Communication is a two-way street. Participants in any relationship must have a mutual respect for the values, experiences, and skills that each brings to the encounter. Everyone is responsible for his/her own feelings, and experts recommend that feelings be expressed in the first person. Acknowledge them but do not place responsibility for them on someone else. For example, saying, “When …
Shared peer advice from polio survivors about what works for them.
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Polio Doctors
There is no official certification for a “polio doctor.” The most common use of this informal designation is a physician with knowledge, experience and interest in evaluation and treatment of polio survivors. Given the most common new disabling medical problems of polio survivors, physicians with expertise in neuromuscular disease management that includes the ability to recognize and treat chronic musculoskeletal …
Post-Polio Clinics
WHO ESTABLISHES THE POST-POLIO CLINICS IN THE STATES AND HOW ARE THEY ORGANIZED? Joan L. Headley, MS, Executive Director To establish a post-polio clinic, a need has to be perceived for such a clinic. This need may be generated by the medical community, but more likely the catalyst will come from the demands of the post-polio population, in particular, the …
Evaluation Suggestions
To evaluate for post-polio syndrome, one must establish that an individual had paralytic polio and that current symptoms are due to the aftereffects of the remote polio and not due to other medical, orthopedic, or neurologic conditions. A comprehensive evaluation is done by a physician with input from members of a health care team who are experienced in the assessment …
Options When a Post-Polio Clinic Is Not an Option
Carol Vandenakker, MD Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation University of California, Davis, Health System Sacramento, California Presented at PHI’s 9th International Conference: Strategies for Living Well (June 2005) A. You must start with a good primary care physician. 1. Keys to finding a good doctor: a. Look for a physician you trust and can communicate with. b. Identify the best hospitals …
Pain and the Pain Patch
Frederick Maynard, MD, retired physiatrist Pain control in people with postpolio problems is highly individualized because there is no one source of pain. I would NOT endorse the use of a Duragesic patch (fentanyl transdermal system) for long-existing pain in a person with PPS because I think it is a “dead end” in regard to long lasting relief from pain. …
My Physician Retired
Post-Polio Health, Volume 27, Number 2, Spring 2011 Ask Dr. Maynard Frederick M. Maynard, MD Question: My physician retired, and my new primary care doctor is “reevaluating” everything. I am nervous because he is questioning my medications, and I am not sure he understands my history. Can you help me understand his approach and offer assuring advice as he and I get …
Working With Physicians In Our Area
∞ LEADERSHIP Nancy Baldwin Carter, Omaha, Nebraska QUESTION: “My physician seems to have little knowledge of potential polio problems. Should I be worried? What are my options?” ANSWER: The good news is that we are way beyond the days when polio survivors took their complaints to a puzzled doctor who felt his only recourse was to refer us to shrinks for what he …