MediHelpz Live w/Sandra L Washington
This podcast dives deep into the heart of healthcare through the eyes of patients.
Each episode, we explore the multifaceted experiences of individuals navigating the medical system.
Expert guests will include doctors, nurses, and mental health professionals.
The information shared on this podcast does not replace medical infomation provide by your clincian.
MediHelpz Live w/Sandra L Washington
When Clinicians Become Patients
What happens when the caregiver becomes the patient? In this powerful conversation with Carolyn, a nurse with over 40 years of experience, we pull back the curtain on what it's like when healthcare professionals find themselves on the other side of the stethoscope.
Carolyn shares her raw, unfiltered experience dealing with debilitating hand pain that woke her up at 2 AM with what she describes as "a 20 on a scale of 1-10." Despite her extensive medical knowledge, she found herself navigating the same frustrating maze of specialists, contradictory diagnoses, and months-long wait times that many patients face. Her conscious decision not to reveal her nursing background during appointments offers a fascinating glimpse into how healthcare providers might experience treatment differently than ordinary patients.
The conversation dives deep into the patient experience from a unique dual perspective. Carolyn explains why even healthcare professionals need to advocate for themselves, seek second opinions, and question treatments that don't feel right. After initially being diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome and scheduled for surgery, further testing revealed no nerve impingement—highlighting why blind trust in a single medical opinion can sometimes lead patients down unnecessary paths.
Beyond medical insights, Carolyn reveals how she maintains balance through prayer, music, and line dancing despite her physical limitations, and shares her journey as an international author writing under the name AKA Gentry. Her story reminds us that behind every white coat is a human being who may be fighting their own health battles while caring for others.
Whether you're a healthcare professional or someone navigating the medical system, this episode offers valuable wisdom on being educated about your condition, empowered to use your voice, and engaged in your treatment. Subscribe now and join our community as we continue exploring the human side of healthcare!
Thank you Well, hello everyone and welcome to Thursday, may 8th. Today is a very, very special day for me. One because I made it. I made it to a new day when I didn't have to make it to a new day. Two, because I just left the doctor's office and she said Sandra, everything is going well and I'm so proud of you, so that lets me know I'm on the right track. And number three, because I get a chance to say to the world that Choms Medihelps Foundation wishes all of the nurses a very happy, happy Nurses Week.
Speaker 1:And with that being said, I had the honor of actually asking our nurse on board, one of our beautiful board members for Choms Medihelps if she would come on and she would discuss with us today what it looks like when a clinician is patient, because for some reason, patients seem to think that doctors and nurses and other clinical team members they don't get sick. They seem to think that they're above everybody else. You know white coat syndrome. They ain't gonna talk to their doctor or their nurse because they know it all. And I was like you know what? You're having some health challenges yourself. Could you please do us a favor of coming on the patient experience podcast and talking about when clinicians are patients Like. Is there really currently any difference between when you're a patient such as you are now with your hand issue that you're having? Is there a difference on when you go to the doctor for help and when us normal folks go to the doctor for help?
Speaker 2:Hello everybody. Thank you, sandra for having me. There can be a difference, but my approach is mentally I'm going in as a patient. I don't try to micromanage, tell them what I feel is wrong with me, because I really feel like we have a place and when I go in I am the patient, I am not the doctor. You know I'm not the physician's assistant, I'm not the nurse practitioner. I'm going in as the patient, I am not the doctor. You know I'm not the physician's assistant, I'm not the nurse practitioner. I'm going in as a patient and I keep my mindset that way and I don't tell people that I am a nurse. I mean my doctor. Yes, she has that, that I am a nurse, you know in her records, in my records. But I don't go in doing that. I go in with my issue, my complaint or if it's just a wellness checkup.
