Why reading your own clinical results and asking the right questions turns a consultation into a collaboration.
An AI-generated infographic on the blog content. (Click to enlarge.)
An Unexpected
Appointment
Once again, I found
myself in hospital, more times than I would have liked in a single year. I have
lost count. I had no reason why this appointment had been scheduled, and my
anxiety was not assuaged when, just over a week before, I received a call telling
me to attend the diabetes centre.
It was a poorly
delivered message. The department I used to attend had been relocated to what
was once the Diabetes and Endocrinology Department, but you can imagine how I
felt until I received clarification.
In any case, it would
have come as a great shock, because nothing in my blood test results indicated
any cause for concern in that area.
A Confusing Journey
When I did set off
from home, I realised the bus was running seven minutes late. Although I had
given myself enough time to find this new location, my appointment notice had
not been updated accordingly. So I returned to the old place, where the
receptionist registered me before advising me to take a seat.
A few minutes later,
the receptionist came to tell me I had to go to another department. She gave
directions, but the signage left me navigating a labyrinthine route, unsure
whether I needed to explore further down or check with someone else. I did
eventually find the place, and it was kitted out like a temporary setup, with
patients barely out of a daze from the trouble of getting there.
Checks and Confusion
A nurse called out my
name to check my height, weight, and blood pressure. Having arrived later than
expected, and given the discombobulation that ensued, I feared the readings
might be high. I took deep, controlled breaths and folded up my sleeve; they fell
within the normal range. Phew!
Half an hour after my
arrival, another nurse came to check what I was there for; it seemed the
relocation had also introduced inefficiencies. Apparently, I had been invited
for the second jab of the HPV vaccine, which, when I took it, proved quite
painful.
Being My Own Advocate
This is part of my personal medical advocacy. Literate people should spend some time reading and understanding their clinical results, because doctors sometimes do not have enough time to tease out the issues with you.
I recognise, too, that
not everyone can do this alone; those constrained by education or digital
access may need a trusted interpreter, whether a family member, carer, or
advocate. That is precisely why those of us who can engage should and could do
a little more.
When I do raise
something, it is rarely idle curiosity. My questions are usually a way of
satisfying myself whether a course of action is genuinely necessary. If you
notice something outside the normal range in your results, bringing it up
immediately elicits a response, whether an assurance that there is nothing to
worry about, or an investigation requiring further tests.
Working With, Not
Around
This is where
prompting matters. When my consultant noticed my name on the board and invited
me for a chat, my question about the creatinine levels gave the conversation
somewhere to go. Those levels had been off the scale in late July, indicative
of either an infection or kidney problems; if it were the latter, a change of
medication might enter the fray.
Had I not raised it,
the consultant might reasonably have assumed there was nothing more to discuss.
Advocacy of this kind is not working around the doctor; it is working with
them.
Along with the vaccine, a urine test was ordered, and late last night the results returned well within the normal range. I did not need a doctor or a consultant to tell me that, and my concerns were immediately allayed.
Essentially, we underserve
ourselves in the quest for the best clinical outcomes if we leave everything to
doctors as omniscient experts on our bodies, when we should be doing a bit more
to keep them apprised.