From the article:
When Help Is Important
“I see patients routinely in this situation, patients in their 30s and 40s who’ve been told by rheumatologists that they can no longer work and must get by on Social Security disability benefits,” Dr. Smith, 83, said in an interview. “I work with them to find specialists who can help them improve their situation, and I encourage them to take better care of themselves.
“Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis are reluctant to have the surgery that can enable them to get back to work, or they don’t take their medication, or they fail to see the proper specialists.”
Dr. Smith outlined four situations that call for a patient advocate:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/27/health/27brod.html?_r=1&ref=health“Many patients with rheumatoid arthritis are reluctant to have the surgery that can enable them to get back to work, or they don’t take their medication, or they fail to see the proper specialists.”[/quote]
This is an important read: all to often, or so it seems, people readily accept the disabled diagnosis (not only with RA) and in effect give up on being active, engaged, and effective in their own lives.
I remember Buckeye once saying (paraphrased) that at least some of us are capable of far more, physically and mentally, than we allow ourselves to "think" we are. That struck a very real chord with me.
Sometimes the "proper specialists" are psychologists or psychiatrists, occupation therapists, physical therapists and/or employment counselors.
To advocacy!