Aaron Boster, MD, is a multiple sclerosis (MS) neurologist and founder of the Boster Center for Multiple Sclerosis in Columbus, Ohio. He shares empowering advice on how patients can take an active role in their MS care.
Transcript
Keep in mind that it’s a partnership. So the doctor read books that you didn’t read, which doesn’t make them smarter or better than you — it just means they read stuff you didn’t read. And you’re a you expert, and it’s your life that you’re talking about.
And so I think it’s fair to say, “Doc, I hear what you’re saying. I understand, but I really want you to also understand my perspective. And these are my concerns, and respectfully, I don’t feel like we talked through it adequately.”
Or you can use corporate speak and say like, “Please help me understand why you’re saying that, because that’s not how I feel.”
Your relationship with your neurologist is an intimate relationship. You’re trying to game out how to live your best life despite having MS and how to make your MS boring — and you’re partners. And viewing it as such, I think, is really setting up a proper relationship for success.
