Friday, October 30, 2009

Be Proactive When You Consult Your Doctor

I went for a medical consultation recently. After the visit to the specialist, it made me realise that we have to be active in our ‘discussion’ with the doctor attending to us.

What happen is that I suspected my hormonal level is unbalance as I notice that I am easily irritated and dead beat by the end of the day. What is more worrying for me is that my temper flares up too. Normally I am perceived as ‘cool’ by those who don’t know me well, though my friends know there is the other side of me. Besides, I use to be energetic and now I can hardly keep awake after 10 pm.

I just wanted to do a blood test to confirm my hormonal level. But the specialist wanted me to do a scan instead. I told him I will do so if the hormonal result is normal. Next he wanted to send me to another specialist for further checkup. I repeated my request, I wanted my blood tested first.

No point doing all these if the root cause is hormone. It will just mean the route to diagnosis takes a big loop and more $$. Sigh - forgot to mention, he recommended to do some other tests too.

The way I see it is- there are so many medical tests that can check for the well being of the various parts of our body and organs. How to do them all?

It makes me wonder if this is the trend - to get the patient to do as many tests and see as many doctors as possible.

To me taking care of our diet and exercising regularly are true preventive measures. Early detection through medical test helps but it is after health issue has occurred. Besides, it does not make sense to me to get ourselves probe all over if we feel fine and confidence of our well being.

So next time you or your family members consult a doctor / specialist, be proactive and ask questions. Take part in the decision making process and not just leave it to the doctors.

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