The Braley Blog

“Pete’s Daily Connection”

Medicine Is Great Until It’s Not

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2 minutes

Medicine.

One of the greatest inventions in our world along with indoor plumbing, sliced bread, Betty White, Super Bowl Sunday and…I don’t know…Fleetwood Mac?

While it has helped millions and millions of people we also know how it’s been abused and misused by many. 

Then we enter the current state of medicine where the insurance company decides whether or not they will allow you to have the medicine your doctor (the trained professional who went into this science because they want to help people), has prescribed.

This week I discovered another issue with medicine: communication.

Without getting too personal, this week I had an issue with some medication. We tried to adjust one of my many meds this week but that resulted in totally screwing up my sleep schedule! Totally! Did you know “Friends” is on Nickelodeon at 3:00 a.m.?


I could not sleep. I swear I was awake all night Sunday night, Monday night and the rest is a blur.

Yawn!

What happened, without getting too personal, was we discontinued one med (because of at least two years of insurance company issues) and increased another med. HOWEVER, I was never specifically told when to take the med. When I finally got to see my doctor in his office he asked, “When are you taking the medicine?” I said, “I was told twice a day, so morning and at bedtime.” Wellllllll…it turns out this medicine has norepinephrine in it and that’s a form of adrenaline. ADRENALINE! At bedtime! No wonder I’m now a fan of late night “Friends” reruns.

Plus I found out I needed a new medicine to protect my stomach from another medicine. Again, no one ever told me this!

Yeah, communication. I’m sure I’m not the only person who has multiple doctors for multiple issues. And God forbid they’re with different medical groups! Yikes!

Never stop learning

I always try to never stop learning and what I’ve learned this week is — ask more questions. Make sure you’re clear on when to take your medicines, whether or not you need food with it and ask how all this stuff interacts with each other. I know, they should know this stuff and they should look at all the meds you’re on but why not confirm? I honestly feel that our medical professionals are doing their best but many of them are tired. They have tried to keep going through a pandemic and even before that, the limitations of their corporate mandates and insurance conglomerates. We need to take a more active role in our health. And if your older relatives or friends are having issues, maybe it’s time for you to step in.

I just know that when I finally slept it felt fantastic! And I’m looking forward to a much better week.

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2 responses to “Medicine Is Great Until It’s Not”

  1. Diane Hahn Avatar
    Diane Hahn

    I have learned to always write down and bring to the doctors with me my current medications dosages and when and how I take them because every time you go whether it’s to your primary or specialist you’ve been seeing for a little while you always get asked that question regardless of how many times you’ve told them in the past. I also think ahead and write questions down so that when I’m there I don’t forget or get confused about what I needed to know. For me the worst part of a medical visit is having to rehash my medical history all the way back to the tonsillectomy when I was six. I always feel like saying, “have you not taken the time to read my chart with my medical history that I’ve been giving you for 3 years (or 3 months or whatever it is)? I already know the answer from the medical professionals point of view “ain’t nobody got time for that sh*t”. I can’t say that I blame them because they really don’t have time because whichever medical conglomerate they work for they are told to double or sometimes triple book appointments and to take only 10 to 15 minutes with each patient. They will deny it of course if you ask about it because if they are honest about it enough times the conglomerate won’t like it. I also try to get my primary to be the prescriber of all my meds regardless of which specialist may have originally prescribed them. That helps to bridge any gaps in communication between the different doctors. It also helps that I married a medical professional who can coordinate all of this for me and helps me keep my meds and history in order. I’m glad you’re feeling better your Squad missed you last week.

    Reply
    1. Pete Avatar
      Pete

      Thanks so much for some good ideas.

      Reply

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