When I was 16, I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. It took the doctors 10 months to figure out the problem. I lost 40 pounds, missed most of the school year, and it felt like I had the flu for almost a year.
The treatment: removal of about 80% of my thyroid. If they had not taken enough, they would have had to operate again; if they had taken too much, I would have been on medication for the rest of my life. They nailed it. That story was probably marginally interesting. I had a medical condition and doctors treated it.
How about I tell you about the many days when I felt inferior, lost, sad, confused, or unsure what to do with my life? Or the days worrying about my career, finances, future, or self-worth?
Are you wincing a bit?
Why do we have no trouble talking about someone who has an organ malfunction or a broken limb but we get embarrassed to talk about mental illness? The stats say that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men have a depressive episode in their lives. This does not mean can't get out of bed for months; it means an episode which is a range from a one time event to a lifetime and any increment in between.
It's as pervasive as the common cold and we'd rather ignore it, shy away from it, hope it's someone else's problem. I'm going to be bold and say every human on the planet has at least one episode in their lives and it's nothing to be ashamed about and we need to talk about it. I'm not ashamed I had thyroid disease or that I've had bad days
Neither should you!
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Showing posts with label doctors. Show all posts
Showing posts with label doctors. Show all posts
November 23, 2017
February 10, 2016
Stigma Begone
When I was 16, I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid. It took the doctors 10 months to figure out the problem. I lost 40 pounds, missed most of the school year, and it felt like I had the flu for almost a year.
The treatment: removal of about 80% of my thyroid. If they had not taken enough, they would have had to operate again; if they had taken too much, I would have been on medication for the rest of my life. They nailed it. That story was probably marginally interesting. I had a medical condition and doctors treated it.
How about I tell you about the many days when I felt inferior, lost, sad, confused, or unsure what to do with my life? Or the days worrying about my career, finances, future, or self-worth? Are you wincing a bit?
Why do we have no trouble talking about someone who has an organ malfunction or a broken limb but we get embarrassed to talk about mental illness?
The stats say that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men have a depressive episode in their lives. This does not mean can't get out of bed for months; it means an episode which is a range from a one time event to a lifetime and any increment in between.
It's as pervasive as the common cold and we'd rather ignore it, shy away from it, hope it's someone else's problem. I'm going to be bold and say every human on the planet has at least one episode in their lives and it's nothing to be ashamed about and we need to talk about it. I'm not ashamed I had thyroid disease. I'm not ashamed I've had bad days and neither should you.
Ruby Wax explains her story which affects us all.
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The treatment: removal of about 80% of my thyroid. If they had not taken enough, they would have had to operate again; if they had taken too much, I would have been on medication for the rest of my life. They nailed it. That story was probably marginally interesting. I had a medical condition and doctors treated it.
How about I tell you about the many days when I felt inferior, lost, sad, confused, or unsure what to do with my life? Or the days worrying about my career, finances, future, or self-worth? Are you wincing a bit?
Why do we have no trouble talking about someone who has an organ malfunction or a broken limb but we get embarrassed to talk about mental illness?
The stats say that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 5 men have a depressive episode in their lives. This does not mean can't get out of bed for months; it means an episode which is a range from a one time event to a lifetime and any increment in between.
It's as pervasive as the common cold and we'd rather ignore it, shy away from it, hope it's someone else's problem. I'm going to be bold and say every human on the planet has at least one episode in their lives and it's nothing to be ashamed about and we need to talk about it. I'm not ashamed I had thyroid disease. I'm not ashamed I've had bad days and neither should you.
Ruby Wax explains her story which affects us all.
__________________________________________________________________
July 5, 2010
Clichés and Experts
I’ve been thinking more about an excellent presentation at SobCon hosted by Amber Naslund. Many thought we should stop leaning on certain terms.
The challenge is to know when sayings become cliché and when cliché becomes a crutch.
The session featured a room full of heavy online users, marketers, consultants and media makers. The common thread, we were all business people.
Two-way Conversation
If you are in the financial industry, you may talk about the facilitation of standing orders. If you work in insurance, annuity considerations may be mentioned. Hockey players discuss the trap and pinch. Mechanics concern themselves with final drive ratio. And doctors know the difference between fungal and viral.
After the discussion spilled in to the next break, it was clear that some felt these and many other social media sayings are overused by people who can’t back them up or define them.
No matter your industry; you have ways of explaining things which may be exclusive to your discipline.
The challenge to all of us, whether we are consulting our doctor about that thing on our arm or a mechanic who is examining that strange clang in the back quarter panel, is to ensure those tossing fancy terms around can back them up with meaning and experience.
