[dahlek]

Was watching PBS's Second Opinion show this last weekend about 'Chronic Pain'...diagnosis and treatments...And one thing hit home...Person/patient is experiencing 'excruciating pain'... and some quest docs just rolled their eyes...etc. Who here hasn't seen THAT?

For a while, it's seemed to me, that most [but for a few gifted listeners]docs and patients really don't know HOW to communicate effectively TO and for each other efficiently! Is there any way, such as guest docs who could provide some sort of 'forum' whereby they could describe the differences [in the varied fields, of course] of maybe WHAT they deem to be ideal patients vs. the ones they go 'UhOH!' to?
For us to be able to get OUR points across, vis-a-vis pain and other issues, we need to learn to speak either 'doctor-speak' or find a fast, succinct common ground. It would benefit us both...as long as it didn't turn into a DIAGNOSE ME on-line thingy. I guess what I'm trying to get at here is that we both have to HAVE some IDEA of the language the other is receiving facts in and NOT lose key facts in the translation?

Since I have a chronic and truly painful condition, I do know that I've not found many substantive nor accurate 'terms' for use in describing current, past, different, or new pains.... Just maybe even a source of hearing 'docs' telling of perfect patients and, honestly, those from deep down SOUTH [no-offense southerners, but ya know what I mean?] A way -that we could establish useful consistent vocabularly to describe things that cuts the mush and gets down to 'business' well, would be a useful TOOL for folks new to this whole world, usually one they never expected to be IN? BTW, I do not DO happy faces...EVER!

We as patients have to be, well, succinct. We do not know HOW to be so. Docs are, at times, are too much so for the mere mortal to asorb, process and react to...

Lets' cut the fruitcake and get down to business? Words are tools, How do/can we use them most effectively? Thanks - j