Medical News

Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers, Books

WOW, what a book — a perfect guide for those just embarking on a medical journey and a valuable resource for people like me — already surviving a major illness — who wish to better manage their health care for all of time.

Author Laura Nathanson, MD, wrote What You Don’t Know Can Kill You: A Physician’s Radical Guide to Conquering the Obstacles to Excellent Medical Care in honor of the husband she lost after a series of misdiagnoses and for everyone wishing to prevent such tragedy in their own lives.

Nathanson offers readers techniques for identifying signs of misdiagnosis and misleading analysis of symptoms. She shares tips for preventing medical miscommunication, keeping safe in the hospital, and choosing health care plans without falling into the uncovered services trap.

The allure of this book is the easy, non-medical approach Nathanson uses as she urges everyone facing the medical world to take charge of an often inpenetrable system. For the patient who is no stranger to this world, Nathanson’s words will ring abundantly true.

“When I look back on that long period of delayed diagnosis and how we were then and later bounced around from one medical specialist to another, the image that pops into my head is that of a slightly mad, grotesque volleyball game — with the patient as the ball,” she writes.

For the patient new to medical confusion, Nathanson’s words will impart volumes of truth.

“Here’s what I’ve learned, and what you must learn if you wish yourself and your loved ones to survive a bout with serious illness,” she reports. “No matter who you are, physician or not, lucky or not; no matter how rich, famous, successful, good-looking, innocent, kindly or powerful; no matter how close and trusting the relationship you have with those providing your medical care — you cannot rely on today’s medical system to keep you healthy, safe and alive.”

Amen.

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Original post by Jacki Donaldson

Filed under: Prevention, All Cancers, Books

WOW, what a book — a perfect guide for those just embarking on a medical journey and a valuable resource for people like me — already surviving a major illness — who wish to better manage their health care for all of time.

Author Laura Nathanson, MD, wrote What You Don’t Know Can Kill You: A Physician’s Radical Guide to Conquering the Obstacles to Excellent Medical Care in honor of the husband she lost after a series of misdiagnoses and for everyone wishing to prevent such tragedy in their own lives.

Nathanson offers readers techniques for identifying signs of misdiagnosis and misleading analysis of symptoms. She shares tips for preventing medical miscommunication, keeping safe in the hospital, and choosing health care plans without falling into the uncovered services trap.

The allure of this book is the easy, non-medical approach Nathanson uses as she urges everyone facing the medical world to take charge of an often inpenetrable system. For the patient who is no stranger to this world, Nathanson’s words will ring abundantly true.

“When I look back on that long period of delayed diagnosis and how we were then and later bounced around from one medical specialist to another, the image that pops into my head is that of a slightly mad, grotesque volleyball game — with the patient as the ball,” she writes.

For the patient new to medical confusion, Nathanson’s words will impart volumes of truth.

“Here’s what I’ve learned, and what you must learn if you wish yourself and your loved ones to survive a bout with serious illness,” she reports. “No matter who you are, physician or not, lucky or not; no matter how rich, famous, successful, good-looking, innocent, kindly or powerful; no matter how close and trusting the relationship you have with those providing your medical care — you cannot rely on today’s medical system to keep you healthy, safe and alive.”

Amen.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments

Original post by Jacki Donaldson