You Are Your Own Best Advocate

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We all have a tendency to put total trust in our doctors. And in most cases, that trust is justified.  So,  when a doctor says, "You have this..." and "You need to take this medication,"  we comply-many times without questioning.

My Personal Opinion Only:  If the diagnosis is one that seems odd/out of the blue/never occurring in your medical history or that of your close relatives, you might consider doing the following:

1.  Be your own advocate-  research/research/research! Many of our highly recognized medical centers have websites full of information on all of the conditions that their medical professionals treat.

2.  Go to a 2nd opinion doctor immediately, preferably a specialist in the area of your 1st doctor's diagnosis.

3.  Thoroughly research the side effects of the meds prescribed and check closely with your pharmacist to determine any interactions with other meds that you take. Do you have other conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, liver problems, cardiovascular disease,  etc.?  Make sure the prescribed med doesn't have the danger of escalating one of your existing conditions.  Although the prescribing doctor should do this, don't take this for granted.  Be your own advocate.

4.  Consider waiting on the meds until the 2nd opinion corroborates the 1st;  One way to hurry up the 2nd consult is to say that you don't want to initiate the medicine until you're sure of the diagnosis and until both doctors  and your pharmacist have crosschecked to make sure the new meds won't exacerbate an existing condition.

5.  Make sure someone close to you knows where you want to go when an emergency room is called for.  Make sure that person knows which doctors you have used in the past and with whom you have been satisfied so that those professionals are brought in to contribute to any diagnosis. If that person is your spouse or partner, consider naming him or her your Health Proxy.

6.  Ask for and obtain all records of tests,  procedures. Ask that the records be sent to you so that you can keep your records long-term.

7.  And above all, remember that you are an intelligent person who has the right to question everything so that the final treatment and medications that you take have the best chance of helping you back to health.

The points above are my opinion only and are offered as suggestions based on personal experience.

 Every medical issue is unique to each person, and diagnoses can be right on point.  But it pays to question, to do your own research, to bring in a qualified 2nd opinion doctor, and to crosscheck side effects and interactions.  Doing so may enhance your ability to deal with whatever health issue comes your way.