Relationship Economy
I doubt you would let an unlicensed financial, medical or mechanical individual near your money, body or vehicle. So it is doubtful you would do the same with someone who has memorized a few phrases and has a couple of thousand tweets to help you build your business.
Right?
@knealemann
Helping you integrate all you do with all you do.
photo credit: istock
December 4, 2009
Everyone's An Expert
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss
My doctor is a good guy. He seems to know what he’s doing. He has framed documents from accredited educational institutions hanging proudly in his office. Doc seems competent. He reads up about new medications, ailments and treatments. He takes training courses and hasn’t stopped learning since the day he left university.
Does that mean he’s an expert?
It appears that the problem is not the word but the use of the word.
"Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience."
Denis Waitely
Perhaps if you call yourself an expert, others view you as arrogant. And if others call you an expert, you must shun their compliments. Perhaps it stems from the perception that you can't back it up. Everyone I know is an expert at something.
Synonyms for expert include:
Specialist, Professional, Authority, Proficient, Skilled.
F1 World Champion Jenson Button is paid handsomely to drive a multi-million dollar race car so he certainly is a specialist – it’s not something most of us can do.
They're Everywhere!
My doctor is professional, my next door neighbor is an authority on lawn care, the dude who owns the restaurant a few miles away has a ton of skill and should be in the burger olympics and my best friend is a specialist with a bunch of big brain stuff I can't pronounce.
I spend most of my time in the world of social media and marketing where - according to some - you aren't allowed to have proficiencies and authority. I have spoken with many who others call experts and in every single case it is not a term they use to describe themselves.
What's all this about the Tweets and Pokes?
Social media is not something for any of us to "get", it is here regardless. Companies and individuals are embracing the mediums in which we socialize and advancing business in the process. I don't "get" how they can put a rocket into the atmosphere but I accept that it is a reality.
Whether you are practicing medicine, helping others collaborate with social tools, keeping weeds out of your lawn or refining ways to handle the chicane; you have skill and you are learning.
"I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions
in which they can learn." Albert Einstein
Be proud of what you can offer and share it. Tell everyone how you can help, follow your passion and often refer to the good Doctor Geisel.
So, are you an expert?
@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy
image credit: telegraph.co.uk
TEDxOttawa | This Sunday
Watch the live stream
My doctor is a good guy. He seems to know what he’s doing. He has framed documents from accredited educational institutions hanging proudly in his office. Doc seems competent. He reads up about new medications, ailments and treatments. He takes training courses and hasn’t stopped learning since the day he left university. Does that mean he’s an expert?
It appears that the problem is not the word but the use of the word.
"Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience."
Denis Waitely
Perhaps if you call yourself an expert, others view you as arrogant. And if others call you an expert, you must shun their compliments. Perhaps it stems from the perception that you can't back it up. Everyone I know is an expert at something.
Synonyms for expert include:
Specialist, Professional, Authority, Proficient, Skilled.
F1 World Champion Jenson Button is paid handsomely to drive a multi-million dollar race car so he certainly is a specialist – it’s not something most of us can do.
They're Everywhere!
My doctor is professional, my next door neighbor is an authority on lawn care, the dude who owns the restaurant a few miles away has a ton of skill and should be in the burger olympics and my best friend is a specialist with a bunch of big brain stuff I can't pronounce.
I spend most of my time in the world of social media and marketing where - according to some - you aren't allowed to have proficiencies and authority. I have spoken with many who others call experts and in every single case it is not a term they use to describe themselves.
What's all this about the Tweets and Pokes?
Social media is not something for any of us to "get", it is here regardless. Companies and individuals are embracing the mediums in which we socialize and advancing business in the process. I don't "get" how they can put a rocket into the atmosphere but I accept that it is a reality.
Whether you are practicing medicine, helping others collaborate with social tools, keeping weeds out of your lawn or refining ways to handle the chicane; you have skill and you are learning.
"I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions
in which they can learn." Albert Einstein
Be proud of what you can offer and share it. Tell everyone how you can help, follow your passion and often refer to the good Doctor Geisel.
So, are you an expert?
@knealemann
marketing and social media strategy
image credit: telegraph.co.uk
TEDxOttawa | This Sunday
Watch the live stream
March 3, 2009
Fine Print And Full Disclosure
Are you honest with your customers? Really?
Saturday was met with a cool chilling breeze. The mind doesn’t always comprehend things properly mere moments after lifting from a deep slumber. It was February and the furnace was broken.