Speaker 2:How have you been? I have been fine, but recently I have been challenged with hand pain. Okay, let me give you the story. I woke up one morning two o'clock in the morning in excruciating pain, and when pain wakes you up, that is a different degree of pain. You know. They tell you to score your pain from one to 10, 10 being the word. Well, mine was a 20, in my opinion, okay. So I was like oh, I was like, lord, what is going on with me? It it's the middle of the night. I don't feel like going to the emergency room. Lord, what am I going to do? And I, and it was hurting so bad, and it hurt for a couple of days, you know. It got better, um, but not better, better, and I got to the point where I went to the emergency room and they told me that I was having a carpal tunnel flare. And I was like, really, you know, I have been a nurse for 40 years at least and I have done critical care for the majority of that time. So I'm doing a lot of pushing and pulling, turning a patient. Okay, not a problem, you have to use your hands to do that. I always have practiced good body mechanics because when I first got in nursing as an LPN, we were in school in class, and our instructor told us you only have one back to give to your country. Try not to, you know, try to keep your back together. And that just stuck with me. So I've always tried to guard my back, use my legs to push and pull and that's what you should do.
Speaker 2:So after she says it's a carpal tunnel flare, they prescribed me some anti-inflammatories and I had to take it upon myself to put ice on it. I was like, what can I do? Because I was like, lord, would it be better if I cut the hand off because it was in just that much pain? And then the nurse kicked in. Well, then you're going to have surgical pain and then they're going to have to see about how they can reattach the hand, so that you don't want to do you know. So just kind of calm yourself down.
Speaker 2:But when you are in pain, you know you get a little loopy. You know when you're hurting you're hurting and we can't dismiss people's pain. So the medication really wasn't helping. So I started using cold packs on it and that really did work. It helped minimize the pain and I was talking with my supervisor about it and she suggested a hand brace that I could sleep in, brace that I could sleep in, and she said you can give it off Amazon. Well, hey, I did. It did work, because I felt as though the metal in this splint there's a metal piece right here was basically digging into the palm of my hand, that's where the pain was and so off with that, um, so off with that, on with the ice, on with the other one that had us, uh, sort of like a sheepskin cushion on the inside. Uh, it helped, it really did help, along with the anti-inflammatory, so that started getting better.
Speaker 2:Made an appointment with an orthopedic and he looked, flipped my hand. It's hurting now because he, you know, he took it out the brace and it's hurting, you know. And I'm like, okay, all right, okay, it's still hurting. He said oh yeah, you got carpal tunnel, we can do surgery. I'm like you know, is there any treatment you can give me, such as an injection to numb the pain? Oh no, that's not going to work, you just need the surgery.
Speaker 2:Well, I wasn't trying to get out of surgery, I just needed some relief at that point in time, because when you're as active as I am, you don't like laying around, you don't. Your mind and your body don't compute that way. So I was like, okay, got scheduled for surgery, still in pain, it was lessening but still in pain. And then I talked to my primary care physician, so she recommended I see a pain specialist. So I'm like, yeah, I'm good, let's do it. So that worked out. So I'm like yeah, I'm good, let's do it. So that worked out. They performed a neuroconduction study on me and it came out clean. It was no signs of carpal tunnel impingement in my neck or in my wrist. So what did I do? I canceled the surgery. I don't want unnecessary surgery if I don't have to.
Speaker 2:So after that, after that visit with him, his suggestion was let's see a rheumatologist. Well, I knew there is a. I know that there is a waiting time period for a lot of things Children that need to be tested, you know, for autism, adhd. I know there is a waiting list for that. I know that there is a waiting list to see some of the specialists. But until you are in someone else's shoes and they tell you you got three months to wait before you can see your next physician, it puts you on a whole new frame of mind.
Speaker 2:So I started calling other people to see if I could get an earlier appointment. That did not work, people. But my daughter came up with this gizmo that she found online that helped exercise my hand. It did help. I'm still not able to close, if y'all can see, make a fist. This is about as much as I can do. If I concentrate, I can make it close more, but gripping something like a mop or a vacuum cleaner, it's not working. They fall out of my hand because it's a gap. It's a gap there. So I do finally have an appointment to see the rheumatologist.
Speaker 2:Everyone on the street tell me I have carpal tunnel. I'm not against that, because we always have our opinion, but I want to see different positions, not to get out of the diagnosis, but I want a definitive diagnosis Because if it's not definitive with the pain specialist I felt like it was carpal tunnel. Never had it before. Why not know your next steps? And that's what I recommend to my patients If you're not sure about something, because you know your body better than anyone, it's okay to seek a second opinion. It is truly okay.
