Become the Expert when it Comes to Your Own (and Your Loved One’s!) Health and Wellbeing

No Doctor likes to see me coming. Just like my mom, I’m very opinionated and well informed when it comes to my own health and wellbeing. I know what works for me, and I have a strong preference for natural, non-prescription treatments for most ailments, if at all possible. I make it my personal business to read, research and find out what the options might be in any given situation, so that I have the best information and inputs I can have with which to make decisions.

When I was 27, I was working in a high-profile career-oriented position in a major multi-national corporation. I was working long hours and really feeling the pressure, much of which I put on myself. Nonetheless, finally the stress began to have physical manifestations in the form of tachycardia (racing heartbeat), so I began to explore what the problem might be.

After visits with 2 different heart specialists and lots of expensive tests, I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse, as well as a rare heart condition known as WPW syndrome. Fortunately neither of these conditions is life-threatening, but it was scary to learn about, especially since I knew that my paternal Grandmother had suffered with heart problems. The Doctor wanted me to start taking Beta Blockers, a way of blocking the parasympathetic nervous system so that I wouldn’t get so worked up.

This was back in 1981, so there was no Internet, no Google. I did it the old-fashioned way, by reading up on the recommended prescriptions in the encyclopedia at the library.

I learned that Beta Blockers were a standard treatment (at the time) for short-term relief of social anxiety, and that they might be able to reduce some peripheral symptoms of anxiety, such as tachycardia and sweating, general tension, and even symptoms of stage fright and public-speaking fears. There seemed to be few side effects, but most sources indicated that once a person started on the medication, they would probably be taking them for life.

I also learned that about one-third of all females have mitral valve prolapse to varying degrees, and that was a relief, since I didn’t feel so threatened about it.

The thought of taking ANY medication for the rest of my life was unacceptable to me, especially if it wasn’t life-threatening. I decided to address my problems the hard way. This was the point in my life where I gave up smoking (for the first time), and I also learned some new relaxation techniques that I could do on my own, as well as re-engaging with yoga lessons. I have always loved yoga, having started when I was 16, but over the years (and during that very busy, early career time), I had slipped into a pattern of not exercising. I got my racing heartbeat under control, and have never taken medication at all. That was 36 years ago.

Then about 7 years ago, the Doctors told me I should go on medication for high blood pressure. This time, I had the Internet at my disposal, and was able to zero in on very good information and opinions regarding whether to (or not), what measurements are high (and within a gray zone), and even information about specific medications that were being recommended. I didn’t like what I was seeing, and again, it was medication for life. Again, I opted to try a natural approach, to see if I could get it under control on my own. Again, I turned to relaxation techniques (this time with meditation) and yoga, along with altering my diet to avoid known contributors to high blood pressure. While I still have a tendency for high blood pressure, I watch it like a hawk, and I have so far been able to keep it under control by being vigilant.

When my mom was diagnosed, it was a natural reaction for me to go online and learn everything I could about her Stage 4 lung cancer, the prognosis, the treatment options and the experiences of other lung cancer patients. I wanted to be as well informed as possible so that I would be able to understand better to what her Doctors and medical team had to say. If I’m completely honest, it was also so that I could challenge them if and when I saw the need. In the end, I could hear what they were suggesting and know that it was the standard treatment, and feel more confident that they (and we) were doing all that we could under the circumstances. This gave me great peace of mind.

Thinking about your own and your loved one’s situation, be lion-like in your hunt for the best and most reliable information and in short, make it your business to:

• Know your own body and its limits and possibilities – you really ARE the expert!
• Monitor anything that makes sense based on your family history and your own experience, via regular health checks
• Get benchmark measurements when you are in your mid-30s so that you can monitor those better as you age
• Similarly, familiarize yourself with your loved one’s health conditions (talking about family history is a great way to get started); there are many stories of aging care receivers who have experienced problems with conflicting interactions of medications, and having you there to advocate for your loved one, to know that they are behaving erratically compared to their normal state can be invaluable in helping to get medications properly calibrated
• Read books, articles and watch videos about caregiving. Proactively educate yourself about the challenges you may be facing, and the options that may be available in your particular situation, as well how to care for yourself while caregiving. For example, various Medicare or Medicaid options may be available (or unavailable) depending upon which State you live in.