications as prescribed, be informed about our disease, tell our doctors about any new symptoms, and try our best to live healthy lifestyles. We can move when our joints allow it, and rest our joints that are flaring. But what if the disease progresses anyways? Does that mean I am doing a poor job of managing it? I feel like this puts a lot of emphasis on the responsibility of the patient when so much is outside of the patient's control.
RA is more like a roller coaster. You don't have much control -- just hang on for the ride! |
Here's the other big one that bothers me: when patients fail drugs. You don't always see it phrased this way, but it happens pretty regularly. Here's a screen shot from the Blue Cross Blue Shield website, showing requirements for biologics:
Again, this bothers me because it sounds as if it were placing the blame on the patient -- as if the patient were a failure because the drug wasn't effective on him. No, it's the drug the failed -- failed to provide adequate relief and failed to live up to its reputation as an effective treatment. Okay, so maybe the patient's immune system failed to respond, but still. Perhaps its just semantics, but it peeves me nonetheless. I did not fail Enbrel. I loved Enbrel. I did everything I could to make it work for me. But, over time, Enbrel failed me. I guess my point is that we should be placing the emphasis on the gap in drug effectiveness. We've come a long way in terms of new treatments, but we have a long way yet to go.
How about you? Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to phraseology used in rheumatology or health care?
My other pet peeve: pain scales.
ABOUTME
Hi there! My name is Dana and I live in West Michigan with my husband, Tom and our dog Copernicus. I created this space as a place to share the things I learn along this journey I call life. I work in marketing and I'm a sort of Jane of All Trades, interested in all things nature, gardening, cooking, exploring and learning new things. This blog is a conglomeration of my interests, hobbies, life and life lessons. Thanks for stopping by!