Speaker 2:I honestly did not feel like the orthopedic did a thorough exam of my hand. He just said, yep, you got it. That was it. I'm still holding my hand out for him to check my wrist. He went on to set up a surgeon. I'm like okay. So it is imperative that we be our healthcare advocates, we be our own healthcare advocates.
Speaker 2:And, as I say, and I still say, I didn't tell the orthopedic surgeon that I was a nurse. I didn't tell the pain specialist that I was a nurse, because I want them to treat me as though I am a patient. I don't want to, and I even told them I haven't even been to Dr Google yet. I have not been, because I want a definitive diagnosis. I get that, then maybe I will go to Dr Google. I have been on Dr Google since then, but nothing still matches up for me. So the muscle relaxers nothing still matches up for me. So the muscle relaxers everybody has warned me that they may make me sleepy. Well, not so.
Speaker 2:In this day and age of substance abuse, you're going to be hard pressed to get any medication that can relax you, and I am one of those people. I have to be functional during the day because I have things to do, so I can't lie in bed because I have all these things on my mind. So it's not that I need it to put me to sleep, I need it to dull the pain so that I can get through my day and have a productive day. Now, still, nurse Carolyn has still not kicked in yet, because I do believe in respecting the powers that be, and that's why. I asked the rheumatologist well, if it's not that, what is it? And he was honest. He said I have no idea, but your nerves are not impinged, so I don't think it's carpal tunnel. So that's where we ended up with the rheumatology, and it has been several months.
Speaker 2:This started in October, guys, and this is what May. So the pain is not as bad, but the functionality is what I'm more concerned with now. I want to be able to not that I love cleaning up, but I do love a clean house. My guys have had to come through and pitch in to help, but we, as human beings, nine times out of ten we like to be as functional as possible. Right Now, this is the one that was giving me grief, my left hand. But I can close it, but I still can't make a tight fit, but at least I'm making one. So why this one jumped on board? I don't know. So I want to know what is really going on, and you know, someone said well, they're going to tell you it's arthritis. I said that's fine. If that's what it is, I'm open to that, but I'm not claiming any of it.
Speaker 1:But you know, carolyn, what I do want to ask you is this you mentioned a couple of things that like automatically took. You know it didn't take my breath away, but it made me stop and think, because it's like, if you're a patient but you're also a clinician, and none of that got you an appointment two weeks from now, none of that actually got you to got them to tell you okay, here's some options that you have that's available to you, right? So you were treated just as. I mean, once again, that's how you're supposed to be treated, as any other patient, because no one deserves to have any less care than the other person.
Speaker 1:But it's like when you, as a clinician, how many times have you heard and I know you've heard it because I've actually heard it on the other end someone's saying well, you're a nurse or you're a doctor, you should know. Like they put you on this pedestal of you got this clinical degree. You know what? You got this clinical degree, don't you know everything? What is your answer to those people who think, because you're a clinician, you know everything?
Speaker 2:Well, I tell them I have done a lot and if someone had come to me I would have told them you need to have that checked out. It sounds like carpal tunnel. I've never had carpal tunnel so I can't really tell them, but from my studies and my patients that I've cared for, it sounds like. But you need to get to your physician, okay, so you can get a definitive diagnosis. So they did end up doing blood work on me, my primary care physician, and we tried to treat it conservatively but it got worse.
Speaker 1:This is the thing and I hate to cut you off, but this is my question to you. And people need to actually realize this. And as a clinician, you know this more so than anyone else. When you have a condition, such as what's going on with your hands, you need to see a specialist. It's good to work with your primary care doctor. I love my primary care doctor I really do but I know that because I'm diabetic, I need to see an endocrinologist. Need to see an endocrinologist.
Speaker 1:I know that when I go to the doctor's office, my notes are preceding me and it brings it back to the point where you, as a clinician, where, okay, but you hurt, you're in pain. You're not absent of pain because you're a nurse. You're not absent of having to wait six months and down the line because you're a nurse. But there are things that we can talk to our primary care doctors about and they understand and they get it. But there are things that we actually need to push and I don't care if you're a clinician or not that you need to push to see a specialist. And when a specialist tells you, oh, I don't know, that shouldn't be their answer to you, whether you're a clinician or not that should be. I'm not sure, but here's some options. Let me try it.
