Health- tired
When people tell you to be your own best advocate they are giving you some great advice, but in order to do this you have to have the tools available to you to do it.
So... I am going to point you at some tools... one online source and three books that anyone with a chronic illness should have on hand.
First, the online source-
http://labtestsonline.org/ - this website is invaluable and I recommend that anyone who has ever had a medical test get to know this site and use this site.
- You do not have to sign up to use it, they never send you any spam because you never have to enter any of your information.
- You simply type in the name of the test you are getting and it will explain to you what the test is for, how the test is done, how to prepare for the test and what the results mean.
- When you get a copy of your test results from your Doctor (and you should always get a copy of the test results for your own records) those abbreviations can be confusing and even with a high or low next to a result number you have no clue what it means. Just type in the abbreviation and it will tell you what the test is and will tell you what a high or low result means!
Next is the first if three books you should have handy-
The Merck Manual of Medical Information (Home Edition) can help you find out more about your condition, what you should look out for, what you should avoid, associated conditions as well as has a first aide section and more. You can find it at http://www.amazon.com/Merck-Manual-Medical-Information-Home/dp/0743477332/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311555954&sr=1-2 .
Then there is The Pill Book-
This book lists all of the prescription medications prescribed by brand name, generic name, Type of drug, what it is prescribed for, cautions and warnings, possible side effects, Drug interactions, possible food interactions, the usual dosages, what to do for an overdose and special information.
It also has a full color picture section so you can see what the pills look like, invaluable if you use a pill box on a trip and forget which pill is which or you find a loose pill and want to identify it. It can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Pill-Book-14th-New-Revised/dp/0553593404/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311556103&sr=1-1
Last there is The Pill Book Guide to Natural Medicines-
Extremely helpful when using supplements and homeopathic medicines. It can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Pill-Book-Guide-Natural-Medicines/dp/0553581945/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311556036&sr=1-3
With these three books and the website at your disposal you will be better prepared to be the best advocate for your health possible because you will be able to ask the important questions when you see your Doctor and will be able to better understand what they are testing for and why.
Now that I have shared these books and the website, I am going to touch on the matter of keeping your own records and keeping notes at the Doctors office.
It is vital that you keep a full record of your health including dates you started showing symptoms, anything that helped the symptoms or made it worse, tests run and the results, dates things were diagnosed and how they were diagnosed and to bring a copy with you to every Doctor's appointment and trip to the Hospital or Emergency Room. Also include a complete list of allergies, what your reaction to the item you are allergic to and when the allergy came on as well as a list of all medications you take (including over the counter and herbal) the dosage, why you take it and how long you have been taking it.
This is vital because when we are sick we forget things and forgetting an allergen could cause huge issues as can drug interactions or if you are given a medication that does what another medication you are already taking does.
Give every Doctor a copy for your records with them (not your only copy) including ER doctors... and there is a good reason for this.
Let's say you go to the ER and a tired intern comes in and is the third person since you arrived to ask you 'what brings you in here today'... you are in pain and after saying it all twice you give a condensed version because, after all, didn't the triage nurse and the room nurse already write it all down? As you are talking the Doctor is looking at the chart... but is he actually reading anything or is he thinking about the sick kid in bed 2, wondering where the lab results for bed 6 is, hoping that no one touches his cooling dinner in the break room, hoping his room mate does not throw out the paper.... etc. What you are saying is background noise and he might catch a few bits here and there but chances are he will not hear all you are saying. So, he will order the usual tests... blood count, chem 7, white blood count and wait to see what it says.
If you present him with written words and say "this is what is going on" he will have to read the words... and cannot later say that you did not mention that your stomach hurt or you were dizzy because it would be there in black and white. He would instead read the words and ask you things about what you have written and ask what part if the worst at that moment. You would have his attention because he would have to PAY attention to get the information he needs.
At the same time you have to take notes... have a notebook ready and write down what they say and ask for a copy of any test results they get (and yes, they have to give it to you if you ask for it). This way when you get home you can look up the tests and what the results mean as well as the things they told you and when you follow up with your primary care Physician you can give them a copy of the results from the ER which they can compare to your other results and maybe spot a trend that they can do something about.
This will not only make you a more informed patient and a better advocate for yourself but will help your Doctor better treat you and together you will be a better team for your health.
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