Do It Yourself Health Care

End of Life Tools

2010-03-11T09:15:00.001-06:00

I'm working on my Advanced Care Directives and some thoughts came to mind. Before I invent something, does anyone know if the "End of Life Tools" below are available yet? I can see these might be helpful in my own life when the time comes. You know me - I'd rather buy products off the shelf, but if I need to invent, then I will.

When I am unable to communicate my healthcare decisions, is there a tool that could scan my body for "signs or signals" that indicate that I'm trying to communicate? I could picture a device hooked up to me that if there is no signals for a week or so, then my pre-written Advanced Care Directives would take effect. Kind of a last chance to "speak up". This concept reminds me of the SETI activities searching for life outside of Earth - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SETI.

There seems to be a time for all us that we just want to die. Is there a tool that would help a person die from the inside out - wishing ourselves to die? Guided Imagery is a powerful tool to keep people alive and to improve their health. Perhaps there could be a Guided Imagery tool that would remind me that my health is not going to improve, that it's OK to die, that it's OK to give up, etc. This tool could be audio or video or both, where I could hear the tape or see a TV screen. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_guided_imagery for a start.

My motives in doing this is to reduce unnecessary cost and suffering, for myself and others. I bet there's a lot of Baby Boomers thinking just what I'm thinking. Perhaps this posting will give product developers some ideas on "what else might be done" and open some new market opportunities.

I might have more later, but for now that's enough of end of life talk. I want to go on living and make the most of my life today!!!

Please let me know if you know of any off-the-shelf tools like above - or anyone working on them. Thanks!

This writing, and any other communication, from TG Ideas LLC are strictly for informational purposes. See full disclaimer on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - https://sites.google.com/site/tgideas/

New Tool for "Do It Yourself Health Care"

2010-02-19T08:58:00.000-06:00

Hello All - For your information - I now have a new tool for "Do It Yourself Health Care"!

If interested, see my other Blog - "Interfacing with the Doctor Within" - http://doctor-within.blogspot.com/2010/02/hello-all-i-now-have-first-working.html

Essentially, this new tool gives a more "holistic" answer to health questions asked. This new tool can be used by myself, with or without my doctor. Even doctors could use this new tool to perhaps obtain better information, from which to make a better diagnosis.

I'm just getting started, here folks! I hope my "work" is helpful for you. Good Luck to You!

See disclaimer on my website.

Tom's Personal Health Clinic

2009-08-03T14:17:00.009-05:00

Here's what "Tom's Personal Clinic" looks like so far.

Let me know if you want to know more or would like to see this setup in person! Feel free to pass this along to others who might be interested.

So far, here's what I can do....
Urine/Saliva pH,

10 panel urine test,

Average Blood Pressure,

Phonocardiograph,

Endoscope/Otoscope, etc.

Added WebCam November 2009 - Ready for TeleMedicine

Internet access to Symptom Checkers and other Health Information.

Send my test results to my Healthcare Professional, or anyone else, if I want to - Telemedicine.

All this was done for under $500, including $250 for a used computer. The details of how this was made is at one of my other blogs - Ideas for Products or Inventions.

Click here to see the report I took to the doctor. My doctor was impressed!

Future activities include additional DIY tests, "Super Symptom Checker", Telemedicine, and Interfacing with the Doctor Within.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Flow Chart of Tom's Healthcare Reform Plan

2009-08-03T13:42:00.008-05:00

There are quite a few Health Care Reform Flow Charts being discussed in the news these days.

Essentially, I got tired of others determining my health care future. Thus, I made "my own healthcare reform flow chart", as shown below.

1) Tom own his own health care and maintenance ----> 2) Tom diagnose and treat himself first ----> 3) Tom go to Healthcare Professional, only as needed.

Step 1 is similar to my taking ownership and maintaining of a car, house, etc. This involves me eating right, exercising, etc.

Step 2 is difficult right now since there’s not much information or many tools for DIY healthcare for consumers. However, I’m persistent. I found some resources and tools to start with. What I can’t find in tools, I invent. 90% of my maladies I can fix myself or they go away by themselves, given time. I'm hoping in the future we have more information and better tools to diagnose and treat ourselves.

Step 3 is knowing when I NEED to go to the doctor, and doing it. Plus this involves following the doctor’s directions, if it makes sense to me.