Speaker 1:So when we look at clinicians and we hear in your story about everything that you're going through and you're a nurse, right, and you're going through this, you're like really she going through all that, she should be able to cut some corners or do some stuff, and it's not that simple for doctors. I mean, it's not that simple for anyone in the medical field to actually just jump above everybody and it's also a matter of respect. But my thing is this you don't get respect just to be given respect. You got to give respect in order to get respect for me. No one is going to get respect for me if you don't treat me right and if I'm not respected.
Speaker 1:So whether you're a doctor, a nurse, a physical therapist, anybody in the medical field needs to know that doctors hurt too. They go through some of the same similarities that we go through as non-medical professionals, that we go through. We have to learn how to use our voice and we have to learn how to, just because the doctor and nurse wear that white coat. They're human, they're human. They're just as human as you and I. They hurt, they're in pain so many times when we come across that issue, we can't let that stop us from getting the best health care that we can possibly get. We just can't. So how many times have you heard a patient, carolyn, tell you you're a nurse, don't you know?
Speaker 2:more times than I can count. But at the same time I tell them have you spoken with your physician, right? And they will say no, and you're like well, why do you expect more from me than you expect from your physician? Sure, my advice on the street is free, but you know, when you go to them you're going to have to pay a copay, and that's fine. You know, if I can help you, I can help you. If I can, I can. But I will say this, sandra if I was still in the hospital, oh yeah, somebody would have jumped the line. You know, had me to jump the line.
Speaker 2:Because it has happened in the past when I was in the hospital, you know, actively working with a physician, and I'd be like, hey, doc, you got a minute, you know, and they were like sure what's going on and I would tell them. And then I said I tried to get an appointment with the ophthalmologist but they didn't have one. So he said let me make a phone call. So he made a phone call. He said can you be there in 20 minutes? I was like absolutely, you know.
Speaker 2:So you have to be able to move when they do you that favor right, I mean, and that's right, but all nurses in a hospital yeah, right, and the physicians I know have retired, so that makes a difference with a lot of things Right and you're right.
Speaker 1:You know, if you work in the hospital and you like, hey, doc, I'm not feeling well or I'm sick, or you know I got this problem going on, If you have a good relationship with the doctors, Now that's true.
Speaker 1:They will actually go out of their way to see, make sure that you're okay. That goes a lot into the patient, regardless as to who they are, personality that they have with the doctor. If you go to a doctor and you're, you know, not so much anything to be about compliance, but if you care about yourself, they're going to care about you and I don't care where you are, they'll care about you and they'll go that extra step to help you. But we've got to get past the point where we're afraid to talk to our doctors or our nurses or anyone in the professional field because they got that white coat or because they got that title behind your name. Because the point of this interview today is to make sure that people know clinicians are patients, and I give you a lot of credit, carolyn, for even coming on and saying hey, I hurt just like you do. Look at my hands, look at the process that I have been through in reference to this. And that's because plenty of times what happens is that if the doctors don't tell the patients and I'm not saying that all doctors should get on a loudspeaker and say, hey, I got this condition or that condition or that, but if a doctor lets you know that they're just as human as you are as a patient.
Speaker 1:Our patient experience can be made so much better because, you know, we not all of us, but a lot of us will say, oh, they hurt, just like I hurt, absolutely. Listen to what they got to say. You know they, you know they're going through this and I'm wondering how they're doing it Right? I mean, they're patients, they are patients, no matter how you look at it. They are indeed patients and we need to realize that. We, as patients, need to realize that our doctors are just as human as we are right. Well, our nurses are just as human as we are. And now, how many times currently, as with you as a nurse, have you seen a patient's experience not go so good because the patient is not telling the doctor the truth?
