As I lay in the ED, feeling incredibly sorry for myself, my treating physician entered the room and offered some advice.

“When doctors become patients, they fall into two categories,” he said.

“The first are the ultra-compliant rule followers. They acknowledge their illness and do everything they are advised to do to get better. Obsessively. 

“The second group are those that deny their illness and ignore the rules. They are not afraid to discount medical advice.”