doctor

*This article was originally published on 9/3/2017 and was updated on 1/29/2022 When I became a caregiver to my dad, I quickly realized that I was not going to be able to keep all of his medical information in my head. After years of packing my brain with medical facts, I began to feel I

*Please note that this article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. You should always use your best judgment and the advice of your personal physician or another licensed healthcare professional when deciding when and where to seek medical care.*   Years ago, there were very few options for

My husband may not be happy that I’m sharing this but getting him to go to the doctor is like dragging a toddler out of Disney World at the end of a long day. He doesn’t kick and scream, (ok, he doesn’t cry either) but he puts up fierce resistance. He comes up with a

I will never forget April 11, 2018. That is the day my pain journey began, the day I became a patient. I’ve actually been a patient a few times in my life. I delivered two babies, had my gallbladder removed, and I’ve had a couple of oral surgeries. However, those experiences pale in comparison. My

Part 3 of a 3-Part Series in recognition of Health Literacy Month   I’m the parent of a strong-willed, teenaged daughter. Since she was a very young child, she’s always wanted to know the “why” behind just about everything, including the many directives issued by me and her dad. While this can sometimes be exasperating,

Part 2 of a 3-Part Series in recognition of Health Literacy Month Imagine being placed behind the wheel of a brand new car. Sounds really nice, right? Now imagine you are only 13 years old, you haven’t taken a single driver’s education class, and you have no idea what to do. Unfortunately, this is often

Have you ever heard the saying, “What you don’t know won’t hurt you?” It’s sometimes used to glorify the “ignorance is bliss” mentality. The idea is that we can’t worry about issues if we don’t know about them. It is also used to justify lying by omission, the act of leaving out “small details” to

I live in a metropolitan area with several renowned academic medical centers and high-quality community hospitals. When my mother was diagnosed with leukemia, she received top-notch care at a local university hospital’s cancer center. My father had open heart surgery at a facility with an award-winning cardiac surgery department. There’s a peace of mind associated

My father was college-educated and had no obvious difficulty understanding medical advice in his earlier years. However, when he began to develop dementia there was a very noticeable change in his intellectual capacity. When I accompanied him to doctor visits, I noticed that not only did he struggle with understanding his instructions, he was also

There have been numerous changes to the way health care is delivered in the United States. Regulatory agencies, electronic medical records and insurance companies have altered the way physicians practice medicine. One of the unfortunate consequences has been the erosion of the doctor-patient relationship. Many patients don’t trust their doctors anymore. With less time for