"Be your own therapist" Contest Submission

Certainly a different kind of writing. It's fictional, with a basis in reality.

You: Hello, come in. It's good to see you again.

 

Me: Hello.

 

You: So, how have you been holding up?

 

Me: ...not too well I'm afraid. The pain in my joints is quite intolerable, and I'm having trouble sleeping at night, which makes everything worse. I haven't really been out of the house since I saw you last, as I'm still in no condition to drive a car.... 

 

You: I'm sorry to hear you're still feeling so bad.

 

Me: Well, I'm seeing the rheumatologist again next week, and maybe he's going to adjust the medication. On the other hand, I'm not looking forward to seeing him.

 

You: How come?

 

Me: (sigh) ...it's because of the exercise. He tells me every time that I need to exercise. But the pain is so bad that I just can't bring myself to do it. And after I go for even a short stroll down the street, I feel absolutely exhausted for the rest of the day. Sometimes I don't think that he really "gets" it. I wonder if he would go out for a walk when his body is on fire.

 

You: You seem angry...

 

Me: Yes, I believe I am. I wish I could find some relief. And this whole concept of doctors not making an attempt at being able to relate better to their patients is just plain unbelievable to me.

 

You: I can understand that. Speaking of which, didn't you have an appointment with some other doctor this week?

 

Me: Yes, I saw a new endocrinologist.

 

You: How did it go?

 

Me: She seemed fairly together, but the, most of the docs seem nice enough during the initial consultation. It's just when you come back and you're not magically cured that they lose interest.

 

You: Tell me more about the appointment...

 

Me: Ah yes, well, she took my history and listened to my symptoms, and all that. I stressed again that I really believe that there is something wrong with my thyroid, and she said she would run some tests. And guess what? Something really IS wrong with my thyroid. I have Hashimoto's disease! It's an auto-immune condition, essentially a chronic inflammation of the thyroid, which now has led to hypothyroidism.

 

You: Wow. So how did it make you feel to get this diagnosis?

 

Me: First of course I was relieved. Finally we're able to give the whole thing a name. And who knows, addressing this will hopefully help with the fatigue and the fibromyalgia pain, and a whole other slew of symptoms. Maybe even some of my mental acuity will return. Once you can name it, you can start to manage it.

 

You: That's a good thing.

 

Me: Absolutely.... But then, I got really angry.

 

You: ...at the disease?

 

Me: Not really. Having been ill for so long has led me to accept it. This thyroid thing is just one aspect of what's wrong. As you know, I have mostly come to terms with that. It is what it is. No, I was mad at all the doctors I have seen over the last decade that have not cared enough to figure this out before. Apparently I have had this for a long, long time. But no doctor before, despite my begging for it, has cared enough to run those specific blood tests. All they needed to do was put an "x" on a piece of paper. But no, they did not do it! GP, rheumatologists, even endocrinologists...

 

You: I see you're very upset.

 

Me: (silence) It's exhausting. I have been so very ill for so long, and maybe, just maybe some of this suffering could have been prevented.... Even a little relief would go a long way to get me through the days.

 

You: No doubt about that.

 

Me: (deep breath) I really hope that the new hormone therapy is going to help, even if just a little. I think that the hope that this new treatment is going to work is going to get me through the next few weeks. Then we'll all re-assess.

 

You: So you feel optimistic?

 

Me: Absolutely. I have no choice. Otherwise, what else is there? My focus is and always will be on getting better. I haven't quite given up yet!

 

You: Wonderful. I think this is a great place to stop for today. 

 

Me: Yes, I think so too. Thank you, doctor.

Author's Note

As per contest rules, this writing captures the dialogue between a therapist ("You") and a patient ("Me").
Comments are welcome. Thank you.

Reviews

[Salvatore Buttaci]

Congratulations for winning the therapist contest!

[angelina neves]

a vivid interesting dialogue well done!

[An owl on the moon]

The dialogue so seamlessly weaves together a vivid world between the therapist and the patient, capturing a very personal moment in time... Very well written!