After my “Falling through the cracks” blog a couple of weeks ago, I received a lot of comments and notes from people who have experienced healthcare hiccups like I have. One reader shared two excellent suggestions to add to my list, based on her experiences, that hadn’t occurred to me when writing. I thought they were worth sharing…
1. Don’t self-diagnose. Give all your information to your doctor (don’t hold anything back that might be relevant!) and get a diagnosis from a professional.
Many of us turn to “Dr. Google” when we have symptoms (I’m guilty of it too!) but, of course, there’s a lot of misinformation out there. And even if you’re reading a reputable website, it often takes background knowledge and expertise to interpret your symptoms– that’s why your doctor's training and experience are so important. They know the questions to ask to rule out that disease you’re worried about, or to suspect a condition unfamiliar to you. Sometimes a test or physical examination is needed to find what is wrong.
I have seen the recommendation, though, that if you suspect you have a particular medical condition, you should mention it to your doctor, whether it’s something you’ve had previously, you know someone with the condition, or it’s just something you’ve just read about. Your doctor will explain why they know your problem isn’t what you suspect (putting your mind at ease!) or, especially if it’s a condition you’ve had before, they might consider it in their search for a potential diagnosis.
I recall an elderly gentleman years ago, asking at the pharmacy counter where he might find the non-prescription muscle relaxant tablets. As I escorted him to the shelf where the product was displayed, he grumbled that he wasn’t confident in the young doctor who had recommended this treatment… he’d had back pain for years and “knew” it was arthritis. Apparently, he didn’t think it was important to inform the doctor of this. And the young physician, obviously, didn’t ask about the duration of the pain. Diagnosing is like solving a puzzle, and every piece of information is important!
2. If you are not getting results with your doctor and your symptoms are getting worse, head to the emergency room (or local after-hours) for a second opinion. Be sure to tell them all details of treatments you’ve tried thus far.
You know the saying: two heads are better than one. And, in medicine, knowing what treatments didn’t work also helps to find the correct diagnosis. So, even returning to your own doctor when a treatment doesn’t work, will help her figure out what’s causing your problem.
But doctors do put their heads together to discuss patients who aren’t improving as expected with treatment. In hospital, they call these meetings “grand rounds” and the meetings include many different health professionals, all sharing their expertise and suggestions for treatment. In an ideal world, this would happen in community medical clinics too. A goal to strive for!
But it can sometimes take time to get an appointment with your family doctor – they have many patients to keep up with and personal lives too. And some offices are better at triaging who needs to be seen sooner than others and keep slots open for those who shouldn’t wait to be seen.
If you are in immediate distress, for example with severe pain or difficulty breathing, the emergency department is the place to go. Or call an ambulance if it might be life-threatening, especially if you live a distance from the hospital. Often the ability to conduct blood tests or scans can take a lot of the educated guesswork out of diagnosing the problem on the first try. However, booking a follow-up appointment with your doctor later will ensure they know about new developments, and they will be able to monitor the results of any prescribed treatment.
Knowledge is good
Of course, knowledge about any medical condition you have is a good thing. If you do decide to learn more about a disease you have, ask your doctor to recommend a source of information. There are often non-drug approaches you can incorporate into your lifestyle that can improve your condition or reduce the risk of it developing again. Websites hosted by established medical clinics, universities, government, and medical schools are generally based on science, and monitored and updated regularly. National health organizations (for example, a national diabetes association, if you are diagnosed with diabetes) often provide good quality patient information that is easy to read and understand. If you are unsure of the validity of any information, ask your doctor to confirm that it is correct and applies to you.
Most high-quality websites will show the references used to supply information for the article. You have probably noticed that I do this most of the time (apart from opinion articles and those based on personal experiences, when I will be clear that is what the article is). In fact, when I read an interesting health-related article, I also look up the original references they used to gather information for the article to learn more, as well as to verify their interpretation of the information. I’d encourage you to do the same!
Of course, today’s blog is in the “personal experiences” category so no references. But I will mention a few of my favourite sites… they include Mayo Clinic, Health Canada, British and American government sites, and I love Google Scholar—the search engine that searches published scientific literature. Sadly, more and more articles are now behind paywalls, unlike when I first started using it in the early 2000s. In an ideal world, knowledge would be shared for the benefit of all, enabling better evidence-based decisions and furthering research and treatments.
PS…
So, more good news on a personal level… I won’t have to wait months for treatment as the receptionist warned me I might. Pain has been called the 4th vital sign—it’s important to let your healthcare provider know the level of pain you are experiencing and how long you’ve had it. I think that’s probably what made the difference for me… I have an appointment on October 21st! Just 3 weeks away.
Hopefully I will be able to put all this behind me, but I’ll continue to look for ways to improve our health system and to help others navigate it efficiently. Nice to know it all works when you really need it, though! Communication is key.
