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Provider Perspectives
Navigating the System
As a registered nurse, Pat Bull feels lucky in the fact that she knows how to navigate the health cares system. On an everyday basis Pat has had to cope with other people’s health care problems, and through this, she has become astute in learning how the health care system functions. After experiencing a sudden health care crisis, Pat truly became aware of how valuable her wealth of knowledge was. Diagnosed with a brain tumor and later depression and fibromyalgia, Pat quickly came to understand that without her knowledge of the health care system, she would have been left helpless amidst a mountain of paperwork and red-tape.
Since a car accident in high school, Pat has suffered from seizures. For a long time, no doctor was able to diagnose the root cause of the seizures. Years passed and as Pat moved from city to city, doctors would consistently tell her that there was nothing to do for the seizures except prescribe medication. After settling in Chicago, Pat’s seizures continued and she began to suffer from vertigo. The crippling combination of these ailments led Pat to seek medical treatment. Unlike previous hospital visits, she was finally able to obtain a definitive diagnosis; the cause of her seizures was from a brain tumor. She underwent an operation, which removed the tumor. Although Pat has only suffered from one seizure since her surgery, in the interim, she has been diagnosed with fibromyalgia and manic depression. As a nurse, she knows that the chemistry of the brain is complex, and that her surgery may have contributed or even caused these conditions.
Pat feels lucky that she is alive, but does not understand why the process of being diagnosed was so long and arduous. Being an RN, Pat says, is the only reason why she was able to navigate the complex health care system. She does not understand how people without this same expertise can navigate the system.
Pat believes in being positive, and knows that her positive attitude has helped her stay healthy. Although she knows she has to remain on medications for the rest of her life, she is trying to minimize the effects of her ailments. She truly believes that if she did not have the motivation to stay healthy or the resources and support behind her, she would be dead. Now, Pat teaches others about preventative medicine. She believes that prevention can help people maintain their health, and hopefully be able to avoid the similar complications that she encountered with the health care system. She believes that if her disease was diagnosed earlier, her health could have been much improved. From her myriad of medical problems, Pat knows just how complicated the health care system can be, and thinks there must be a better way. “ We need a cost effective health care system where people can get quality care, as well as education about preventative medicine and the ability to access it. The cost of care is just phenomenal and it’s only going to get worse.”
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