I don't know if this one deserves the top spot because it's so stupid, or because it just happened to pop into my head. I never thought about what the other nine stupid requests were, but I know they exist.
Yesterday I had my twice-yearly appointment with my favorite endocrinologist. The assistant greeted me, took my weight and blood pressure, downloaded my CGM data, and took my blood sugar in preparation.
I stared at her for 20 seconds and said, “Why would you prick my finger if you have a CGM on?” To which she replied, “I want real-time values.” What? I looked at her again with pointed eyes and said, “No, I won't do it.” As background, I have had two procedures in the past 10 days where they not only take blood from my aorta, but the first five times they missed it and pricked me for infusions, etc. I was reaching my limit as a pincushion.
“No,” I repeated. “You can't take my blood.” It wasn't rude, but it was firm. I didn't know what would happen if I refused, and I hadn't thought about it. I just knew I couldn't take the thought of injections, let alone the insanity of being injected with a needle while sitting there with a CGM attached, any more.
“Okay,” she said very gently. “I'll let your doctor know.” I don't know if she said that or not; I had completely forgotten. My endometriosis doctor never pointed that out to me. If he had, I think he would have agreed with me about how ridiculous this situation was.
When you are consulting with your doctor, I want you to know that you have the right to say what you think and feel. You are half of the conversation with a medical professional. I don't advocate a rebellious attitude, per se, but if you have an opinion that should be taken into account, don't keep it to yourself. It's the first step to breaking down hierarchical barriers and moving closer to true collaboration.
