Are you proactive regarding your healthcare?

Absolutely agree Maw, my very elderly mother, and my very elderly PiL all take a mountain of drugs daily. My PiL have no idea why they take the drugs, or what they are supposed to do, and don’t know the names of the drugs they take. My mother is more informed about her medicines, but takes so many drugs daily, I cannot see how they are all helping her. Many of the drugs have quite serious side effects, for instance statins and beta blockers. Mum is on both, and regularly has what she describes as ‘a funny head’ plus leg pains and cramps. All known side effects of statins. For Mum, the doctor is God. I do think the older generation fail to ask questions of the medical profession. Whenever I ask Mum why she has a new drug, or why she needs another test, she says she doesn’t know.
My daughter is a GP and has often asked why her grandmother is on so many drugs, as she tries to keep her very elderly patients on a drug regime that is not too complicated and not based on the 10 year risk, since they’re in their 90s or older she feels the 10 year risk isn’t relevant to them.
I have often wondered if my mother would have more quality of life if she took fewer tablets. I don’t know because I’m not, and never have been, a doctor.

I can't say that I know anyone like that. My own mum is 90 and only takes a BP med and painkillers for arthritis. If she developed a condition that required anything else, I know she'd be all over it, wanting to know the ins and outs.

When it comes to medications, the pharmacist can be a useful ally in explaining what each drug is and checking for clashes.

Mawboon I totally agree I cannot understand people who ask no questions I have an elderly cousin who tells me she’s been to the doctors and is taking a b or c I ask what are they for and she hasn’t a clue I have various friends who never ask questions but come away from a doctors and take what ever they are given
I m afraid I stay away from any tablets and doctors if not completely needed if I do need anything I research them and always ask questions

Yes, always proactive about my health and my family's health too. I'm normally the one who is researching any problems that we have, checking which medications people are taking etc. I can never understand anyone who just takes what the doctor orders, etc without investigating. I'm all for trusting your doctor, but educating yourself is always the best way.

Can’t understand people like that Maw. I consult Dr Google and self medicate, so far I’m not on any prescriptive medication and aim to keep it that way as long as possible.

I avoid Dr Google at all costs but will consult NHS Choices.

I am also the one with my finger on the pulse as far as the rest of the family is concerned.

Oddly enough Kitty Dr Google is very comprehensive and will indeed lead you to NHS Choices too!

I’m the family unofficially designated researcher. I research and worry about most things including health issues, particularly the impact of medication. There are still people who for whatever reason don’t or can’t challenge doctors. A not so elderly neighbour was taking a huge number of drugs each day, each one prescribed by one of the three consultants treating her. There seemed to be no overview until one realised, stopped them all before reintroducing just three. Our neighbour is fitter, happier and healthier now.

The Royal College of GPs (RCGPs) has recommended Dr Google for the first time, as part of a new “three before GP” mantra to ease the pressure on surgeries.

Patients have been urged to follow three simple steps before booking a doctor's appointment: see whether their problem could be dealt with through self-care, seek help from a reputable online source, or ask a pharmacist for assistance.

The call comes as GP leaders warn there are not enough family doctors working in England to cope with the soaring demand, and that practices are closing at an "alarming rate".

Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard, the chair of the RCGP, said that GPs "really feel the pinch" over the winter period, as she said people need to "think" before picking up the phone to call their surgery for an appointment.

"'Three before GP' is a quick way to summarise to people to think,” she told the Press Association.

“Before you come to the GP surgery for an appointment have you done these three basic things: Self-care - so can I look after this myself?

"Then using online resources like NHS Choices - a reputable source of online information. In years gone by we'd have said look in the family health book but now it is an online resource. The third is seeking advice via a pharmacist.”

Which is why I use NHS Choices rather than Google!

I think by the time we get to our grand old age we have a bit of an instinct about things anyway.

Kitty I think you’ve misunderstood. There is no Dr Google per se. Google is simply the search engine to access sites like NHS Choices. We could have said Dr Bing, Dr Yahoo, Dr Ask or Dr DuckDuckGo ???

Oldmeg, I did not misunderstand. It is well known that just Googling symptoms can lead people down all sorts of scary paths and is not advisable.

Using NHS Choices is recommended as per your quote.

There is a difference.

Well if you think that NHS Choices is the only reputable website out there then you are really limiting yourself. Yes, it’s a good enough site, but there are far better ones.

We find we have to press the GP to do more than say to go home, rest and take paracetamol.
I needed to ask for tests to diagnose my hypothyroidism, the doctor didn't offer them.
Yes, you need to be proactive.

