Thursday, February 9, 2006
Every Little Bit Helps
So, I heard from Mom's doctor's nurse, today, regarding the results of Mom's lab work and the health review. He agrees with me that cutting out the evening dose of glipizide would be a good idea, at this time, to see what happens to her HA1c between now and her routine appointment in April. I didn't mention that upon further research I've considered that it probably won't make any difference and her low HA1c will, indeed, reveal itself to be "clinically insignificant", but, I'm going to do it anyway, since Mom's health remains stable at this time. I'll be taking her blood glucose every day, now, morning and evening, just to make sure that she doesn't start averaging in the high one- or two- or three-hundreds. If that happens I'll reinstate the glipizide and notify the doctor.
More significant, though, is that the nurse, after advising me of the doctor's take, took a few moments to mention how impressed she was with my tracking of Mom's stats and the health reviews. She referred to these efforts as "being organized" but, well, that's not really what it is. It's making sure I'm aware. My guess is that she's never seen this complete of a caregiver's efforts on behalf of her charge's health. This is precisely why I publish my records online. Although my efforts were initially ignored and sometimes actively opposed (because I'm a lay person and what would I know...I mean, jesus, I might start noticing trends and making medical decisions based on this information and, well, you know, only professional medical personnel are qualified to do that) for some years, finally the medical profession is getting it: That recording such as this, even from a lay person, is valuable not only to the caregiver but to medical personnel, isn't possible unless one's charge is "enjoying" institutional care and, often, such records are not utilized to their fullest potential by those collecting and "charting" the records. Not only that, but when this type of recording is as complete and well-considered as mine, to the point of the caregiver offering suggestions about medical treatment, medical personnel can seriously consider such suggestions in the context of what they know.
The point is, I'm constructing an inroad for all those caregivers currently (and who will in the future be) considered maniacally obsessed with matters "with which they should not trouble themselves" (as one doctor told me a few years ago). It's important, if one has the time, to do what I'm doing: Record, record, record. This type of partnership, which, presently has to be forced on physicians by the caregiver, will, I think, eventually transform medicine so that it becomes both more user friendly and more practice friendly. Doctors will realize that observant patients and medical advocates, if in the habit of meticulously documenting pertinent information about themselves or their charges and reviewing that information at regular intervals, can be relied upon to help medicine practice in a more well-informed, beneficial way.
So, if you've been reading me for awhile and are a documenting caregiver who still isn't appreciated by your charge's medical personnel, continue trusting your efforts and your well-informed instincts and don't give up, even if you're currently being told that what you're doing is unnecessary and/or troublesome. Medicine will, mostly likely and eventually, not only applaud your efforts but solicit them.
The tide is turning. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, but it's turning.
Haaaa-lay-lu-yah!
Later.
More significant, though, is that the nurse, after advising me of the doctor's take, took a few moments to mention how impressed she was with my tracking of Mom's stats and the health reviews. She referred to these efforts as "being organized" but, well, that's not really what it is. It's making sure I'm aware. My guess is that she's never seen this complete of a caregiver's efforts on behalf of her charge's health. This is precisely why I publish my records online. Although my efforts were initially ignored and sometimes actively opposed (because I'm a lay person and what would I know...I mean, jesus, I might start noticing trends and making medical decisions based on this information and, well, you know, only professional medical personnel are qualified to do that) for some years, finally the medical profession is getting it: That recording such as this, even from a lay person, is valuable not only to the caregiver but to medical personnel, isn't possible unless one's charge is "enjoying" institutional care and, often, such records are not utilized to their fullest potential by those collecting and "charting" the records. Not only that, but when this type of recording is as complete and well-considered as mine, to the point of the caregiver offering suggestions about medical treatment, medical personnel can seriously consider such suggestions in the context of what they know.
The point is, I'm constructing an inroad for all those caregivers currently (and who will in the future be) considered maniacally obsessed with matters "with which they should not trouble themselves" (as one doctor told me a few years ago). It's important, if one has the time, to do what I'm doing: Record, record, record. This type of partnership, which, presently has to be forced on physicians by the caregiver, will, I think, eventually transform medicine so that it becomes both more user friendly and more practice friendly. Doctors will realize that observant patients and medical advocates, if in the habit of meticulously documenting pertinent information about themselves or their charges and reviewing that information at regular intervals, can be relied upon to help medicine practice in a more well-informed, beneficial way.
So, if you've been reading me for awhile and are a documenting caregiver who still isn't appreciated by your charge's medical personnel, continue trusting your efforts and your well-informed instincts and don't give up, even if you're currently being told that what you're doing is unnecessary and/or troublesome. Medicine will, mostly likely and eventually, not only applaud your efforts but solicit them.
The tide is turning. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, but it's turning.
Haaaa-lay-lu-yah!
Later.
