At some point, many of us will be admitted to the hospital. It can be frightening if you have never been a patient. And as ill-prepared we may be to be a patient, we may find we are even less prepared with our needs once discharged. Hospital stays have gotten shorter and shorter for many reasons, and often patients are not ready for their discharge, particularly if it was a complicated hospital stay and if more than one provider saw them. The hospital's goal is to discharge you as quickly as possible, even when you don't think you are ready. And sometimes,
you may not know until late in the day that they are planning to send you home. So let's get you prepared to make it as smooth as possible

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If we talk with our friends and tell them that we have an impending elective surgery or medical procedure, often we are met with, "Don't go in July. The new "doctors" are there, and “they don't know anything." And June isn't much better, as the fellows typically have one foot out the door, and some people may complain that the care is not what we want.

Is it true? Are we more vulnerable at the end of June and in July, when many of our doctors went from Mr., Ms. Mrs. to "Dr. Smith" overnight? It may be, but it reminds us of the need to continue to do our due diligence and not assume that things will "flow" perfectly" and there will be no glitches in our care. So, how do we do that?

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Are you on any prescription medications? Do you take any over-the-counter medications? Do you take any supplements or vitamins?

Many of us are taking our medications incorrectly, including myself.  I have recently been prescribed two new drugs. And like all of us, I also received a 5-page sheet of instructions from the pharmacy. I admit I didn't read it. I read the directions on the bottle: "take once daily" for one and "take twice daily" for the other. I was not told by the doctor or nurse practitioner how to take the medications, let alone if they were compatible with my other medications. 

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This is a question medical providers often ask and the reasons are many.

I was recently hired by a new client, an educated woman who had done an extensive amount of research about her medical condition but realized that having extra ears and someone not "emotionally" vested in her condition was a good idea. We discussed her condition and made a plan for a telemedicine appointment with a new physician; before the visit, we discussed the goals, what she hoped to gain from the visit, and reworked the questions numerous times to achieve her goals.

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I have a client who was admitted to the hospital unexpectedly and had nothing that she needed with her, including the essential cell phone charger, on which we all depend.

This is easily prevented, especially if you are going to see your health care provider for a “sick visit” or going to an urgent care. We all should have our “go bag” ready. It doesn’t have to be big, but it should include a few essentials:

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Do you make a goal (or goals) for every one of your visits to your medical provider? You should, because, whether aware or not, providers typically have their own goals, and when you disrupt their plan, things can go awry for everyone.

Last week I went with a client for her bi-monthly visit to her oncologist for her low grade (chronic but never curable,) lymphoma. Before the visit, we discussed the two goals that we needed to meet. The first was her current fevers with night sweats for what appeared to be an acute infection, and the next was to discuss the current cancer treatment she had been on: was it the right medication? Was it time to change?

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This is a term, unfortunately, that we are all becoming familiar with. If you are on long-term medication, you may have received a letter from your insurance company, telling you that this year, there is a possibility that your medication may be substituted for one that is “similar”, assure you that this is fine for you medically, however, if your health care provider feels stronger that you should stay on your original medication, they can write to the insurance company and get it changed. Sounds easy, right wrong. It is a nightmare, time consuming, and the providers office typically loses money getting this done.

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Cancer treatment has gotten better and better over the years, and being diagnosed with cancer is not necessarily a death sentence. There are more effective treatments with fewer side effects, nausea is controlled and many people with cancer view it as a “detour”, and “inconvenience” and go on to live normal lives. Unfortunately, this is not always true. Not all cancers are curable, but they may be treatable; it is possible to go into remission and live quality filled life for quite some time.

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As we age, the majority of us have diminished hearing, which can impact the quality of our lives. We find ourselves not hearing conversations and nodding when we have no clue what is said. We fear comments about “being old and not hearing,” and this leads to increased isolation, at a time, particularly with Covid, when it is more important than ever to be engaged.

Unfortunately, despite this being an enormous problem for the elderly, many of us can’t afford hearing aids, costing upwards of $4000! Typically, insurance companies (including Medicare) don’t pay for hearing aids, and we become even more isolated

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“Every day, when I think it can’t get worse,” as the saying goes. What, you ask? The health care system.

As a Physician Assistant with 40 + years of experience, certification as a Patient Advocate, I continue to hit walls; if I am ready to “quit,” what about everyone else who doesn’t have my knowledge of the health care system or my ability to get “past the front desk.?”

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