Sickle Cell Disease Patients Seek Acute Pain Care Repeatedly

I am a 25 years young, former Sickle Disease patient I recently underwent a Stem Cell Transplant and I am recovering without pain since August 09 to present without pain. Although this article is headed in the right direction, I would like to point out you only spoke to doctors and researchers who are "Familiar with the study findings."I think that is a little naive as far as I am concerned. As a reader who has or had Sickle Cell like me, I would feel that this article, leaves something to be desired. No disrespect, but frankly this is not what I expected to see when I heard about an article discussing how to better care for patients with Sickle Cell. In my many, many ER room visits for acute care, the staff were ill-equipped to handle a Sickle cell patient like myself and other patients I am in touch with. In our support groups and clubs, we all share and discuss our experiences in the hospitals we frequent. We all concur, that it was not so much the technologies that were lacking but the knowledge among the medical staff and the willingness to work with the Sickle patient to provide tailored patient care. Also, the inability of some of the medical staff to think outside the box and creatively change and cater to our needs, ease the patients stress and pain. More importantly, the attitudes of the doctors and even the most seasoned ER Doctors in charge of the residents, had poor patient relations. They lacked people skills and more than 90% percent of the time, dismissed our needs for understanding and tact, instead they chalked it up to Drug-Seeking and Hypochondria. As far as the frequency of the visits for acute care goes, there is no amount of tactics, and Sickle Cell patient care systems to prevent or tone down the amount of visits for acute care. Even if such technologies, came about they still would not prevent that frequency, because such is the nature of the disease. Due to many unforeseen reasons, pain may suddenly become exacerbated and acute. That is when a Sickle Cell patient has to decided whether or not its worth the foreshadowed indifference of the medical staff in the ER to come in and manage the pain. Due to the fact that, Sickle Cell patients self medicate to avoid the stress of the ER visit and ultimately the admission process and/or the stay need in particular situations. I realize this article is solely based on statistics and non-bias information but, by providing quotes from doctors and researchers you have created a bias. You know as well as I do, that there are two sides to a story, I look forward to any response and comments.

Nakyanzi of MA 8:26PM April 06, 2010