Speaker 2:Oh, oh, too many to count Now. They will tell me the truth sometimes, but they won't tell the doctor. And it's kind of odd, because we're both looking at your lab work, we're both looking at your x-ray results, so we're both reading from the same page and you're denying this, that and the other. You know it gets to be a little bit insulting. Um, because your blood work and your urine tells us a lot. You know what you're taking and what you're not taking, what you're. You know what you're saying, that you don't do illegal drugs, and you know everything's positive, everything positive, but the kitchen sink, and you know. So it gets to be insulting. We can't help you if you don't tell the truth. So I I just I'm not holding back when I go to my position, I am saying what needs to be said, because this is my health and it makes a difference yeah, it does, and you know what.
Speaker 1:And I actually want to add something, because I know you stated earlier that when you go to the doctor, the doctor doesn't know that you're a nurse, like they have no idea that you're a nurse. However, if that doctor is reading you and so this is the thing that I'm not sure of is when your medical notes are are going before you, proceeding you into that specialist's office or that other doctor's office, how much information are they being given about you as a patient as about the physician as a patient? That's my. One of my questions, before we close out, is are we for sure that they're not being told ahead of time that this person is a nurse or a medical professional?
Speaker 2:Well, I'm going to tell you when they finally, and my insurance says I do not need a referral to see a specialist, all the specialists I contacted you still need the referral. So that is what it is. But the paperwork they had me to fill out for the specialist for this upcoming visit in June or July, which I will not be missing they know me better than I know myself because it was 10 pages that I had to complete before I show up into the office and one of the things that they ask what is your occupation?
Speaker 2:So then, it's on them. Okay, because your occupation does matter. I work with a group of people that work in the elevator industry. You know that they are not just pushing buttons and doing exams. They are pushing, pulling, lifting, walking up steps. They're doing a lot of physical work and you automatically know it or they tell you this is what they do. So all of that comes into play, especially someone who's having orthopedic type pain, especially someone who's having orthopedic type pain.
Speaker 2:Inflammation in your hands leads you to a neuroconduction study. That is leading me to a rheumatology. I'd rather us rule out things than assume that we have something, because I want to be on the correct medication but I'm a little nosy. So when I go in different physicians' office, I scan the room and people laugh at me when I say that I went to a chiropractor not for this and, as I was leaving out, she had some bio-freeze that she had on display. So I said, hmm, let's see if this is going to work. So I purchased not at her office, I purchased some and it helped more than the chiropractor. You know I'm not trying to put you out of practice, but I'm just saying you had it in your office for a reason.
Speaker 2:When I left the position they had access about a TENS unit, t-e-n-s unit. Well, I have a TENS unit here because I've been in stuff. People have hit me from behind, whiplash, I've had a lot of that and it does really work on massaging that area in the back of my neck. So I'm just saying those little things might be clues that you can use to lessen your pain or your discomfort. They're not advertising it for nothing, not that they're pushing it. But I read the doors, I read what's behind the doors, I read what's on the wall. But I read the doors, I read what's behind the doors, I read what's on the wall. You know there may be another disease process that they have outlined on, you know on the wall. So it's OK to be nosy.
Speaker 1:It's OK to get off that exam table or get out that chair and walk around that room and read what is going on, because it just might affect you, and I thank you so much for that. I do want to actually ask you, with all that you're going through right what do you do when it comes down to you know what? I'm a patient, I'm a clinician and you need to release, relax and reflect on life. How do you do that on life?
Speaker 2:How do you do that Me? You know my morning starts off with a morning of inspiration. You know, I pray, I read. I read the scripture, I pray, I listen to inspirational music, gospel music and I still try to stay as active as I can. Now, these last three weeks they've changed some stuff around at work, so I'm trying to. These last three weeks they've changed some stuff around at work, so I'm trying to get that under my belt. But I usually try to get to the gym at least twice a week and if I'm not at the gym, I'm walking.
Speaker 2:I don't lead a sedentary lifestyle and nor do I want to. You know I'm not saying that I will be Olympic material at any point in time. One thing I want I won't be sedentary. So I say keep moving, Do some things that interest you. One of the biggest things that I love to do and I miss for this last three weeks is line dancing, because we do it twice a week. But I can go down in my garage and do that, but I like to do it with the people who know as much as I do or who know as less as I do when it comes to line dancing, Because you got a healthy mix. So I do those things to relax my mind and to keep my body moving. So, in spite of wearing these, in spite of wearing these, I still try to be as active as possible, and you know what?
