Cancer And Sharp Elbows

Sometimes cancer requires us to communicate with sharp elbows when it comes to pursuing personalised care and improving quality of life outcomes.

Being a patient with elbows creates space for your own voice.

The idiom ‘sharp elbows’ refers to someone being very determined, competitive and even physically forceful in the advancement of their own interests.

Clearly I am not promoting an aggressive approach or pushing other people out of the way.

What I am saying is that as patients, we can be too passive sometimes and being more assertive is therefore called for on occasions.

Sometimes you simply have to make some noise to get heard and that means jostling rather than being jostled.

It’s very easy to let things just happen to you but that’s not always in your best interests. We can’t just sit their like a grumpy pug.

If things are taking longer than they should or you need to get a second opinion, sitting back and waiting for things to happen won’t do.

Patients need to be professionally impatient when things aren’t right. That’s when sharp elbows come in handy.

The system will almost certainly let us down at some point so a sense of urgency and drive is called for to make sure you are not forgotten or go under the radar.

Good things do not come to those who wait. They come to those with sharp elbows.

Being a patient is another way of saying ‘the lived experience’. You are the one going through the health crisis, not the administrators around you. It’s your health on the line not theirs.

As a patient, waiting comes with the territory. You expect that. But it’s not always about the waiting game. It’s getting things done and having things done right.

For far too many years I was a patient patient not wanting to make a fuss. I’d trust the process. I’d endure without complaining. I was the system’s dream ‘service-user’.

But since my incurable diagnosis, forget that. When things aren’t right, there’s no time to fall back on. Stoicism can be self-defeating.

These days, I’m not backwards when it comes to being forwards. Elbows are out and they are sharp when they have to be.

If this sounds like I belong to the awkward squad then perhaps I do.

But being an impatient patient gets a bad press. It is interpreted as someone who might be disruptive, angry or even aggressive and unfortunately, in many cases this is exactly what it is.

But for me, impatience is being inquisitive, frustrated and determined. It’s being a force for improvement.

It’s pushing for empathy, initiating challenges where they need making, highlighting errors and correcting mistakes. It’s changing circumstances for the better.

As an impatient patient with sharp elbows you have to have your eye on the ball and be ready to speak up because it’s the only way to successfully navigate the medical system.

Being an impatient patient is important for building a truly patient-centred care system. Now, elbows at the ready and be sharp.