Now Is Not The Time To Be Stubborn

Are you the type of person that leans into the medical help that is provided, or are you the type that runs away as fast as possible?  Maybe you have been prescribed oxygen, but you just don’t want to use it.  Maybe you’ve been prescribed medications, but you refuse to pay that kind of money for medicine. Maybe you are fighting with your caregiver about the help that they are trying to give you.

As a COPD patient, it can be very difficult to feel in control of your body, your emotions and your care.  Sometimes the only way to feel in control is to become stubborn with your healthcare.  However, this is not the time for stubbornness.  Yes, you can refuse to go to the hospital because you don’t want to go.  Yes, you can refuse your treatments because you just don’t want to take the time for them.  You can refuse to allow your caregiver to carry your bag or your oxygen, but what does all of this really get you?  It does not fulfill the need to be independent because ultimately you will need to take the medications, wear the oxygen, and even ask for help.  All that being stubborn really does is delay your care.

There are also some very real consequences to being stubborn about your care.  If you are skipping medications or not using your oxygen as prescribed, it can wear you down, causing you to miss out on time with your family or allowing your immune system to become compromised.  Your medications are meant to open up your airways and help you breathe, and the oxygen is meant to keep you from working so hard, like you were climbing a mountain.  Imagine trying to climb Mt. Everest without any oxygen, just because you were too stubborn to wear it.  That would be unheard of.

The only thing that being stubborn really gets you is frustration.  You will be more frustrated because you may cause yourself to be even more short of breath, and your caregivers will become frustrated with you because you will not do what is necessary to allow them help you.  It’s really not as simple as just being able to do what you want to do anymore.  There are actually very real consequences to stubbornness.

I saw some of this first hand when mom would refuse to go to the hospital.  This happened at least a handful of times.  She hated going, but there was not one time that she could have gotten better without it.  Her stubbornness may have delayed going to the hospital by a few days, but also it may have also caused her to spend more time in the hospital than if she had gone when we asked.

I hope that you will learn from what we experienced.  Being stubborn about getting care helps no one, especially you.  Your caregivers and your doctors want to help you.  We know that it is ultimately up to you, but cooperation from you empowers everyone to help you.