Speaker 1:And I love your look, I love your modesty, but not once have you mentioned that you are also an international author. Oh yeah, that's a good one. So not only are you a doctor, not only are you a nurse, not only are you a patient, not only are you a much loved and appreciated board member for the Tom Smitty Health Foundation, but you also do line dance, but you also an international doctor author. And so for those patients who are saying you know, well, woe is me because I can't do this and I can't do that, what advice? And you go by? Aka Gentry. So those of you who are interested in knowing more about what Ms Carolyn does do with all that she has, all her life challenges that she's currently facing. She actually her website is cpwbookshelfcom. You can actually contact her, send her an email and say hey, carolyn, you know what I'm thinking about this, or I'm thinking about that, when it comes to writing. Her story is a story that she had, and if you haven't heard, if you didn't hear her, or if you haven't heard, if you didn't hear her or if you missed hearing her, she has a 40 year career in nursing. She decided that she somebody else out here needs to know and I need to be able to put this nursing in a not so much a nutshell, but I need to create something where I could put the life of a nurse into writing and so people can read it, because she had a story to tell.
Speaker 1:All of us have stories to tell, especially those of us that are patients. We have stories to tell and it's going to be critically important that, instead of just telling those stories to your next door neighbor or person in church with you or a friend of yours, that you release that story to the whole world, because, guess what? People want to hear your story. These stories help people in order to be able to live their lives, in order to be able to do the things that they have to do, so that they're not sitting there staring at the hourglass as it ticks down. So, before I end for today, what I do want to say, first of all, I want to apologize if you've heard any background noise. I do want to apologize for that. But second of all, and most importantly, what I do want to say is this Remember, clinicians are patients.
Speaker 1:So when you see a clinician and he or she might be having a bad day, just remember that maybe they're going through something personal or health challenges that they don't want to share with you, but that is really bogging them down. They are humans just like we are. If you give respect, you get respect, and so just being kind enough and saying, well, hey, maybe they're just having a bad day, or keeping in mind that, hey, there's some things that might be going on personally that I don't know about, they are people just like you. So this life in this world, you know, as far as those of us that are patients, how do we get optimal health care? We have to be educated about our condition. We have to be educated on options. If you go, like carolyn stated I haven't went to Dr Google yet If you are a patient that does not have medical or healthcare training, do us all a favor, especially yourself, away from Dr Google and Mr Firefox and all their friends, because you have no idea who's putting that information out there. So don't go to the doctor and say, well, I read on such and such and such, instead of having a conversation with them. Be educated enough about your condition or what might be going on to have a conversation with them.
Speaker 1:Be empowered enough to use your voice. Don't just sit there and silently say any without saying anything. Be empowered and know that your voice is the most powerful tool you have, I agree. And if you don't use it, situations like what Carolyn went through where you know at six months, nine months, everybody's telling you it's going to happen to you and when that happens, that stress is going to sicken and it's going to actually drive you even more crazy than you already might be feeling because of the fact that you have all this pent up frustration about what's going on with your life. So just be really careful about you know using and make sure you're using that voice, that empowered voice. Don't go in the doctor and say, hey, I know what's going on, whatever, use your voice, but use it in a tone and a manner in which is heard and which is understood, and then be engaged.
Speaker 1:Like Carolyn said, I'm engaged in my care. I know what's going on, I know you know, as a nurse, she has a little bit more understanding than maybe you or I have, but she knows enough to know that if I'm not engaged and if I don't ask questions, I'm going to be the same way I was now in five years from now. I'm going to be that way. We've got to learn how to use, be educated, empowered and engage patients. That's doing our job.
Speaker 1:And then we let the doctors do their job, but when it comes to them, they are, in fact, a lot of them not all of them, a lot of them are patients just like you and I, and a lot of them have to go through those same hassles, those same challenges that you and I go through. They're no different. So just be kind to each other. Being kind is free. I promise you it's free. I promise you it's free. It's free being kind. So, as we go forth from this day on's, keep in mind, let's remember, let's do our part and be the best patients that we could possibly be, and remember physicians are patients as well. Thanks everyone. Have the rest of a beautiful, awesome day thank you, thank you.