Stephanie McDonald was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis in 1987, at the age of 49. In the 23 years since then, she has had several doctors. But none have compared to Jenny S. Sauk-Mauer, MD -- or “Dr. Jenny,” as McDonald calls her -- a gastroenterologist at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York.
Not everyone with UC builds such close bonds with their doctor. But developing a good relationship and working closely with your doctor to design a personal treatment plan is crucial to managing your ulcerative colitis symptoms.
For McDonald, that relationship has paid off. When a flare of ulcerative colitis sent her to the emergency room at Mount Sinai, Sauk left her busy clinic to meet her in the ER waiting room. Sauk brought bottles of Vitamin Water and Gatorade -- along with reassuring words.
When McDonald later experienced some troubling symptoms after surgery, she texted Sauk, who promptly texted back instructions for handling the situation. McDonald says she has never felt better cared for – or, frankly, felt better.
A good patient-doctor relationship is worth cultivating, for your health's sake. Research at New England Medical Center's Institute for the Improvement of Health Care found that the quality of the relationship with a doctor affected things like blood pressure and blood sugar levels, as well as how well someone was functioning.
And in a New Zealand survey, people who said they had a good relationship with their doctor were more likely to take the medication their doctor prescribes.
Here are five ways to help your doctor help you.
Educate Yourself About Ulcerative Colitis
Not many years ago, people diagnosed with ulcerative colitis waited for opportunities to speak to their doctor about their disease and its treatment, says Patricia Roberts, MD, a colorectal surgeon at Lahey Clinic in Burlington, Mass. "Now, I think, when anybody has any diagnosis, the first thing they do is Google it,” Roberts says. “So a lot of times they come in with a lot of information that patients 15 years ago didn’t have."
Being armed with information about the disease, whether it’s from reputable web sites or materials your doctor gives you, can help you be an active partner in designing your UC treatment plan. So does discussing treatment options with your doctor – sometimes even before you need them.
Roberts says her first contact with ulcerative colitis patients is not always when they need surgery. Often people want to know about surgical treatment options in case they have to have surgery later. "It is good to talk about the options when – no pun intended – people have time to digest things," she says.
The more you know about your UC and its treatment, the better position you are in to work with your doctor to manage it.
McDonald often gets information about treatments online, which she then brings up with Sauk. "She says if it's something that I think might help me, that might make me feel better, then let's discuss it,” McDonald says.
