[Anonymous]

#1054029

I had thought about whether this post was appropriate for a Graves
Disease group. In the end I decided that as I had GD, which is what
took me to hypothyroidism, then many of you will be there too one
day (about 80%). So yes it does belong here because when you go
hypo you will want to have the very best treatment for you as
an individual, not you as part of a group.

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This post is about people, and the value of their well being to
others. There are questions that should be researched and answered
regardless of the outcome. If there are two choices of a drug then
the patient should be afforded 2 choices. If there are 7 choices of drugs
then the patient should be allowed to try them all if they wish. This
is called EMPOWERING the patient, this is called giving people
some control in their own well-being. This is also a possitive
demonstration to the public that the majority of the medical
profession would not succumb to high pressure sales campaigns,
which would bias their choice of treatments. I have written this with the
consideration that British doctors are duty bound to save the NHS
money by prescribing the cheapest drugs where possible that are
*equivelant* to what is best. Also that they should consider
whether they are prescribing the best of the whole range of possible
medicines, or the best of a part of the range. The post may interest
anyone everywhere, as I have addressed the important issue of
patient well-being. Happy reading and I hope it is thought provoking
for any younger doctors who may have dropped into the group.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here is a thought for British Endocrinologists and GP’s to
consider…. Could you be prescibing a medicine to people
without the documentation needed to prove beyond doubt that
it is equal to, or better than, another medication? Should the medication
prove not to be as effective in all patients with the condition, or
indeed possibly cause problems because it has a multitude of
undocumented side effects, then who would be responsible?
Who would explain the extra cost to the NHS of all the
investigations, operations and further treatments that the patient
may have had? Possible costs that over the years could have
run in to millions of pounds. There is also the great psychological
trauma such an action would have caused the many people as
they have tried to convince an unseeing doctor of their problems.
It would make a mockery of saving money on the cost of a drug wouldn’t
it? In fact it may even prove to be an embarressment when it was discovered
that this medication may have been prescribed on the strength of a dam
good advertising campaign many years previously and has gone without question.

A good and decent Endocrinologist/GP who cared more about their
patients well-being than the consequences to the establishment that they
worked for, might start asking around to see if this has been the case with
thyroid medication, for example. After all this is what being a doctor is about,
taking ALL the necessary steps to ensure that their patient feels as well
as they could. They are also duty bound to protect their patient from the
possible harm they themselves could through neglect. Neglect comes in all
forms, not demanding treatment considerations is one of them, not seeing
the obvious is another, and not accepting a possibility is yet another.

If you are a doctor imagine that giddy feeling you get before a bout of sicknes, think how awful that feeling is, how it fills your head and how it disorientates you, the relief when it’s gone. Now add to that a feeling of intence cold and tieredness,
the misery of seeing your body bloat before your eyes, your hair falling
out, your skin drying up until it cracks., not thinking straight and picking up
every infection going. Now imagine that that feeling could last day after day,
year after year It’s hard to comprehend isn’t it? For an illness like you
almost certainly would have checked that the medication you were giving
your patient for the rest of their life WAS the very best for them, wouldn’t you?
After all isn’t it what you would expect *your * doctor would do for you?

All the miracles you ever preform in your life will have
come from understanding what it takes to care for others, and
that applies to everyone in all walks of life.

Carol

[Author]

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