Day 76

Now I have the column ready to send. I’m calling it a cautionary tale. If one reader takes it to heart I will have done what I want to do. Maybe I can shut the lid on my experience and let it go into the history file where it belongs. I cannot keep what-ifs and self-doubt in my mind. Caveat emptor. That is the end of it. I will take responsibility myself and hope for the best.

PS

This is a cautionary tale that began seven years ago.  My symptoms included: low pulse rate, shortness of breath, cold hands and feet, anxiety, skin disorders, and more. Doctors referred me to other doctors. I was placed in tubes, shot full of stuff that glows in the dark, ping- ponged back and forth between specialists without ever receiving a diagnosis. Meanwhile, every time I caught a cold, became over tired, or stressed, my health dropped a notch. I was slipping. Finally, my new health care provider actually listened to my story, paid attention to me and not just paper test results. She said would stick with me until we figured out what was causing my illness. I had heard that before and my face must have reflected that I wasn’t sure she meant it. “I mean it”, she said. A few days later, she called asking if she could share my story with another doctor. Sure. Anything that will help me before I fade out completely. Later that day, the phone rang and there it was, after seven years, the reason for my misery. It was beta blocker eye drops. The side effects were never described to me nor listed on the leaflet from the pharmacy, nor ever discussed with all the professionals I saw in those years. I looked on the computer, and there were the symptoms I had been living with all those years.

I’m a good patient. I want to be well. In spite of writing all my health history a dozen times over whenever I saw a new health care person, I listed my prescriptions, vitamins, everything medicinal I put in my body. None of those specialists noticed the eye drops, just sent me on. One cardiologist told me to work harder although my pulse was below normal and I could not work harder. One indicated that it was all in my head. I was not taken seriously nor was I examined in a way that made me feel that I had the attention of the medical person. I said about one visit that it could have been phoned in for I wasn’t sure the doctor even knew I was in the room.

If you pay attention to the television commercials for over-the-counter and prescription medications, chances are you are wondering if the list of serious side effects could happen to you. The pharmacy hands out a leaflet with your prescription. How many of us can even read the small print? Do we know if our pharmacist keeps a list of our medications and checks for interactions that may or may not be healthful? Do we check them out on the internet? Do we access to the internet and we computer literate?

 It’s our job to take responsibility for finding out just what we are taking and why. Ask questions. What result or reaction can I expect from taking this medicine? Are there any choices of medications? How long do I have to take it? When will I notice its effectiveness? It is our job to be sure we know and then follow the directions carefully. Doctors or hospitals may have a card that we can fill in with our medical history. We need to advocate for our own health. Caveat emptor.