“I was starting to have a Stage 2 asthma attack. Once you get into a Stage 2 asthma attack inhalers aren’t effective.”

When Rick G. suffered a stage 2 asthma attack while travelling on business, he realized that he needed to talk with his doctor about changing his medication. In this short video, Rick tells his story and offers some helpful advice for talking with doctors.

Chesley is a resident of mid-coast Maine. Two years ago at the age of 28, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and found out shortly afterwards that she was pregnant with her second child. Not willing to let others make important decisions for her, she and her husband undertook the challenge of finding the best specialist for her situation. She believes their story is important to share with other people in our community.

This doctor is going to determine if I live or die and I’m not going to ask him how much experience he has with my type of surgery. . . because he might be offended? That’s crazy!

I felt a lump in my breast while getting dressed. It was one of those moments that you read about where people say they “instantly knew” that something was terribly wrong. Because of my young age and little family history of this problem, I was made to feel that my concerns were not justified – up until the ultrasound and the biopsy confirmed that I had cancer.

My husband I immediately began finding out everything we could about my type of cancer. We believe in research and arrived with a notepad full of questions. From the diagnosis forward, we were going into battle and I needed to know more.

The first doctor had done a great job on the biopsy but now we were entering into a new area. I realized that he did a lot of different types of surgeries but he didn’t specialize in breast health, so we began looking for people who did.

Did it take courage to ask these questions and advocate for yourself?

Getting your questions answered can be an exhausting process. I’m the talker in the family so my husband took lots and lots of notes. If I would forget to ask something, he would remind me. You need somebody there to help. Someone who knows how you want things handled if you’re having an bad day.

When I told my mother about the hard questions that I was asking, she was horrified. Her generation didn’t question doctors – they were put on pedestals. I believe there are many wonderful doctors who go into medicine because they care deeply about their patients. That doesn’t mean that you can’t appreciate their hard work and sacrifices AND look out for yourself.

They need to listen to your concerns. If a doctor becomes offended, their main concern is not with you, its with them and you shouldn’t be there. This doctor is going to determine if I live or die and I’m not going to ask him how much experience he has with my type of surgery … because he might be offended? That’s crazy!”

Advice for people who find themselves in the situation you and your husband were in?

Take responsibility for yourself. I hear about decisions being made on people’s “behalf”. You need to be making decisions based on information from your doctor and your own research. You need to be careful about where you get your information but you have to feel good about the decisions you make. This is one of the biggest fights you will have in your life. Are you really going to let somebody else do it for you?

Drs. Albaum and Claffey talk about how good office systems help you and your doctor solve problems. Maine Doctors Albaum and Claffey Talk About A Major Link In Giving And Getting Great Care – Clinical Office Systems We interviewed two Maine doctors to get their insights and views about how clinical office systems make great care happen.

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(This is the text from a booklet that Central Maine Medical Center provides to their patients.)

When you or a loved one is a patient, you can help us prevent errors and give you the safest care. We invite you to be part of the health care team and speak up for safety.
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