Most, if not all, of us diagnose and treat ourselves, as evidenced by the huge Over-The-Counter Drug market. Yet, how efficient are we at this process? I know I’m not. If I had better tools and knowledge, I think I could diagnose and treat my own health conditions better. In this economy, can we afford to be inefficient in this process?
When I get sick, I probably do like most people and try to doctor myself, and then go to the doctor if it doesn’t get better.
My past do-it-yourself doctoring has consisted of…
* Drawing on my past experience or learnings, e.g. take aspirin when I have a headache.
* Looking in a book to try to match symptoms to determine what to do next to feel better, e.g. home healthcare books.
* Internet searching for key words of my health condition, e.g. online symptom checkers.
* Asking around to see if anyone has any suggestions, e.g. family, friends, nurse hotlines, etc.
* Wandering around pharmacies looking at the fine print labels and getting irritated by the pharmacist referring me to a doctor.
I don’t go to a doctor sooner because…
* I’d rather fix it myself - That’s my personality. Similarly, I try to fix my car, home repairs, computer, eyeglasses, etc. myself first – and go to a professional only if I can’t fix it myself.
* Cost – It bothers me that healthcare costs so much and I can’t do anything about it.
* Inconvenience – I’ll go to a doctor if I really am sick and it is the number one thing in my life. Otherwise, I have better things to do.
* It sure seems like it’s trial and error with doctors too. It seems like the doctors have to make a diagnosis based on what I tell them and a short examination. I think most doctors do the best they can, but they’re pushed by their employers, insurers, etc. They make the best diagnosis they can and give me medical advice (prescriptions, exercises, etc.). I don’t like it when doctors say “try this and make another appointment”.
* There is no warranty on the doctor’s work or advice. I have to pay for work or advice, whether it works or not. This is not entirely the doctor’s fault since sometimes I don’t “follow doctor’s orders”.
* Remembering that many maladies take care of themselves, with or without a doctor, e.g. common cold, minor cuts, etc.
* I’m learning that it’s my job to take care of me. The doctor just gives medical advice or does medical procedures. The decisions are up to me. Some people might want doctors to “tell them what to do and don’t ask questions” – I’m not like that. I like to make informed decisions.
Okay, that leads me back to – “If I had better tools and knowledge, I think I could diagnose and treat my own health conditions better.”
In my research, I have found little in the way of Self-Diagnosis. The topic "Health 2.0" seems to come closest. In future postings, I’ll let you know of the books and other resources I’ve found. There are lots of how-to resources once you have the correct diagnosis, however.
Going forward, I plan to find better tools and knowledge to diagnose and treat my own health conditions better – and post my experiences on this Blog. I’m doing this to help myself and hopefully help others by sharing my learnings. From what I see I can legally diagnose and treat myself, and tell others about it. On the other hand, I can't legally diagnose and treat others - so but please don't ask me for medical advice.
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