The Girl With Arthritis

"What does arthritis feel like?" This question was asked to me by a good friend of mine. My immediate responce: "It hurts." My friend had been getting a lot of knee pain recently and was curious if it was the beginning of arthritis. But then she asked me what the pain was like specifically. I couldn't answer. The brutal nature of that question made me realise I couldn't tell her what the pain was like. Even when I did find the right words, I cannot convey true feeling. I think our true relation of pain ended at "sometimes it's very achy." I don't think she understood when I said "it can feel like tearing, pressure, stabbing, and even like I just had all my joints pulled apart." Actually, she looked at me in horror. At least she understood that that's how I feel; I've known people who rolled their eyes as they saw me limp by.  Everybody has different pain- they feel it uniquely and at varying degrees. No tw...

I think there is a lot of communication in the world. Cellphones have made it so an individual can be reached in a moments notice. The Internet has made it easier than ever to be connected with others from countries half way across the world from you. We even have more travel opportunities than ever before. However, as much as we would like to say people communicate more wisely today, we really can't. Our communication can only go so far. In the medical world, communication is a very complicated thing. It can go several ways and is different for every person.  A patient may be in extreme pain and can express that pain, but for whatever reason that pain may not be  received by a nurse or doctor. A doctor can recommend a treatment, but a patient can reject it without hearing the explanation of why it's needed, the consequences of not having it, and the benefits. A doctor or nurse may not communicate with a patient or quickly dismiss them. And there are many ot...

It's not uncommon to hear others say 'I want to help people,' but that always made me wonder when the individual is cared for. Does it only matter when a whole population of people are hurt by an event or had their lives dramatically changed- not an individual? When do we rebuild not just the people , but the person ? Why doesn't it matter when a person is hurt by an event or had their lives flipped upside down? Because it doesn't affect everyone? No. Because it happens every single day. Maybe at one time these things did affect everyone but presently since it happens so often, we're used to it. We've been built up to so much than one casualty is no longer a big deal: It cannot penetrate our shield. People go on and live their lives with the strength we've built to move on. Meanwhile, an individual is trying to pick up the pieces and wearing a mask that protects everyone from their emotions and stories as if censoring their lives. But of course, the ...