Incremental success through primary care can be overlooked
Patients’ lives can be changed by intensive, one-off procedures, but sometimes it’s the slower, incremental care from a primary care physician that can make the most difference.
Atul Gawande wrote in the New Yorker about one such patient: Bill Haynes, who had been experiencing chronic migraines for 40 years before visiting Elizabeth Loder, MD, MPH, of the John Graham Headache Center at Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital in Boston.
It took almost four years of regular visits with Loder, with Haynes trying multiple treatments, including Botox. Eventually, his attacks became less frequent and less severe.
“I’m a changed person,” he said. “I have a bubbliness in my life now. I don’t feel at threat. We can arrange dinner parties. I’m not the social cripple that I was. I’m not going to let anyone down anymore. I’m not going to let my wife down anymore. I was a terrible person to live with. That’s gone from my life.”
For more on Haynes’ story and how it illustrates the persistent efforts of primary care doctors, click on the link below:
John joined TriMed in 2016, focusing on healthcare policy and regulation. After graduating from Columbia College Chicago, he worked at FM News Chicago and Rivet News Radio, and worked on the state government and politics beat for the Illinois Radio Network. Outside of work, you may find him adding to his never-ending graphic novel collection.