I like my plan since it fits me and it will fit into whatever healthcare plan the government decides on. I'm not so dependent on health insurance now, whether it be from my job or Medicare. It saves me money and I’m in great health. It also feels great to decide my own health care future.

I'm doing this health care experiment to help myself, but I'm thinking my experiences might help others. Maybe my efforts can help others help themselves – to give them options they might not think they have.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Home Endoscope

2009-08-03T13:15:00.005-05:00

Hello All - I've added a Home Endoscope to "Tom's Personal Clinic" and it works great! I can use it as an Otoscope, for closeups of skin conditions, and for other endoscope functions. I've taken pictures to my doctor and he was impressed. We both could see telemedicine opportunities for this.

You can see pictures of this at http://picasaweb.google.com/tgideas/20090729#.

I bought it on eBay for about $60 using the words home endoscope. I'm still learning how to use it but thought I'd get this out to you via this Blog, in case you haven't heard of it.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Urine test

2009-07-20T07:39:00.000-05:00

Urinalysis is not a new concept. It's been around for a long time and is a test that an average person can do at home, in a village clinic, or anywhere. The easiest form to use are Urine Dipsticks.

For my healthcare experiment, I chose Multistix. These diagnostic dipsticks give me an overall view of my internal health. Specifically these strips test Glucose, Bilirubin, Ketone, Specific Gravity, Blood, pH, Protein, Uribilinogen, Nitrite, and Leukocytes. Instructions for use come with the Multistix package. There is test interpretation available on the Internet or in books, if you want to diagnose yourself. My Resources page might be helpful.

Good Luck on your DIY Healthcare Journey. I wish you well. Say hi as you pass me by. :-)

Do It Yourself Heart and Lung Sound Checks

2009-07-18T11:33:00.006-05:00

Checking heart and lung sounds are probably the most routine checks a healthcare professional performs.

I tried using a manual stethoscope, but decided to make an Electronic Stethoscope and Analyzer. The how-to-make instructions are at http://tgideas.blogspot.com/2009/07/electronic-stethoscope-and-analyzer-for.html

Fascinating!!!! I never knew so much went on in my body. See the attached photos for a peek at the system.

I don't know what I'm looking at in the waveform, so I'll discuss this with my doctor at the next visit, along with my other DIY health tests. Together we'll determine the best course of action.

If I didn't have a doctor available or wanted to treat this on my own, I'd probably do the following....

* Go back to my Resources page and really learn how to perform the heart and lung sounds test properly.

* Learn what normal and abnormal heart and lung sounds are like. From that and other health checks, make my best guess at whether I have a problem or not. Perhaps a good place to start would be http://www.openheartsurgery.com/heart_sounds.html

* Post my waveform on the Internet and ask for opinions on it.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Do It Yourself Blood Pressure Monitoring

2009-07-18T11:15:00.003-05:00

After checking my Blood Pressure occasionally at the mall, pharmacies, etc., I noticed my readings were generally “of concern”. I decided to invest a few dollars in myself and buy a OMRON Model HEM-780 Automatic Blood Pressure Monitor.

For the last month or so, I've been taking my BP mostly daily to get a good average. (I never could figure out how one reading in a doctor's office once a year could determine good/bad health.)

Generally, I'm on the high average range, with higher readings in the morning.

I'll discuss this with my doctor at the next visit, along with my other DIY health tests. Together we'll determine the best course of action.

If I didn't have a doctor available or wanted to treat this on my own, I'd probably do the following....
* Consider the recommendations at the OMRON website.
* Consider the recommendations at the American Heart Association.
* Check books on High Blood Pressure.
* Learn more about High Blood Pressure and my options for treating it on my own.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Do It Yourself pH Testing

2009-07-18T10:49:00.004-05:00

This is the first test I started with – pH Stix for urine and saliva.

My composite score was 5.28. According to the supplied information, this shows I am in The VERY ACIDIC pH Zone.

I'll discuss this with my doctor at the next visit, along with my other DIY health tests. Together we'll determine the best course of action.

If I didn't have a doctor available or wanted to treat this on my own, I'd probably do the following....

Consider the recommendations at PHION website – the maker of the pH Stix.

Consider dietary changes by searching the Internet for suggestions, also looking for Alkaline Diets.

Check books on Alkaline Diets.

Good Luck on your own DIY Healthcare Journey!

Oh My Gosh - It's Cancer!..........NOT

2009-06-17T08:17:00.005-05:00

Hello World - I'm here and thriving!

