The Evolution of My Medical Mind

A long, long time ago I wrote a post about the book Your Medical Mind that I heard on NPR: I Heard My Savior On NPR.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/09/books/review/your-medical-mind-by-jerome-groopman-and-pamela-hartzband-book-review.html

My post was mostly about how these doctors admitted that people should be treated on an individual basis, not by numbers and rules set up arbitrarily by a focus group. They also spoke about how we as individuals respond to medical professionals. Some people are more apt to do whatever a doctor says,without questioning. Others are skeptical of everything. And some people fall somewhere in the middle.

The New York Times review explains it like this: "Groopman and Hartzband explore two sets of biases that affect patient decisions. We can be minimalists, preferring to do as little as possible, or maximalists who aggressively pursue treatment. We can be technology enthusiasts, seeking the newest drugs or procedures, or naturalists who believe the body can cure itself, perhaps with the aid of spiritual and plant-based remedies. Of course, these orientations interact..."

I have been thinking about this lately because over the last three years I've gone from someone who would indeed do whatever a doctor suggested to someone who is basically just frustrated with the seemingly god-like mentality of many doctors.

Initially when I was experiencing mind-numbing lethargy and horrible joint pain and swelling, I went to the doctor who a) put me on a dose of thyroid medication about four times what it should have been and b) who freaked out and basically told me my liver was crapping out. In the end, I went into his office two times complaining of chest pain and weight loss (because the dose was so high I was actually becoming hyper-thyroid). He told me to stay on that dose so he could see how my thyroid levels were after taking it for a month. In the end I was 25-30 pounds lighter, I twitched a lot, and he was basically glad to see me move to another city. Great work, Doc.

Aside from my personal experience with doctors basically having no idea what's wrong with me, I keep hearing anecdotal stories that are just plain frustrating. The evidence ranges from doctors in the 70s claiming a certain anti-nasuea drug was perfectly safe (when in fact in caused babies to be born without all their limbs) to doctors declaring a whole family of kids strep-free, when a second test revealed that they all did have strep.

My friend who recently had a baby was told at a check-up that she could take a drug for her nausea and that it was perfectly safe. The knowledge that this happens all the time, that drugs are 'safe' until suddenly they're not safe at all, kept her from taking it.

I saw an ad on TV calling for all those who had ever taken the anti-acne drug Acutane, because apparently people who have taken it now have colon problems, even to the point of having their colon removed. Now, people, I remember very clearly in high school knowing several people on that drug and even being offered that drug myself. The dermatologist told me it was safe, it was an option for acne. I guess at the time it hadn't been tested enough to show that after taking Acutane, you might have to poop in a bag for the rest of your life?

Thus, I have become someone who did do what the doctor ordered and it ended up hurting me. So I have gone from a trusting little lady to one who is now basically on guard with medical professionals. Sad day.

How has your medical mind evolved over the years?