Joyfully Riding the Downside of the Bell Curve

When I’m not writing about how to improve face time with your doctor, I’ll often focus on avoiding becoming a patient in the first place. It occurred to me this morning that it’s actually been awhile since our family has been in the throes of medical treatment.

Our own journey began a dozen years ago at just about this time of year, and I can pinpoint the moment exactly -- when a song broke the decorum of a business meeting. It took me a few seconds to realize the noise was coming from my purse and that my first cell phone, purchased just weeks before, was ringing to the tune of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame.” On the phone was the unsteady voice of a woman who identified herself as a substitute nurse at the elementary school. My son had had a seizure, and an ambulance was on the way. Could I come as soon as possible?

That day marked the beginning of a journey that became increasingly hellish over about six years. Then, around the time my son hit sophomore year of high school, things began to level out. It actually took a couple more years of holding our collective breath before we dared to think maybe he was past the worst of this medical crisis. After he graduated, things really began to look up and now, although he still battles symptoms and side effects daily, his medical condition does not consume his daily life and that of the entire family.

Of course the healthy status quo could turn on a dime, concerning my son or anyone else in the family. But for now I’ll believe we’ve scaled a peak and are coasting the down slope. How I’d love to keep it that way.

Jealous When Other People Walk My Dog

Early morning dog walking duty goes to my husband. But come dinnertime, I’m grateful to have a pooch who gives purpose to taking a stroll around the neighborhood. That puppy dog who needs a walk when I really don’t feel so motivated to get my body moving is probably adding years to my life. You’ll understand then why I get pouty when Dear Husband or one of the kids announces they’re in the mood to take the dog out. They just don’t get it. That’s my time to get motivated with my little 30-pound personal fitness coach. Jealous? You bet.

What do you do to get your rear in gear? My dog might be my motivation to actually put on the sneakers and head out the door, but the statistical information (presented in some really creative ways) is what convinced me that exercise doesn’t have to be a hard core session at some sweaty gym to make a difference.

Take a look:

Thank goodness for cartoons to keep one's attention through a dry medical lecture on a miracle "intervention" that will control all sorts of medical conditions -- presented with a wink and a smile ;)

If you've been reading for awhile, you know I'm a fan of Walk With a Doc. Here are a bunch of reminders why it's fun to take a walk. Also, Dr. Sabgir's latest newsletter gives 100 reasons to get moving - who could argue?

"Inactivity" and "low fruits and vegetables." Might as well throw a housewarming party for all sorts of cancers.

The PLC Doctor's Memo: New & Improved

We hope you've had a chance to try out our free download, the Patient Loving Care Doctor's Memo. Our toolkit guides you through collecting your thoughts, noting down important information and questions for your next visit, and then presenting your thoughts to the doctor articulately and succinctly once you get into the exam room. In today's time-crunched world, it's critically important that your healthcare team understands fully how you're feeling and what you think you may need to know before you walk out the door to be on your way.

We've done a little tweaking to make the toolkit a bit easier to use. We've expanded the instructions and combined them with the sample doctor's memo so everything you need to guide you is in one place. We kept the memo template as a separate file so it's easy to hit "Save As..." and create a fresh copy on your computer every time you have an appointment.

Please take our revised Doctor's Memo Toolkit for a spin and let us know what you think. Do you have any questions about the instructions? Have you used it for a doctor's visit? How did it go?

Doctor's don't like to rush through appointments any more than patients do. So your doc will be grateful you're making the most of your limited time together by coming in with a well-prepared memo. A friendly hello and a time-saving copy of your memo will be a welcome break in their hectic day.

Happy Holidays from Patient Loving Care

Now, Here’s One For You

Last time, we suggested a question for your doc - “what happens next?” – as a way to really get to the nuts and bolts of what you need to know about your diagnosis. Today we’ve got a great pop quiz for you, the patient.

“What do you think is going on?"

