Sometimes in advocating for yourself is really about asking more questions about the answers you receive or the procedures you’re about to have. Sometimes there’s just no way to know what to ask. I have a friend who was having digestive problems and went for a colonoscopy. After the colonoscopy and before she received any diagnostic information, her digestive problems worsened and she called the doctor. His statement was that the colonoscopy further irritated her colon and caused a worsening of the digestive problems. If this information would have been disclosed at the time of the colonoscopy she would have worried less about her symptoms after the colonoscopy. Doctors have so much information that I wonder if they believe it complicates matters more by giving patients information?
You see your physician or specialist and they prescribe a new medication or treatment and you just say okay. Believe it or not, there is a generation that treats physicians like God. It’s the older generation. They do what they’re told, well maybe not when it comes to exercise and losing weight, but prescribe a pill or a procedure and most of them will acquiesce WITHOUT ASKING WHY it’s necessary. I can’t tell you how many clients I see taking multiple medications prescribed by multiple physicians and they can’t imagine why they don’t feel well. It’s simple! Medication A is interacting with medication B and since they go from physician to physician without medication lists, they are being prescribed medications that interact poorly with one another. If medication abuse was considered an accident, it would be the #1 cause of accidental death among the elderly and is the #1 reason for admittance to the emergency room. Ask your physician why you’re being prescribed medications and suggested treatments otherwise you’re contributing to your own health issues.
