A Patients knowledge

I continually ask those on my journey to contribute to my blog & all say the same things when I ask

1. Never done it before

2. Don't know what to write about

3. What shall I write about?

But once they have done it like Donna below they all say how easy it was and "is it ok?" if I have asked you to do a blog for me it is because I feel somebody like myself loves to read how others cope & if you look you have something we patients can take from it. Donna added she enjoyed it as most do.

Donna

I never thought that I would ever be asked to do something like speak to medical students about a heart condition but I did just that on Thursday 15^th October. I arrived at the health centre and was shouted into the Gp’s surgery where I was met with the gp and 3 3^rd year medical students. 

I was introduced to them and asked if I would tell them my hf journey, how I was diagnosed and how it has changed my life. At first I thought they are 3^rd years they will know everything there is to know about hf but as I started to tell them about my diagnosis and hf I realised that actually they didn’t know a lot about it. 

After telling them about my diagnosis and how the hf has changed me that I   have  became the “new me”.  I felt really good and found that I do know more about hf than I thought. I was glad that I was asked to do this and was really surprised at how interested the medical students were about the subject of heart failure. If I was asked to do it again would I? yes I think I would

John

When I read this I really enjoyed it as showed so much about how patients are changing, becoming more aware through not medical people but fellow patients probably through social media and their own research, what I also think it shows is Donna's need for confidence & belief she knows more about her condition than anybody, it is her heart failure, her life. Her choices. She is capable of explaining her condition in detail but not I suspect to challenge yet what doctors tell her.

My doctors I believe never tell me but rather I take their advice and tweak/challenge it to see how it fits into my life and I know Lorna does too, My doctors are probably the biggest difference to how others are treated because they have always engaged with me and talks like Donna's hopefully will show the latest generation of NHS workers coming through it is a partnership, 2 way and not dictatorship. 

Hopefully Donna will do another soon.