Soldiering on
Unfortunately, for some physicians with chronic illness, there are no practical accommodations that could save their careers in clinical practice.
Dr. Stenehjem now works part-time as a health consultant, helping those with chronic illnesses navigate their health care systems.
Dr. Bluestein offers a similar coaching service to patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and other connective tissue and hypermobility disorders. Because of her own EDS, she can no longer practice as an anesthesiologist but instead opened an integrative pain management practice for patients with complex pain conditions..
She believes the idea that doctors are “invincible” needs to change. She recalls the time her former group practice told her in no uncertain terms to “never call in sick.”
The stories she hears from her current clients are similar to her own. She can empathize, knowing firsthand the physical and psychological damage these attitudes can cause.
“When I was at my worst physically, I was also at my worst psychologically,” said Dr. Bluestein. “We tend to think of them as separate, but they go hand in hand. If we can validate people’s experiences rather than disregard them, it has a positive forward cycle, as opposed to the reverse, which is what usually happens.”
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.