Overall, my personal experience has helped guide my career aspirations and life goals. I am choosing to pursue psychology after making the tough decision to opt out of my previous dream of becoming a pediatric rheumatologist because I genuinely believe there should be a greater emphasis on how the disease impacts the entire person. Combatting pain is such a small part of reaching a good quality of life. It is my hope, through writing this article, that rheumatologists try their best to be empathetic clinicians, reach out to all members of the patient’s family, take into consideration important developmental milestones that impact treatment, and help the whole patient. Know that having this disease as a child involves many unique factors, such as trouble making friends, teasing and bullying in school, feelings of isolation or social anxiety, and depression. Those aspects can be just as important as managing the physical disease. I know, at least in my experience, that they are equally as devastating.
Christina Iversen is a clinical research coordinator for the pain treatment service in the department of anesthesia at Boston Children’s Hospital.
