My Mind's Ink

I have no medical training. I am just a laymen patient like the rest of you. Regardless, I have some advise to dispense that is the culmination of a few minor run ins with medical problems: Man That Guys Got Balls, Brain Injury

Ask to see a specialist

A General Practitioner (GP) knows a little bit about a lot of stuff, but for anything even mildly serious you want someone that knows a lot about your specific problem. If you have a snotty noes or hypochondria see a GP, for all else see a specialist. I have experienced radically different advise between the GP and the specialist I have eventually seen on a number of occasions.

It will depend a little on how often you see a doctor. Personally, I hate waiting rooms, so if I see a doctor its because I am pretty sure I have a problem and it does not seem to be fixing itself. Under those conditions I would estimate I ask for a referral to a specialist at least 50% of the time. Even if you are not too sure that your problem is serious enough, ask for a referral. Unless you are bleeding from the ears it is going to take some time to get into see a specialist, sometimes months. By asking for a referral and setting up an appointment at the first sign of trouble you are at least starting that lengthy process. If things get worse you will be happy you are in the queue. If you get better it is really easy to cancel the appointment.

If your doctor gives you any resistance push back or get a new doctor. Their role is not to play gatekeeper between you and other advise. You know your body and you should decide when you want to speak to someone about it.

Never trust your doctor

What do you call the guy that graduated from the bottom of his class at med school?

Doctor.

This is true of any profession. There are good ones and bad ones. The difference is that if your tax accountant gives you bad advise it is not likely to kill you.

It is astounding but true that most people are happy with their doctor, accountant, and dentist. This is because laymen are not really qualified to judge an expert in any field. I do not know a thing about medicine, accounting or dentistry, so anyone with a first year education in any of those subjects can impress me. By the time there is a problem it is too late.

Most people would say they have a “good” doctor, but that judgment should not have much weight. Never trust your doctor whether it is your regular doctor or some specialist. A healthy dose of skepticism is important when it comes to your health. I have had personal experience with a specialist that made a diagnosis that did not really make sense to me. A little research on my part and some prodding questions influenced him to change his diagnosis. Doctors have opinions but there are often multiple solutions to these problems. Understand your options, and if you are at all unsure, get another opinion and do research of your own.

Take Notes

If you have followed any of the advise above this next point becomes crucial and it is a valuable tip. Take a piece of paper and a pen with you to your doctors visits. Take notes.

This becomes particularly important if you go to see specialist. You will wait a long time for an appointment and then you will receive a bunch of information in five minutes. The doctor will ask if you have questions, and you won’t be able to think of a single one, but as soon as you are out of the office you will think of dozens, but now it is too late.

A friend of mine had an experience with an orthopedic surgeon that helps emphasize this point. He described finally getting into see this guy and during the appointment the doctor talked a lot about the procedure and ligaments and recovery and threw out a lot of terms, answered my friends couple of questions and the next thing he knew he is on his way home. As I said he eventually had a bunch of questions and concerns but the next time he was scheduled to see the guy was five minutes before he was going to cut into his knee.

I have found it very helpful to be able to type a procedure, a condition, or a drug name into google and get answers to my questions. The internet makes it so easy for you to informed about what is going on with your body, but if you do not write down the basics in the office you are going to have trouble remembering it all by the time you get home.

Take responsibility for your own health

Given my own experiences I think the above three points are very helpful. Now you just have to be aggressive. Taking a passive role in your treatment can come back to bite you in the ass. Be skeptical, do research, be informed, and do not be afraid to speak up if you do not like how things are going. Almost without exception medical professionals are genuinely interested in your well being, but in the end no one is more concerned about your health than you are. If you end up with a bum shoulder that always gives you trouble your doctor is unlikely to lose much sleep over it.

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