I'm have to be very proactive, as I have multiple conditions.
At my scan yesterday, I saw a consultant rheumatologist, who hadn't even bothered to read my notes. ( My usual rheumatologist is a star, but this " bored" one was the antithesis of him.)
He did a cursory scan of my hands and dismissively said, " I don't see much wrong." When I pointed out that he had missed out my wrists, where the problems are, he changed his tune. The tendons were badly inflamed.
After scanning, he totally changed his tune, when realised that there had been no improvement since my op two years ago. I explained that I had already had lots of intervention, without any success.
Eventually, he started suggesting various "new" medications. I informed him that I had tried them all with various side effects. None were of any use.
I'll prescribe xxxxxxxxx, says he. I refused. He was annoyed, until I pointed out that due the various conditions I have, I have been already told, that I if take this medication, I will be dead in two months.??
Strange as it may seem, I'm not to keen on dying within two months. I've still a lot of GN posting to do.?
Thank goodness, I'm not a silly old lady, who just does as I'm told and doesn't question. ?
If we can, we all need to be active participants in our healthcare.

Marydoll, try to stick around a bit longer!

OurMeg, maybe you could recommend some other sites we might find useful.

Thanks Kitty, I intend to!!

MawBroon, yes I am proactive in looking after my health. I'm with OldMeg on Dr Google, put any condition, symptoms or medication into the Google search engine and there are always a number of informative links. I always read the NHS links before ploughing through the other recommended sites.
Marydoll - like you I have a regular rheumatology appointment. The new specialist nurse I saw recently put incorrect information in the subsequent letter to my GP. It transpired that information related to another patient. I'm still not at the end of the process to ensure my records are accurate. Seeing the same person wherever possible should be built into health care. Recent research provides confirmation, that patients who see the same GP live longer and have better health than those who don't. Well, just fancy that, who'd have thought it.

Quite frankly in this day and age if the patient is not herself pro active, then yes the GP,Consultant or who ever is attending loses interest,and is not nearly as active as they might be.
I have a foster family that reacted very much as was described by Maw and it infuriated me that they never had a clue as to what their illness was or why they had been prescribed a certain drug or procedure,it really was pathetic and I could never understand this kind of lethargic approach to something as important as your own state of health.
Again the firm belief being the Professionals were "Gods" and were all knowing and all healing.
I was then expected to be the "go between" once I became a trained Nurse.

Of course natural curiosity and your own well being should tell you to ask those questions,get to the roots of your conditions,question and even disagree ........as one Consultant always told me *Its your body you know it better than anyone" and of course this is true.
Your instinct is very much your best guide.
By disclosing all the reasons you feel pain or are unwell,only then can you expect and recieve optimum treatments.
Ask those questions,demand the answers,request a second opinion............show a real keen interest.
Dig deep and get to know your drugs and how your body reacts to them.
We owe it to ourselves to get the very best treatments.

NHS Choices toe the company line. They tell you what the policy wonks want you to read. Bearing that in mind they are a very good source of information, but there plenty more reputable and reliable sources available as well as NHS choices. Medicine is an art not a science and is as prone to fashion and sticking to out dated ideas as any other subject.

I always read widely on everything. I certainly am pro-active about my own health and, as far as I am allowed DH's. I think in the generation above us, now mostly departed there was a respect and blind belief in everything the doctor said. I can remember getting very frustrated with my own parents for accepting what the doctor said to them with out question and being unwilling to bother the doctor unless they were virtually at death's door.

Yes Kitty happy to do that.

Firstly I’ve found NICE a very useful site. There’s an excellent and comprehensive 5-6 page information on osteoarthritis for example, which has helped me to manage my condition.

Then there are the specialised websites, such as www.alzheimes’s.org.uk or www.bhf.org (British Heart Foundation) or www.diabetes.org.uk (though they need to update their information) no’s.org.uk (National Osteoporosis Support) and so on.

All these offer advice, support, reviews or treatment options, etc.

I’m sure other posters will provide more reputable sites that they have used specific to their own needs.

The internet is an amazing resource. Like everything else you have to pass some sites through a reality filter, but most people can certainly distinguish those sites which are reputable from those that are crank.

nos.org.uk ...damned predictive text!

I suppose I'm proactive, but I try to avoid going to the doctor, and taking pills, as much as possible.
In another thread someone wrote about the fact that many, if not most people have little knowledge about how their body works. So maybe they have no choice but to trust their doctor completely.
Hope that's not too patronising, everyone's knowledge is limited, even doctors. A lot of medicine seems to be trial and error.

I definitely agree with you Fennel. Knowledge is limited even to doctors whom we depend on the most. As for me, I also try to avoid taking pills. Instead, I take herbal medications.