instepwithcolleen

So, I was reviewing with a woman her health history, and all the different medications she was on. As she talked, I jotted notes. I set every medication bottle I could find in her medicine cabinet, drawers, or purse on the table. There was quite a collection. Drugs for thyroid, drugs for irregular heart rate, drugs for low blood pressure, drugs for chest pain. Drugs for back pain, leg pain, hip pain. There was isulin for  her diabetes, some she was suppose to take every morning, some if her blood sugar was high. She also had drugs to help her relax, sleep, and of course excedrin, aspirin, peptobismal, tums, antihistamines, and an asortment of creams and ointments. She was prepared for “ANY” emergency she might encounter

I was there because she had asked me to set down with her and help her develop a good medical plan. It wasn’t that she was old (I certainly don’t consider 64 old)! And she wasn’t slow,  in fact she was a university professor, and taught English. She simply wanted me to work with her as an advisor.  And that’s what I was doing. Not there to replace anyone or anything, simply make it work better for her.

She also had several different physicians. One endocrinologist following her thyroid condition, her gynecologist following her female problems. Who had also placed her on a mild antidepressant, a cardiologist who followed her heart problems, and then an internal medicine doctor that followed her general aches and pains, and managed her yearly check up, which included a colon check( professional for seeing if you have any cancer of your bowel developing.

The first thing I noticed was that since all these doctors were caring for specific issues, none of them were really coordinating any of their treatments. Dr. A wanted blood work for her heart, he sent her to lab A on Tuesday. Dr B wanted to see her for a check on her diabetes on Thursday, and she needed to get lab work from lab B Wednesday. By the way, in ten days she was due for her mammogram, and Pap Smear, and needed to make an appointment for that. Her endocrinologist wanted to see her in three days to discuss some medication changes for her thyroid. You get the point.

First thing I did was start separating this pile of medicines from one another. Diabetes, heart, thyroid, drugs from the gynecologist, and from the general internal medicine doctor, as well as anything she had from over the counter. It was like a  Smorgas Board!

I seperated  her health issues into pieces, and then we began talking. What was her doctor’s name? How long she’d had the problem? How often did she see her doctor? How frequently she needed labs? , and then I asked her how she felt about this particular problem. This is actually an important question to think about, because if you don’t have any real feelings about it, you increase the chance that you won’t be compliant to your treatment plan. I see this all the time, especially with clients that have diabetes, or heart conditions.

All this information went into my notes. Then I simply started going through the drugs. Some of them were out dated. She had some that had been discontinued, several of her over the counter drugs worked directly against a medication prescribed by her physicians. I told her I needed to review her data, and I would see her in about two days.

Two days later we met, and this is what we came up with1. Jean needed to take the 1 1/2 inch binder I presented to her, to every appointment she went to. 2.She needed to ask her doctor  every  time if any of the medications she was taking interacted with the medicine he or she was prescribing.3. She  needed to offer to her specialist a list of all her doctors, what they were treating her for, and the medications they were giving her. 4. She needed to try to work out a schedule so she could coordinate all her lab trips, and appointments, so her life could fit around them. She needed to make sure THEY fit around the activities that she enjoyed.

I have been surprised at the number of people who have never heard of a medical advocate. It is well worth the initial fee, depending on the complexity of your medical issues it can be $50 to$300. But that isw a pretty small amount, if  you feel like you are a little more in charge of your life.

Once I sat down with a man in his early thirties. Most of the things that he was using were over the counter drugs, and he  didn’t have any problems. So I simply made a plan for him for when he needed things like a tetanus booster,discussed why he should get a pneumonia shot yearly,  I also told him that he may want to consider getting a hepatitus series, since he liked to do some international traveling.

When I was finished, I handed him a folder with his information in it,. It held a list of who to call in case of an emergency, what medicine he took, and the immunization records he had provided me with. I told him to add any other information he felt was necessary, such as financial records,or insurance policies. I told him whenever there was a chance something could happen to him, he’d want someone, a parent, a brother or sister, or a partner to know what they needed, to make a discision. This info could easily be packed into his belongings and taken with him when he traveled, so some foreign care provider would know who to call in an emergency.

So you can see that using a medical coordinator or advisor  can be as complex or as simple as it needs to be.

A personal  medical advisor can work with you over the internet as well. I know some who for a monthly  fee, allow you to contact them with questions, Since they have your health history they can often help solve problems. You may want them to coordinate a schedule to remind you to get your perscriptions refilled. Sometimes that alone can avoid many problems, since some medications should not be stopped or interrupted. They can tell you when to make appointments for routine lab work. If you provide some with names and number, they may even make the appointment for you, and call in your perscription.

If you have any questions about when and whether you want to use a medical Coordinator, or advisor, send me a message at instepwithcolleen@gmail.com, or simpley ask your question here and I will answer as best as I can.