#485 – Decisions, Decisons

Do I or don't I? Will it harm me or help me? Shall I do this or do that?

One of the biggest decisions RA patients have to make is deciding which course of treatment to follow. The choices are daunting and life altering. There is a lot of information to sift through - your doctor is recommending such and such a treatment, which you will dutifully go and research.

This is so different from when I was diagnosed thirty-five years ago. Back then, the doctor prescribed and the patient swallowed.

In your quest to do due diligence, you'll read information on the various arthritis support sites such as The Arthritis Society or The Arthritis Foundation; perhaps you'll even visit the pharmaceutical's website, something I didn't think of doing until after I went to New York for Pfizer's First RA Blogger Summit.

After that, you'll check out some blogs of people who have RA, just to see how they fared. However, once you've sifted through all this, you might find that you're feeling more than a little confounded.

What to do? What to do? You've done your research and you're still confused.

One of the things I like to do whenever I have to make any kind of decision is to play a game of pretend.

First, imagine choosing Option A. Really play it up and act as if you are living your life with that decision. What do you see, hear, taste, touch, smell? How do you feel?

Now, choose Option B. Repeat, as per the above example. Notice how you feel, having made that decision.

Often, you'll get a deep sense of rightness - a feeling of certainty that one decision is better for your particular set of circumstances.

You can practice this with small decisions, just to get into the habit of tuning in to that little voice that speaks from the heart. Learn to trust your feelings.

What do you do to aid your decision-making process?

3 Replies to “#485 – Decisions, Decisons”

  1. Unfortunately, everything has good and bad…and I refuse to look to closely at the bad because the downside is the pain I feel. So for me, it’s a matter of “if it works, go with it”.

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