โThe great illusion of leadership is to think that man can be led out of the desert by someone who has never been there.โ
โ Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Wounded Healer
The context is different, but it's hard not to wonder if this should apply to medicine, too, and the #doctor-patient dynamic. I'm thinking particularly of illnesses like #EDS #POTS #MCAS #MECFS #LongCOVID #PostViralIllness where #patient knowledge is critical to success and frequently ignored.
Too many physicians stop looking for answers when the protocol fails and distrust their patients' depth of experience. The reasons for this are varied, but the result is the same....until they become a patient themselves and experience the devastating lack of care and support.
I speak as someone still trying to access care after 2+ decades of post viral illness. As someone who has advocated and educated and pointed the way to my providers and repeatedly been left to manage on my own.
And I am not alone in this experience.
#Nouwen #HenriNouwen #quotes #medicine