You are your own best health advocate and now is the ideal time of year to establish your own health file at home, or take another look at one you already have.
The more organized you are in that health file, the better.
Keep track of when your immunizations need updating or boosting, when you are due for a mammogram, a check-up after surgery, or an appointment with a specialist you’re waiting for.
If you’ve been told by a specialist to follow up with your family doctor it will be up to you to make that appointment.
If you feel you need a test more urgently it is up to you to ensure your family doctor or specialist understands why you feel that way. They may or may not agree with you but you need to make them aware of your concerns.
Buy yourself a binder. It does not have to be expensive, and put everything related to your health and your family’s health, in that binder in date order. If you have multiple health issues, or several family members, indexes will be very handy.
Become your own secretary, noting dates of appointments, make notes after telephone conversations, and periodically ask your pharmacist to give you a printout of the medications you are on.
If you have symptoms related to a health issue, keep notes that will be helpful when seeing a doctor.
If you read an article that directly relates to a health condition put that in your file too.
If you ever need help to get what you rightly deserve the only way you stand a chance is to be super organized, quoting dates, test results, delays, and telephone conversations, to prove your point.
If you have a work related injury and enter the world of Workers Compensation Board you need to rapidly get super organized.
There are tragic situations in our community of people languishing in a murky world of physical pain, a sense of isolation, followed by poverty and even homelessness. It is extremely hard when you are navigating the system, coping with pain, and trying to advocate for yourself. There can be rewards, however, such as feeling that you are in control and are able to challenge anyone who disagrees or delays what you feel you need.
It is always a good idea to ask your family physician for a copy of reports from tests or a specialist’s report. Sometimes there is a small fee to pay for the copies but it is worth it.
I speak to people regularly who only have a vague idea of what the results of a test were. Even if you feel you have understood the results that were read to you, there will almost always be something you will not remember. Being able to refer to that report in your own home when you are not distracted can give you a new perspective. You can also Google terms that you are not familiar with.
Here’s to empowering yourself and here’s To Your Health.
To Your Health is a weekly column by Gillian Slade, health reporter for the News, bringing you news on health issues and research from around the world. You can reach her at gslade@medicinehatnews.com or 403-528-8635.