Recently I had a sore or pimple on the roof of my mouth. It was bothering me knowing it was there and it hurt some when touched. My first thought was that it was cancer. I squeezed it as best as I could and rinsed with hydrogen peroxide. I thought I should go to the doctor ASAP to get the cancer, if it was that. Anyhow, the first symptoms appeared last Sunday and today the symptoms are almost gone.

That got me to be thinking how many times I've thought a malady was serious, maybe even going to the doctor, when it was minor and went away by itself. Other examples are various aches, pains, cold symptoms, etc. I wonder how many people think this way? Anyhow, I've decided this irrational thinking is not helpful to me going forward.

Going forward, I'm going to pay attention to symptoms as they occur and jot them down a 3x5 card, do self-doctoring, wait a week or so and see if it has improved or not.

If improved, give it more time or say it's healed and mention it on my next doctor visit.
If not improved at all, and I've run out of home remedies, and it bothers me a lot go to the doctor. If it doesn't bother me that much, wait until next doctor visit.

Going forward too, I'm planning on 3 month checkups with the doctor instead of the yearly physical, as usual. I do 3 month/3000 miles oil changes/checkups for my car so why not for myself? When I was a maintenance electrican we did Preventative Maintenance (PM's) Checks on machines on a regular basis, which was certainly not yearly. I can give myself a PM and report findings to the doctor every 3 months. Why not?

I also want to remember that my wonderful body has a 24/7 internal diagnosis and repair system, that works with or without my conscious thought or even a healthcare professional. I want to trust that system more and get help for that system only when needed.

Good Luck on your own healthcare experiments - Let me know how it works out for you.

Save money on eyeglasses by doing it yourself.

2009-05-30T12:38:00.004-05:00

Good Afternoon World!

First a thought – Which comes first? - “the doctor empowered patient” or the “patient empowered patient”. Why do we think we need doctors to empower us? We already have the power to manage our own health care.

The following is an example of something I feel empowered about and I did it myself. I got tired of the “scare tactics” of some health care professionals regarding getting the “best available”, when good is good enough for me.

I got tired of paying for paying such a high price for eyeglasses, so I just went to an optometrist and just got a prescription, including my pupil to pupil distance. With that information I could go anywhere and get the prescription filled. In my case, I chose Zenni Optical - Complete prescription eyeglasses from $8.00. I am well pleased with the results, feel empowered, and saved hundreds of dollars.

Some other eyeglass suppliers are at http://www.eyeglassretailerreviews.com/

Good Luck! Feel your own power, my friends.

Next on my list is to get ready to see my own doctor for my annual physical, with the results of my own “do it yourself doctoring”. I'll let you know how it works out.

Legal Stuff - This writing, and any other communication, from TG Ideas LLC are strictly for informational purposes and is definitely not medical advice. See full disclaimer on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - http://www.athenet.net/~ideas/ The above is a collection of publicly available information that anyone could have found and pieced together.

Why I want to Doctor Myself

2009-05-07T08:40:00.003-05:00

Good Morning World!

I retired recently and looking back I can see that I had many of the symptoms of depression or “burn-out” for probably several years. It wasn’t my employer’s fault, or even my fault. I was using good “stress management” techniques, but it wasn’t enough. I intuitively knew I was getting in trouble health-wise, hence I retired.

Many years ago, I was diagnosed with depression and I have been taking a low dose of Prozac to manage.

Now that I’ve been retired a month or so, I can see that I wasn’t being a good doctor to myself. I wasn’t watching my own symptoms, much less reporting them to my doctor.

My example above pushes me even further to “Do It Yourself Doctoring”. It’s up to me to doctor myself and go to a professional as needed. I’ve learned that doctors don’t contact me – I need to contact them. I’ve also learned that many things I can do myself and don’t need a doctor.

Going forward in my healthcare experiment, I have decided to pick and use one central resource for my first-line of health care/maintenance information. Personally, I’m using the book “Healthwise for Life” published by Healthwise. I was getting mixed up with the plethora of health information out there.

I still plan to do my own diagnostic tests to supplement my general health decision making process, but that’s later. In the case of depression, as far as I know there is no “diagnostic test” for this illness, so I’ll be watching my symptoms.

I’ve learned from this experience also that I want my doctor be more of a “life coach” too, helping me make difficult decisions, particularly those decisions involving my health.

