July 8, 2017

Unplugged & Chatting with the Unchargeables - Individuals with Chronic Pain Support Group

I thought my first weblog post would be on a pretty neat assignment that turned out to be much more eye-opening, engaging, & rewarding. It seemed like I learned so much in such a short period of time from individuals who

For our "Illness Narrative" project in our Psychosocial Class, we had to interview a friend or family member with a chronic illness. We have the opportunity to learn more about how a typical day looks like for them and how has their illness impacted certain aspects of their life. I had the privilege to reconnect with a friend from my Madonna days who has not let her chronic illness stop her from pursuing two degrees! To top that, she is an admin for a remarkable support group called the The Unchargeables, where people across the world connect & create video episodes on their Youtube Channel.

You can catch the special Patient Perspective; Physical Therapy video they made for me (They are totally candid with no edits, so do not mind the occasional off topic discussions of other forms of therapy; I promise they share some fantastic insight on their perspective of Physical Therapy).

Reflecting on that video, it shows that there is definitely some patient education that needs to be addressed from what they speak of. Yes, not all PTs are created equally. Both it is our job as the therapist & it could also be the job of the patient on whether or not it appears to be "Right patient. Right therapy. Right time."

Right patient: If you do not feel comfortable treating a condition such as fibromyalgia, Addison's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, or other chronic conditions, refer to a trusted PT that you believe can help. Do they need a more specialized PT? Suggest that option.

Right therapy: Can they tolerate physical therapy at your clinic? Do you have all of the necessary equipment? Some patients with chronic patient who may initially have difficulty tolerating land therapy can first try out a round of aquatic therapy.

Right time: Are they in need of therapy right now & will they benefit from skilled physical therapy? Is it a recent flare up that you can help down modulate or is it beyond your scope of practice. We should not waste our patient's time, especially when 'time in the clinic' costs them money either from their insurance or out of pocket.

As stated in the video, I asked my friend if she would not mind asking the support group as a whole "What do you wish your PT knew?" I told her that I would share the list with my 57 classmates & professor (Sandy Hilton) in order for us to become better therapists to this patient population. I attached it at the bottom of this page and hope you gain a twinkle of inspiration, too.

Let's continue the conversation on Twitter. Feel free to send me a message or start a Tweet thread @SaraEmilySPT.