My medical advice

I have decided that it is time to share my medical advice - garnered from years of being a patient. I never went to medical school and still close my eyes any time a needle is near but I do have my opinions (of course I do, if I didn't have an opinion I wouldn't have anything to write about in my blog).

- Medical advice from your doctor is in the same category as speed limits. It is your choice to heed them but if you don't you may end up paying a price. I do listen to my doctor and usually follow their advice but sometimes do not and then I tell them about it. If you just ignore the speed limit and your doctor's advice you may end up in a different category - dead.

- Hospitals are no place to get any kind of rest or personal attention. They are places to get poked and prodded and monitored and finally, luckily, you get sent home.

- The biggest lies in the medical industry are: 'you might feel a pinch/pressure/discomfort for a second', 'after a short recovery, you will be ready to go home', 'most people experience improvement within 24 hours'.

- The things they don't tell you before surgery or other medical adventures: how much pain you will be in, how long until you feel like your old self, and what your scar will look like.

- The more medical adventures you have the less modesty you retain.

- Your insurance company will always try to interfere with your medical life in someway - by when you can refill your prescription, which procedure you are privileged to have, and when you can see your doctor.

- You need to be armed for every doctor visit with your list of medications, list of questions to ask, and sometime to occupy your time - book, newspaper, etc - while you wait. The less you have to occupy your time, the longer you will wait bored out of your mind.

That is the sum of my medical knowledge. I am happy to share. If you have anything else to add, please let me know.