Tuesday Musings

A friend of mine told me an interesting story yesterday via email.  She recounted a story about her father from some years ago.

Her father had been waking up at night with wrist pain and the wrist going to sleep, so he went to the doctor.  They gave him a set of exercises for it, and he did them, but they didn't work.  So six months later he went back to the doctor with the exact same symptoms.  This time he came out wearing a neck brace!!  My friend accompanied her father to the doctor the next time and said, "My father has carpal tunnel syndrome and he needs surgery."  It was scheduled that very same day.

Wow.  The bottom line is that we were agreeing on something important when it relates to our health and the health of our loved ones.  We need to advocate for one another, particularly when a hospital visit is in order.  Communication sometimes fails or is impeded for some reason.  At that point, something needs to give in order for the sick person to receive the help they need. 

Just like communication in all kinds of places suffer at times, the hospital is not immune to that.  Nor is the doctor's office.  So never fear sharing what you think with a doctor. 

I read an article that doctors in training are being coached on how to question patients these days.  They ask the patient this very important question:  "When did the symptoms first begin?"  The reason why this is so significant is that the answer the patient gives is often the real cause of the problem, such as:  "Well, I tripped up the stairs and banged my shin and then the next day I started to notice the problem."

NOW, the doctor has a reference point in which to begin his diagnosis.  Doctors in the past kind of blew past these little stories as insignificant but now they realize that the stories often hold the key to the pain or illness.

I'm going to Fairview later today to see my sister for a little while and then head over to Westlake's Porter Library for my class reunion committee.  So that's the plan for today.  We're stopping at BJs Wholesale Club in a little bit to get my car filled up with gas.  They usually have gas for about $.30 less a gallon than the usual places.  So if you are a member, take advantage.  If you've never been there, it's worth a year's membership to try it out.  We have always saved enough to pay for the fee, and then we even got more back by taking out a BJs credit card for our purchases and then we get another 2% (I think it is) off on purchases.  The refund comes in the way of a check so that way you can actually bank the savings more easily.

So that's about all I have today.  Hope you are doing well and loving life!

Take care, friends.  Writing this blog has become a real source of solace for me, kind of like journaling is for some people.

Karen