Stumble and Bundle
My first move was to play the part of furnace repairman. This consisted of turning a couple of switches on and off, a breaker back and forth, removal of the furnace panel door, a look inside to a collection of wires and switches and a motor, re-installation of said panel door and a call to furnace repair weekend helpline.
The guy on the line was friendly, he told me that service calls on Saturdays were $150/hour plus parts but if I could wait until Monday that drops down to a paltry $98/hour. He gave me a couple of things to try, none worked so a Monday appointment was booked.
How Much You Got?
He arrived Monday to discover a doohickey needed replacing and the thingamajig on the other thing was corroded. The furnace was fixed, that is all I cared about.
He then disappeared outside into his truck to calculate the bill. Fifteen minutes later he came back and the amount at the bottom of the page was $212.82 which included one hour fifteen minutes labor, $80 in parts, and tax. Hang on, one hour and fifteen minutes?!?
Clock Keeps Ticking
I paid $98/hour from the second he left his last repair to the moment he handed me the bill. Yes, that’s $98/hour to have him sit in his truck and tally the damage. That’s ninety-eight bucks an hour for him to drive from his last repair, grab a coffee or lunch or something on his way and then fix my furnace. And the kicker, I have no way of proving how long it took him between stops so I pay some imaginary trip fee. Not the point, it's a rip off.
This is clearly a company policy they don’t go out of their way to state ahead of time. My mechanic charges less per hour and doesn't ding me for his trip to work as well. I'm happy my furnace is working but I just spent about a hundred bucks for him to sit in his truck. That’s quite a scam!
Your Choices Are Few
In the case of doctors, dentists and I guess furnace repairmen; there isn’t much choice in the service charges you have to pay.
Companies are doing this every single minute of every single day, but perhaps that is how you can differentiate yourself? Actually be honest with your customers, actually be accountable and actually deliver great service to them. It may be worth a shot.
Caveat Emptor
Ask a lot of questions and run the other way if it feels like a scam. We all want great service, but few of us expect it. And even fewer of us do anything about bad service.
As a customer, how important is customer service to you?
As a provider, how important is it to your customers?
@knealemann
getentrepreneurial.com
Saturday was met with a cool chilling breeze. The mind doesn’t always comprehend things properly mere moments after lifting from a deep slumber. It was February and the furnace was broken.
Stumble and Bundle
My first move was to play the part of furnace repairman. This consisted of turning a couple of switches on and off, a breaker back and forth, removal of the furnace panel door, a look inside to a collection of wires and switches and a motor, re-installation of said panel door and a call to furnace repair weekend helpline.
The guy on the line was friendly, he told me that service calls on Saturdays were $150/hour plus parts but if I could wait until Monday that drops down to a paltry $98/hour. He gave me a couple of things to try, none worked so a Monday appointment was booked.
How Much You Got?
He arrived Monday to discover a doohickey needed replacing and the thingamajig on the other thing was corroded. The furnace was fixed, that is all I cared about.
He then disappeared outside into his truck to calculate the bill. Fifteen minutes later he came back and the amount at the bottom of the page was $212.82 which included one hour fifteen minutes labor, $80 in parts, and tax. Hang on, one hour and fifteen minutes?!?
Clock Keeps Ticking
I paid $98/hour from the second he left his last repair to the moment he handed me the bill. Yes, that’s $98/hour to have him sit in his truck and tally the damage. That’s ninety-eight bucks an hour for him to drive from his last repair, grab a coffee or lunch or something on his way and then fix my furnace. And the kicker, I have no way of proving how long it took him between stops so I pay some imaginary trip fee. Not the point, it's a rip off.
This is clearly a company policy they don’t go out of their way to state ahead of time. My mechanic charges less per hour and doesn't ding me for his trip to work as well. I'm happy my furnace is working but I just spent about a hundred bucks for him to sit in his truck. That’s quite a scam!
Your Choices Are Few
In the case of doctors, dentists and I guess furnace repairmen; there isn’t much choice in the service charges you have to pay.
Companies are doing this every single minute of every single day, but perhaps that is how you can differentiate yourself? Actually be honest with your customers, actually be accountable and actually deliver great service to them. It may be worth a shot.
Caveat Emptor
Ask a lot of questions and run the other way if it feels like a scam. We all want great service, but few of us expect it. And even fewer of us do anything about bad service.
As a customer, how important is customer service to you?
As a provider, how important is it to your customers?
@knealemann
getentrepreneurial.com
