Patience With Patients Earns Trust, Promotes Healing & Puzzle Assembly Progress
I suffer from a socially misunderstood disease, alcoholism. It has brought me embarrassment, not only while in active disease, but also being a recovering alcoholic. And the treatment I’d experience by the medical community at large was less than supportive in the past.
When I first met Dr Terry, I was ashamed to have to admit that I was struggling with drinking. I didn’t trust him yet. I had experienced judgement at the hand of many previous physicians, so I learned to hold my cards close to my chest. However, due to more frequent contact with my MDVIP doctor, Dr Terry started to earn my trust. He also shared stories with me about just how familiar he was with the disease of addiction and alcoholism. There was no shaming, snubbing, or lectures. He just gently met me right where I was. We talked about it like two adults and he asked me how he could support me. He offered suggestions for treatment and helped me get into a rehabilitation program.
After I completed my treatment, I had regular check-in appointments with Dr Terry in the office. I felt like he was invested in my recovery and wanted to make sure I didn’t fall through the cracks. He was encouraging of the daily 12 step program that I was participating in. When I celebrated my first complete year of sobriety, Dr Terry actually came to the meeting at 7am, along with my family, to watch me get my first year chip. I knew from that point on, I had an understanding advocate with whom I need not feel ashamed to disclose any of my medical troubles to.
After nearly 4 years of continuous sobriety, I started to relapse. I started to binge drink to cover up emotional and physical pain. But I didn’t hide it from Dr Terry. I didn’t need to anymore. I trusted him. He, once again, met me right where I was. He got me the appropriate treatment to address the acute problems, and is having me come to the office regularly to support my community-based recovery program. I have 6 months of continuous sobriety again at this point, thanks in large to the support of Dr Terry. He reminds me that relapse is part of the disease, nothing to be ashamed of. That alcoholism is like many other diseases that way. There may be periods of relapse and remission. But keeping an open line of communication with him, and being honest, i will have much greater success in extending the length of remission one day at a time.
Honesty is vital in the treatment and recovery from the disease of alcoholism. If one can be transparent and open-minded, there is a greater chance of recovery and sustained remission. I can tell you now, I feel safe enough to be completely honest with Dr Terry. He’s earned my trust.
I am so grateful to have found MDVIP because the doctors have the time to really care for and take care of their patients. They aren’t so bogged down with many hundreds, if not thousands, of patients they have to squeeze in to a 5-10 minute time slot for each appointment. And I have had to call on MDVIP travel benefit and was able to be seen by another MDVIP affiliated physician in the state I was visiting. What a great experience! To avoid having to go to an urgent care while out of town is extremely valuable for me as I do travel quite a bit.
Dr Terry, thank you for your compassion, sincerity, and expertise, and for your “humanness”. I feel very blessed to have been able to find a physician who I can break down my walls with. And to be able to heal, physically, mentally and even spiritually. I feel safe enough to tell you the truth about what’s going on with me. I’m sure it must be difficult to really take care of a patient who has huge puzzle pieces missing due to non-disclosure. Thanks for taking the time to earn my trust and for allowing me to pull those puzzle pieces out of the deep, dark crevices and reveal them to you. And for once having done so, laying them all out in front of me, looking at them constructively and without criticism, and help me put them together again to form a more complete, healthier picture. Thank you.