Tupeak Hope

Time is a finite thing when it comes to our lives regardless of whether we are healthy or ill. None of us know how long we will have on this planet before our time is up. This is a fact. Also a fact is that while many of us do not wish to talk about it we really need to be having the difficult discussions with our family about what we )and they) may desire should either become unable to make or communicate decisions regarding their medical care on their own.

Stress is undoubtedly a part of all of our lives to some degree or another. It doesn’t discriminate between healthy or ill, and it also doesn’t discriminate between patient or provider. Each can experience their own kinds of stress. Regardless of your occupation, position in life, status or nearly any other quantifier you may wish to place on stress, you are not immune to it.

However, it would be fair to say that those who are chronically ill, or those that deal with chronically ill people, may subject themselves to higher levels of stress by nature of their illness and the limitations it may place on their lives and the lives of those around them.

The topic for today’s post is responsibilities and there are various aspects, which can pertain to this for both practitioners and patients alike. While many things are important I do believe that honesty and communication are either near or at the very top of the list, quite possibly accompanied by trust. Without trust, communication, and honestly there is little chance you will achieve what you set out to accomplish regardless what you may attempt to accomplish in life. While these should typically be implied let’s explore them a little bit to clarify precisely what I am referring to.

The topic of today’s post is questioning. Questioning what you might ask? Well, questioning your physician about what to expect with your new or worsening chronic illness is an obvious example. How about having your physician doubt or question your symptoms or the amount of pain that you may be in. Having a friend, spouse, significant other question if you’re really that sick or if you may be simply trying to avoid that particular family function, or worse yet that maybe you’re simply exaggerating and things aren’t as bad as you say they are.

The topic of today’s discussion is how to get the most out of your pharmacy and the pharmacist. It is my experience that many people simply fill a medication and begin to take it as ordered without ever consulting with the pharmacist regarding potential side effects or interactions with other medications they may be on. This is a dangerous and potentially even deadly practice that should be avoided at all costs.