Blog 21

This is my first interview with my subject, not edited. This first interview has been translated from Portuguese into English.


A:  I'm going to ask you various questions regarding your medical condition. Is that okay?

MC: Okay

A: How are you doing and feeling today?

MC: Good, I'm not. I still feel pain, nausea. I have pain on my left side.

A: Okay, ahhh,, How long have you been under treatment with your caring physician?

MC: A year

A: In your words how would you describe your case in regards to your medical condition?

MC: Can I say a bad word?

A: No you can't, this is an interview.

MC: Laughs

A: Come on! (laughing)

MC: Ahhh, it's a critical medical condition because majority of the time I'm afraid to bleed, end up in the hospital, get blood transfusions. I need to do the treatment I need to do like go for Endoscopy's, cauterize. All of this. I can't live normally. I don't have quality of life.

A: Now that you mentioned that, Tell me about your experience every time you are required to go to the hospital and how it effects you every time?

MC: Every time I end up going to the hospital, it effects me morally, physically and mentally because it's not one or two times, it's various times that I undergo the same procedure and every time I tolerate it less each time.

A: Okay, How has your doctor described to you what your case is in regards to your condition as well as if he had or had any case's that is similar to yours?

MC: He has similar cases like mine, but they can take other medications that I can't take because my body rejects and the other patients have a life, a quality of life better than mine. Because I have Lupus. If I don't have the problem of always going to the hospital, receive blood, have transfusion, ahhh, my bones hurt, I have poor quality of life.

A: Tell me a story when you were happy with the treatment, your physician prescribed to you?

MC: In the beginning when I first began taking the injection, ahhhhh, what's the name?

A: Humira

MC: Humira, I was, I thought that I got to the moment of bettering my condition, but unfortunately it only lasted about one or two months and then it went back to the beginning.

A: Hmmm... Tell me a story when you weren't happy with the treatment your physician prescribed to you?

MC: Someone with the life condition that I have is never happy because I live always being worried, if it's today I'll bleed or is it tomorrow the hemoglobin is low. If it's low, everything turns to be the same. Its's transfusions, hospitals. It's a life that I have no quality at all, I can't do certain things that other people can do. I can't work, I  have to do things much slower, yet I bleed. Many things I no longer can do, it's difficult.

A: Okay, can you tell me a story, when you as a patient did not comply to the doctor's requirement for your treatment?

MC: No, I haven't failed with any treatment given by my doctor. Just the Prednisone, I never liked that medication. I tried to take it, I'm not saying daily, but there were weeks that I would take it the full week, but there were other weeks that it wouldn't settle right with me.

(Silence)

A: While under treatment, have you ever disagreed with his regimen? If so, describe the reaction of the physician as well as yours?

MC: Its not the disagreement I would say. It's the anger that I feel inside. I do the treatment that my physician gives and it doesn't resolve my life, it's not one of my failure. It's the anger that I have inside of me. Al of the trying, the medications, force myself and all of a sudden it goes back to zero.

A: Can you describe your doctor's reaction?

MC: My doctor has patience with me, sometimes he says that I put things in my head that I shouldn't put things in my head, but only who is a patient with the condition I have understands. I can't go against him because he's my doctor, he has taken care of me until now and never turned his back to me, he always supported me. Sometimes I complain with him, sometimes he complains with me. But we keep going.

A: Hmmm... How has your medical condition effect you and your family, in terms of following with what the physician recommended?

MC: Only when I do the Endoscopy, everyone wants me to automatically drink the famous solution, it's the solution that protects the stomach, but on the first and second day, I just can't  put that solution in my mouth. Just by that there's disagreements, one says drink it, another says drink and another on says drink it, but I can't. I have to scream and say, "stop it, let me, my head alone."

A: Hmmm... tell me about when the physician speaks to you about your condition and his concerns to you about your medical problem, opposed to how the physician speaks to your family regarding your medical condition?

MC: He first explains everything to me that he will explain to the family. Then he knows that from the very first day I've been with him that my family always supported me and has always gone with me. So he thinks that he can speak with the family just like he speaks to me in explaining my medical condition to my family.

A: But do you think or see a difference the way he talks to you and your family?

MC: No, maybe he's more cautious on the things he says, more caring, but the rest, in truth what he says to me, he says to the family. No more, no less.

A: How has your medical condition effected you as a person?

MC: OH! A lot! It effected a lot, a lot, a lot. I'm not the same, there are days I am desperate

(Begins to cry)

(A makes her laugh)

MC: What did I say?

A: You feel desperate, not the same, feel sad, very nervous

MC: (Sobbing) Yeah!

A: Okay, through this experience with this medical condition what was the one thing or more that has helped you through your condition?

MC: Up to now, nothing

A: Not even family?

MC: No because it turns out to be the same as always. I have support and when I think that things are good, turns around and goes back to the beginning. Only one that supports me is you, you who helps me survive.

Blog 20

Interview Protocol

Questions for my first subject:

1. How are you feeling or doing today?

2. How long have you been under treatment with your caring physician?

3. In your words, how would you describe your case in regards to your medical condition?

4. How has your doctor described to you what your case is in regards to your condition as well as if he has or had any cases that is similar to yours?

