It pays to be proactive when your health is concerned By Ana-María Fernández Adelante Contributor Sometimes things happen for reasons we don’t understand. This has been my case. What began as a pain in the back and all the way down the leg now turns out to be a fracture in a vertebra of my spinal column. Of course one goes to the doctor to get the best treatment. We also trust that those doctors, as they have studied so much, are the best in this field and they help us enormously. In my case, I have a doctor who is very intelligent and also listens well. But, also, nowadays doctors have the enormous responsibility of seeing a certain number of patients in a very limited time, which means that we the patients must be proactive when it comes to our health and the treatment that we should receive. In my case, when I went to the doctor, she took an X-ray in which the diagnosis was normal and she sent me to a physical therapist. During the following weeks, my pain increased and other complications appeared, so I returned to my primary doctor. It wasn’t until the third visit that they referred me to a specialist. It was this specialist who ordered a series of X-rays that diagnosed the fracture. He told me to use a corset and gave me some work restrictions. After having passed three months and still suffering pain, I began to read on the Internet about my condition. When I returned to the primary doctor, I asked her about a type of radiography (MRI) that is more sensitive in the diagnosis of the bones and muscles. This was done at the end of December, and that’s when a series of events began that is hard to believe! My primary doctor called me and left a message on my answering machine saying that nothing new could be seen on the MRI scan, and that I had an appointment in three weeks. But as she was on Christmas vacation, my husband suggested that I should ask for a copy of the results at the clinic. When we read the copy, we realized that the information was incomplete. The results had been sent by fax, and instead of having four pages, it only had the first and the fourth. After calling the nurse and explaining to her the mistake, nothing was done I had to go in person to the clinic a week before the next appointment. Here the nurse had just realized the error and asked the receptionist to call the hospital. The day of my appointment arrived, and theclinic still didn’t have the second page of the results. This was the most important page because it contained information about other things that previously had not been realized. Finally, I was referred to a second specialist. I am telling you all of this because nowadays we have to be very proactive about our health. The doctors, thanks to the insurance system, have little time and a great deal of pressure. We must be more active and help them. That’s why, before going to the doctor, try to take the following: A diary of your symptoms. Here, try to note when the pain began (the date), where (part of the body) and the kind of pain (mild or intense). The name(s) of the analgesic(s) you have taken to alleviate the symptoms and the dose. Keep copies of the prescriptions that the doctors send you; this will help a lot if afterward you move to another state and have to see a different doctor. Take a list of questions already written so when you talk to the doctor, you don’t forget. In the list of questions, write what type of exams (X-ray or blood tests) you think could help in your diagnosis. This helps a doctor with limited time. When they tell you the results of the tests, ask for copies to have more information about your own case. Consult among your friends about the treatments they have received in conditions like yours. Search the Internet at such sites as www.webmd.com or www. google.com. I hope this advice will help you. Today we have so much technology, but so little time to spend with the doctor. Ana-María Fernández is a research technician at UMC Division of Biological Sciences and is the mother of two children. She is from Cuba.