Stay tuned for continuing updates. Feel free to comment if you want.

Thanks for reading this. Feel free to pass to others who might be interested. We're all in this healthcare thing together - me, you, and millions of others.

Legal Stuff - This writing, and any other communication, from TG Ideas LLC are strictly for informational purposes and is definitely not medical advice. See full disclaimer on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - http://www.athenet.net/~ideas/ The above is a collection of publicly available information that anyone could have found and pieced together.

When I NEED to go to the Doctor

2009-04-13T09:46:00.004-05:00

Good Morning World!

Going forward in my healthcare experiment, here’s my list of when I NEED to go to a healthcare professional. This topic was spurred on by a comment on my posting on LinkedIn Health 2.0 discussion. It makes sense to me to have an EMERGENCY BUTTON going forward in this experiment. Thanks. Please keep the comments coming. I'm learning.

Tom’s EMERGENCY BUTTON - I will go, or let someone take me, to a healthcare professional if any of these conditions happen…

* If the result of any of my DIY medical tests shows “positive” and I get similar results after one or two repeats of the same test.

* Persistent pain, discomfort, aching, especially chest pain, etc.

* Persistent skin growths, discoloration, etc.

* Unusual and persistent diarrhea, vomiting, or other body discharges

* Persistent blood in stool, urine, saliva, or anywhere else in my body.

* Unusual difficulty in breathing.

* Unusual dizziness, inability to speak, passing out, convulsions, weakness, tingling, burning, numbness, stupor, drowsiness, disorientation, shock symptoms, blindness, etc.

* Serious accident or injury, especially with broken bones, severe bruising, symptoms of blood clot, etc.

* Unusual and persistent thoughts of hurting myself or others, etc.

* If I can’t fix myself and it really bothers me.

* Anything else that seems life threatening or I can’t explain away.

The above is from my second posting – RESOURCES – and from Internet searching.

I was surprised in my Internet searching there was not an easy-to-find list of symptoms that definitely require professional healthcare, if not immediate. If you know of such a list, please let us all know about it, by commenting.

FYI - I'm not doing this experiment outside of the professional medical community, but parallel to it. I am in generally good health now and plan to maintain/improve it, but in my case, I'd like to be more a part of my healthcare. I plan on still going to my doctor for annual physicals and as needed. However, on my next physical I plan on going in with the results of my own "physical examination" and my own DIY medical lab test results - and compare notes. Then we'll both agree on an action plan. Stay tuned for how this goes, later this year.

I'm a very lucky guy in having healthcare and insurance available. However, many people in the world do not have such a luxury. I've been posting on my other Blog http://tgideas.blogspot.com/ information helpful for organizations helping people in poverty countries, e.g. Engineers Without Borders, Design That Matters, etc. I'm also hoping my experiment can help where there is no doctor, for those who just can't afford a doctor, etc.

I'm sincerely grateful for professional doctors, nurses, etc., as much as I'm grateful for professional accountants, mechanics, carpenters, engineers, scientists, etc. Years ago, I had brain surgery, and I'm so grateful that fine surgeon was there when I needed him.

Working in parallel with professional healthcare, what do I have to lose? I'm retired and have time to work on this now. Maybe my experiment can help others. It certainly is helping me, since I'm learning about me and putting my scientific/engineering background to work. For me, it's like exploring a new frontier!

Thanks for reading this. Feel free to pass to others who might be interested. We're all in this healthcare thing together - me, you, and millions of others.

Legal Stuff - This writing, and any other communication, from TG Ideas LLC are strictly for informational purposes and is definitely not medical advice. See full disclaimer on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - http://www.athenet.net/~ideas/ The above is a collection of publicly available information that anyone could have found and pieced together.

Do It Yourself Doctoring Resources - Now and Future

2009-04-09T07:41:00.001-05:00

Good Morning!

As I said in my first posting - In my research, I have found little in the way of Self-Diagnosis. The topic "Health 2.0" seems to come closest. Here's what I've found in books and other resources I’ve found, particularly on Self-Diagnosis. It seems like there are lots of how-to resources once you have the correct diagnosis, however.

Books, CD's, etc....

The Savvy Patient's Toolkit‎by Margo Corbett - 2008 - 250 pages

Complete guide to medical tests‎
by Henry Winter Griffith - 1988 - 932 pages
CD-ROM.

