“I think we learn from medicine everywhere that it is, at its heart, a human endeavor, requiring good science but also a limitless curiosity and interest in your fellow human being, and that the physician-patient relationship is key; all else follows from it.”1
These profound words from Abraham Verghese, MD, MACP, Linda R. Meier and Joan F. Lane Provostial Professor and vice chair for the theory and practice of medicine at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, Calif., capture an essential truth about the practice of medicine and the importance of how doctors connect with their patients. Forming and strengthening such a connection is sometimes easier said than done, especially because most doctors have not experienced the same illnesses or treatment effects as their patients. However, every so often, fate and chance combine in such a manner that a physician may be both a practitioner in a particular field of medicine and a patient in that same specialty.
For the three rheumatologists highlighted in this article, that is exactly the case. Each of these doctors has lived with a rheumatic disease for many years and, simultaneously, has brought the experiences and lessons learned from having a rheumatic condition to bear on their medical practice. Their stories are varied and highly personal, but they share themes and messages that these rheumatologists wish to impart to patients and colleagues alike.
Insights into JIA
Susanna Jeurling’s parents knew something had changed in their daughter when she was 11 years old. That summer, Susanna had experienced frequent bouts of fatigue and would often stay in bed all day, which was not normal for her. Susanna had previously been an active child, routinely practicing figure skating and participating fully in physical education class at school. Now, not yet even a teenager, her ability to perform physical activities had diminished greatly.
Susanna’s parents brought her to see a sports medicine physician, but no clear diagnosis could be found. She continued to suffer and sleep all day, with each week worse than the last.
Susanna soon developed bilateral knee swelling, which prompted a referral to a pediatric rheumatologist. It took a long time to get an appointment with this specialist, but she was ultimately seen at Children’s National Hospital, Washington, D.C. It was the pediatric rheumatologist who diagnosed Susanna with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA).
She began undergoing recurrent aspirations and corticosteroid injections to the knees. She was started on a prescription nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) and witnessed significant improvement in her joint symptoms. Ultimately, her disease became manageable, and she continued her care with an adult rheumatologist when she turned 18.
