How to Get What You Need

When you have cancer, how do you get what you need from the doctors, nurses, technicians, and others who hold your life in their hands?

The answer is remarkably simple: You ask.

You ask politely, but persistently, and you keep asking until you are satisfied. It really is just that simple, but that doesn't mean that it is all that easy for many of us to do.

It becomes easier once you have trained yourself out of the habit of being a "good patient." Good patients do what the doctor (or nurse or pharmacist or whomever in a white coat) tells them to.

But being a good patient can leave you angry, frustrated, anxious, depressed ... and with no outlet for these feelings (other than the friends and family who may listen to you rant, but THEY can't fix things). Bottled up negative emotions can hurt your health.

And being a "good patient" can kill you.

I have a story to tell that illustrates what I'm talking about, and it's a story with a happy ending for a change, but I'll leave that for tomorrow. I need to round up all my pets, pop out my contacts, and head to bed.

@ Jeanne Sather 2007.