5. Tell me a story when you were happy with the treatment that your physician prescribed to you?

6. Tell me a story when you were not happy with the treatment your physician prescribed to you?

7. Can you tell me a story, when you as a patient did not comply to the doctor's requirement for treatment?

8. While under treatment, have you ever disagreed with his regimen? If so, describe the reaction of your physician?

9. Tell me about your experience every time you are required to go to the hospital and how it effects you?

10. How has your medical condition effect you and your family, in terms of following with what the physician recommended?

11. Tell me about when the physician speaks to you about your condition opposed to how the physician speaks to your family?

12. How has your medical condition effected you as a person?

13. Through your experience with this medical condition, what was the one thing or more that has helped you through your condition?

Blog 18 and 19

In my short analysis I think I need to work on getting my point across when it comes to my research question. I think I need to work on my examples as well as my categories, how I broke them down. It took some time to analyze each excerpt, for me it was more than once. Over all I think my question can be supported by the information provided in the chat room transcript. I do think I can work on organization and categories to be more focused.

In light of our class, I would need to work on formulating a better research question because I didn't feel confident with mine for the short analysis. I  would also need to work on the organization of the analysis as well as for my research project. As for my research project, I need to work on my interview questions so it won't be mechanical, I want it to have a flow between my subject and I. I also think I would need to work on the introduction, research question, organization and presenting my data.

Blog 17

         " Research on interaction in medical encounters has moved from a framework that assumed a static and institutional asymmetry between providers and patients" (Barton, 2000). In this research I will focus on how family influences both the expert as well as the patient. I will also focus on the way doctors (experts) speak to patients and how that talk connects to the patients compliance. Although I will be using Ellen L. Barton's research study, in my research study I will be focusing from an adult and a child as a mediator point of view opposed to a child and parental view.

-This is one way I would do my introduction, it may change.

Blog 16

Write your reflections on what you learned from conducting your oral history interview, and how you are going to apply that knowledge in your research.

I learned through the oral history interview that my questions were mechanical in the beginning, but towards the end it went with the flow of the interview. I have to adjust myself in asking questions that are less mechanical and make the person feel comfortable. My interview was with Ashley, which made it easier for our interview to flow easily and comfortably. When it comes to my research, I now know that my questions have to be less mechanical and it should include more of, "So tell me a story when...." or "How does it make you feel..." such questions in order to make my subject comfortable and not give me answers that are just one worded. As for the technology, my phone gets the interview very clearly if it's just me and the subject as well as the surrounding being quiet. 

Blog 15

 Formulate a research plan:

1. Statement of purpose (what you hope to show/discover)?

I hope to discover the language between a physician (expert) with a patient and the way the family influences the expert as well as the patient. I want to show the connection between the patient with expert in regards to compliance or non-compliance and the connect as well with the family. The effects of the patient being compliant or not with what the expert wants the patient to follow for treatment. How language is built between the family, patient and the expert.

2 Detailed statement of your research question:  My focus is: Medical in a discourse community. The interaction between the physician and the patient. How the physician speaks to the patient opposed to the patient’s family. How or if the patient complies in regards to the physicians regimen. How non-compliance not only involves with the way the physician is with the patient, but it extends to family, cultural factors, etc. How the family influences the expert as well as the patient. How the expert speaks to the patient with a focus on whether or how that talk connects to compliance of the patient.


3. List of information you need to gather:

• Interview questions to ask doctor, nurse and my main subject
• My reference article written by Ellen L. Barton
• Use Swales concept of discourse community
• Ethnographic study

4.  A preliminary list of sources:  Article by Ellen L. Barton- The interactional practice of referrals and accounts in medical discourse expertise and compliance. As well as Swales concept of discourse community.

Plan for gathering my information:

Who/What you will be studying: I will study my mom (the patient) as well as someone in the medical field whether being a doctor or a nurse. I will study the language and the compliance of the patient with the doctors regimen as well as how the family influences both the patient as well as the expert.

Where you will collect your information:  Interview questions will be performed at home, as well as the doctor's office (if changes happen then we can rearrange something). I will also do an ethnographic study in a Hematologist/Oncologist's office along with the nurse that is assisting my subject.

How many subjects you will study: I would like to study at least 3 subjects, but if one is not possible then I will do 2 subjects.

What methods you will use to conduct your study?  I will do interviews, ethnographic study and discourse analysis for explanation of medical in a discourse community.

Blog 14

Interview Questions

Please be advised that these questions that I am asking my participant , her name is confidential as well as the doctors name.

Questions to ask MC:

1. How are you doing/feeling today?

-Depending on the response I'll follow by another question

2. How long have you been a patient of Dr. V?

3. Of all the years you have been a patient of Dr. V, how has your relationship(patient with doctor) changed?

4. While under treatment, have you ever disagreed with his/her regimen? If so, describe reaction of the doctor and yours?

5. Has the doctor shown knowledge of your particular case? If yes, please explain

6. How is the conversation between you as the patient and the doctor different from the conversation between your family and the doctor?

7. Can you tell me a story when you as a patient did not comply to the doctors requirement for treatment?

8. How does this action affect you as well as your family?

MORE TO BE CONTINUED....