Selections from Taking Charge of Your Own Health
By Lisa Hall
· Physicians have the scientific training and the analytical skills needed to find the proper diagnosis and treatment. However, they cannot feel the symptoms and the impact they have on the patient’s life. They must depend on patients to describe the severity, frequency, and impact of their symptoms clearly. Diagnosis and treatment must be a collaborative effort between doctor and patient.
· In an effort to determine what role, if any, the lightning injury played in my condition, I joined Lightning Strike and Electric Shock Survivors International. I found out through this group that lightning and electric shock injuries can cause symptoms that appear years later, and I met several people who had some overlapping symptoms, although none of them had an identical list of symptoms.
· The consequences of misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis have broad ramifications. At the very least, they cause prolonged, unnecessary suffering. In many cases, the lack of a documented diagnosis makes it impossible for patients to qualify for disability through a private insurer, Social Security disability, or workers’ compensation. Prolonged symptoms of unknown origin, or “unknown etiology” in doctor-speak, can also cause the erosion of inter-personal relationships, including marriage. The undiagnosed patient is often perceived as a malingerer. Because of misdiagnosis, doctors administer the wrong medication for the wrong condition, which is not only expensive, but dangerous.
· The Internet is a gold mine for networking. You will find valuable clues while visiting message boards, forums, newsgroups, and support groups for conditions with symptoms similar to yours. Through the Internet, you have access to an infinite number of people who may have valuable information. You also have unlimited access to unsavory characters, so be careful. As with any online activity, use caution when sharing information about yourself
· The best way to manage an illness or an injury is to prevent it in the first place or, at the very least, minimize the damage with early detection. Medication and surgery greatly improve the quality of our lives and may even save them, but they also carry a number of risks. What if we could avoid medication or surgery altogether with a healthy lifestyle?
· Your most powerful weapon in reducing vulnerability to medication errors is your relationship with your pharmacist. Your pharmacist can spend more time with you than your physicians can, unless you seek the pharmacist’s help during peak hours. He is more familiar with over-the-counter medications than your physician is. He can help you find safe ways to cut prescription costs and may contact your physician to request a generic alternative.
· Although medical practitioners are an important part of your team, you are ultimately in charge. If your health-care team and support system were a large company, you would be the CEO. And yes, you can hire and fire at will. If one physician cannot help you, there is no reason why you cannot find another with whom you are comfortable. I hope you do not have to hire 37 doctors to find the right diagnosis like I did, but you must do whatever is necessary to get the help you need. The point is, you have the right to seek the best medical care possible.
· Take your health seriously. If you don’t take your health seriously, neither will your doctor. Your doctor cannot help you unless you are putting forth the effort to maintain overall wellness. If you are not living a healthy lifestyle, your body cannot heal. Your diabetes medication is only a Band-Aid approach if you are not following a healthy diet. If you have a heart condition, your doctor cannot help you if you maintain a high-fat diet and use tobacco products. Your desire for good health must outweigh your need for unhealthy habits.
· Be vigilant about getting regular screening tests. You are responsible for knowing which screenings you need and when, based on age, family history, and risk factors.
· A former medical reviewer for a large insurance company used her physician’s training to save her company large sums of money by denying claims for lifesaving treatments. She quickly earned a six-figure salary because she was a good medical director in her employer’s eyes. She describes the bonus system for medical reviewers: the more denials, the bigger the bonuses.
· Because of fraudulent applications for disability and workers’ compensation, the system must weed out the malingerers, unfortunately resulting in a process that is degrading to those who really are suffering. The true sufferers must endure harsh treatment from those who are tasked with denying applicants who do not meet strict criteria.
· It may seem unfair that you have to fight so hard for such basics as medical insurance, prescription coverage, disability, and worker’s compensation while also struggling with debilitating symptoms. These battles, combined with the fight for correct diagnosis, can make a disability a full-time job. Although it is a job you would prefer not to have, it may be the most important one you will ever have. Keep in mind especially that one of your most important duties is delegation—you cannot do it alone. You must “rally the troops” and ask for help.
· Happiness is a choice and a responsibility. During my nine-year period of disability, a wise psychotherapist advised me to “find happiness wherever you can.” His simple but profound statement resonated deeply with me and became my mantra.
· If you are suffering from a debilitating medical condition or injury, try to resist the tendency to turn your anger inward and to feel guilty or beat yourself up emotionally. You are not to blame, and you have no reason to feel guilty. You are one of God’s children, created in His image and loved by Him to the same extent as any of His children. You are still the amazing person you have always been. You just have a different life now.
· Overall, life is amazing. I have most of my life back after losing it for nine long years. During that time, I didn’t really have a life; it was more of an existence. Although Dr. Watkins diagnosed my symptoms after seven years, the treatment worked very gradually. I did not begin to live a reasonably normal life until I had been on the medication for about two years. I can’t begin to describe how rewarding life is the second time around!
· I didn’t question God’s will, although I prayed a lot for healing. I prayed and prayed for a quick fix that never happened, but I began to see results when I prayed for direction.
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