I was at the doctor’s office recently because my teen had fainted on the job. The doctor (actually it was a third year medical student) tossed out some questions to try and figure out why, but nothing was a match. Then, as an afterthought, I mentioned we were worried about her diet. She wasn’t eating right and drinking an awful lot of tea. Suddenly, the diagnosis became crystal clear. Turns out tea can quickly rob your body of iron, leading to anemia and, therefore, fainting. A simple blood test confirmed she needed to cut down on the Darjeeling and take a supplement to bring her iron levels back to where they should be.

Doctor-turned-patient Roni Zeiger told his own story here about arriving in the emergency room with bleeding in his brain. He used his clinical skills to relate his symptoms in a succinct and articulate way to the attending physician, just like we preach here at patientlovingcare.com. Afterward (and thankfully the bleeding issue proved to be minor and there was an “afterward”) Dr. Zeiger contemplated why he hadn’t gotten more personal with the staff.

The summary he gave was “brief, clinical and effective,” he wrote. “It told the doctors what they needed to know, but it was missing two important things. First, it lacked humanity. Why didn’t I tell my doctors that I was scared, that I was worried about the future of my wife and children?...Second, I didn’t tell the doctors all of my symptoms and the events surrounding them. Without even thinking about it, I only told them what I thought was relevant. In fact, a common mistake we doctors make is getting too attached to the first diagnosis we think of, and then failing to ask about other symptoms, other clues.”

So how do you distinguish between adding relevant personal details and rambling on with TMI? Well, a good doctor will know how to tease out the info that really matters. But practicing patientlovingcare.com’s commandments to be succinct and articulate is a good place to start. Take a moment to collect your thoughts before diving into a story in the exam room. See if you can get to the heart of your comment in just a sentence or two. Or just test out a possibility by saying “this might not be relevant, but what about… (tea, for instance, or whatever is on your mind).”

Opening up a little just might be what the doctor ordered.

If Nothing Else, Ask…

“What happens next?”

If there’s one question that will really get to the heart of what’s going on with your health, that’s the one to ask your doctor. It’s a great way to clarify information if your doctor just delivered less than good news and your head is spinning.

If you feel that you understand the big picture, asking “what happens next?” will break down a diagnosis into smaller steps. It can prompt a conversation about scheduling and timelines, how you may feel as things progress, or treatment options you may be able to choose at each step in your care.

This little gem of a question was tucked into an enlightening list from Reader’s Digest entitled “50 Secrets Your Nurse Won’t Tell You”. Author Michelle Crouch compiled the responses from nurses across the country.

Here’s the excerpt from #45, contributed by Wisconsin nurse Kristin Baird:

At the end of an appointment, ask yourself: Do I know what's happening next? If you had blood drawn, find out who's calling who with the results, and when. People assume that if they haven't heard from anyone, nothing is wrong. But I've heard horror stories. One positive biopsy sat under a pile of papers for three weeks."

A simple "what happens next?" can put everyone involved on the right track.

Being An Expert Outside Your Field of Expertise

Everyone within arm’s reach of a keyboard has felt the need to pen a tribute to Steve Jobs. And I had no intention of joining the homage-fest to the Apple co-founder, though I’m fascinated by his creative mind and visionary success. Then a paragraph in Rolling Stone magazine’s tribute jumped off the page:

As his illness worsened, Jobs found his life narrow even further. He didn’t go out at night, never accepted awards, gave no speeches, attended no parties. Instead, he holed up in his home in Palo Alto, where he hung out with his family and learned everything he could about cancer- and how he might beat it. “He knew more about it than any oncologist,” says his old friend Larry Brilliant, who is an MD. His body grew thinner and thinner, and he took a six-month leave from Apple to have a liver transplant.

-Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, Oct. 27 2011

We all know how the story ends - dead at 56.

So the thing to honor about Steve Jobs is that he was one of us. He was a patient, desperate for knowledge. In the end, his condition put him on an even playing field with everyone who’s ever been on the receiving end of a diagnosis. The lesson is in how he spent his time – education, research, bringing his own facts into consultations, becoming an expert in his own disease. For every patient who does the same, it’s a life well lived.

Long live Steve Jobs.

(Photo: Rolling Stone)