The Benefits of Being a "Professional Patient"

Living with Crohn's disease since 2009 has equipped me with a special superpower I never knew I needed. After numerous hospital stays, tests, doctors appointments, and more, I would like to think I am a "professional patient". There are many positive traits that come with this title, despite most people's initial reaction to feel sorry for me and my suffering. 

You may also be sitting there wondering how I can put a positive spin on living with a lifelong illness and having endured more than most people would experience in a lifetime, but I can assure you that you have also developed some superpowers along the way. 

A professional patient

Do you feel like you know your own health history inside and out? Do you feel more prepared to take on mild procedures that others think are a major event (i.e. colonoscopies)? Can you agree that having a serious chronic illness such as Crohn's or colitis has made you a better friend and support person for others who are undergoing medical procedures? I can confidently say that I will answer YES to all of the above.

The gift of experience

I never realized that I had this gift as a professional patient until a few weeks ago when I took my daughter to get tubes put in her ears. My husband was a nervous wreck, worried about our 18-month old undergoing anesthesia and how she would recover. I, on the other hand, took this procedure in stride, confident that her tubes would put an end to her chronic ear infections and that she would do just fine in the hands of her medical team. 

I have seen enough in medicine after all of the procedures that I have had to know that this was simple, straight forward, and everything would be ok. My even temperament made the experience easier, and if it weren't for all that I have experienced, I know it would not have been as easy.

A voice of reason

Another example of how my role as a professional patient has benefitted others is when friends and family come to me during times of panic when dealing with their own health issues. My dad is having rotator cuff surgery in a few weeks and has been a ball of nerves over the pain and rehab he is going to need post operation. I have been his sounding board and voice of reason over the last few weeks, helping him envision a life without chronic shoulder pain, reframing his pre and post-op life, and how his attitude is going to dictate his healing process. 

Allowing others to see the light at the end of the tunnel and shift their perspective on medical issues is another strength I have gained as a professional patient.

If you were to create a resume based on the knowledge and experience you have gained through being a "professional patient", what would it be? How do you use your strengths as a chronically ill person to improve the lives of those around you?