Complete Guide to Medical Tests‎
by Henry Winter Griffith - 1988 - 932 pages
Book

201 Medical Tests You Can Do at Home‎
by Shirley Motter Linde, Harold Laupman - 1983 - 199 pages

Simple Diagnostic Tests You Can Do at Home‎
by Martha M. Christy - 1995 - 108 pages

Where There Is No Doctor: A Village Health Care Handbook‎
by David Werner, Carol Thuman, Jane Maxwell - 1992
– latest issue at Hesperian.

Medical Tests You Can Do Yourself: More Than 250 Simple, At-home ...‎
by Herbert Haessler, Raymond Harris - 1997 - 218 pages

The Mother's Book of Home Medical Tests for Infants & Children‎
by Herbert Haessler, Raymond Herman Harris - 1998 - 176 pages

Medical Tests You Can Do Yourself‎
by Robert S. Katz - 1978 - 144 pages

Do-It-Yourself Medical Testing: 240 Tests You Can Perform at Home‎
by Cathey Pinckney, Edward R. Pinckney - 1989 - 396 pages

Symptom Checkers and other Online Health Information Sources -

e-Second Opinions: 100 Search Engines and Tools for Medical Self-Diagnosis – listing of symptom checkers and much more!

Patient Education –

Information on Lab Tests we can get without a prescription -

Lab Tests Online

ANY LAB TEST NOW®

Legal Stuff -

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. Please don't ask me for medical advice.

Here's what I've found on the legal front...

Many countries have legal restrictions or regulations regarding diagnosing and treating others and the equipment used therein - Alternative Medicine - Regulation, and Medicine - Legal Restrictions, Biomedical Engineering - Regulatory Issues, Medical License, etc. On the other hand, there might be little or no legal restrictions to Self-Diagnosis/Treatment or Self-Experimentation. If in doubt, please check with a legal professional.

My Dream for the future....

Generally, medical diagnostic and treatment more openly available. I'd like more Healthcare Professionals teach us how to "take care of ourselves", the people who wrote the books above.
More public innovation in medical diagnostic and treatment (Open Innovation, Open Source, etc.)
More open public Collaboration in medical diagnostic and treatment - we could learn from others for free.
More capability for Telemedicine, so that we, the public, can exchange diagnostic and treatment information more easily.

Here's how this dream might look....

1. A free computer-based one-stop Medical Advisor that would check more than just symptoms. I’d like to see Symptom Checkers have the capability for the user to input Vital Signs, Diagnostic Test Results, and Health History. Based on these inputs, the computer would give the user most probable Diagnoses. The user then picks a diagnosis. The computer would then give a personalized printed “prescription” for Over-The-Counter Medicines, Exercise, Diet, Treatments, etc. that might help the user’s condition. Think of this as a “Super Symptom Checker”.

2. More DIY home health tests and tools available openly on pharmacy shelves. Examples – Home General Health Diagnostic Tests (e.g. Blood/Urine Panel Tests), Stethoscopes, etc. - plus how to use instructions. (FYI - I've written Walmart and Walgreens asking them about this - no answer yet)

3. Self-Service Health Kiosks in pharmacies, villages, malls, "health-mobiles" etc. that would include a computer-based Medical Advisor, basic medical testing capabilities, and where the user could provide health history on a removable memory card.

4. Health care professionals offer free training sessions on how to diagnose and treat ourselves for common sicknesses. (FYI- I've written local nursing schools and libraries asking them to put on public seminars - no answer yet)

Something similar to this dream concept might be your local DIY home-improvement or automotive-repair stores....

* These stores have many items on the shelf and even more available by online ordering.

* All the items have good how-to-use instructions.

* There are helpful knowledgeable employees onsite. Many of the employees are retired people who did that kind of work before they retired.

* There are frequent "How-To" seminars.

Next steps for me....put this information into practice on myself and let you know how it goes. Stay tuned for progress reports. Got any suggestions?

Thanks for reading this. Feel free to pass to others who might be interested. We're all in this healthcare thing together - me, you, and millions of others.

My own Legal Stuff - This writing, and any other communication, from TG Ideas LLC are strictly for informational purposes. See full disclaimer on TG Ideas LLC publications and website - http://www.athenet.net/~ideas/ The above is a collection of publicly available information that anyone could have found and pieced together.

First Day

2009-04-07T07:27:00.012-05:00

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.

Feel free to comment. Thanks