Health

Doctors Reveal What It’s Like To Go To The Doctor For Themselves

1. You will know when enough is enough. “My husband is a family medicine doc, and he won’t go to the doctor. He found out a… Trista Smith - December 14, 2021

When we visit the doctor, we expect the best care possible because, well, they are the experts. Doctors have to study at medical school for years, so we put our complete trust in them. But what about when doctors get sick? They are only human, too, after all. So where does another doctor go? You might think it would be easy for doctors to diagnosis themselves, and so they don’t go at all. But is that really the case? Maybe doctors go under the pretense they are just a regular patient, and want to see how they are treated before revealing the big secret. Here are 28 stories of doctors, or friends/family of doctors, describing what they have been through going to the doctor’s office.

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28. I need to be treated, not consulted.

“Mixed experience on both sides. As a doctor for a doctor, I feel uneasy because I don’t want to miss something and be thought of as incompetent… even the slam dunk case. But that’s the imposter syndrome. Communicating isn’t so bad because they understand and somewhat anticipate. However, I do second guess if they are guiding the diagnosis because of their knowledge. Not that they can fake results, but suspicion from subjective components like reported symptoms can be swayed.” says this doctor, aga523, about their experience.

They continue: “As a patient, I’ve been frustrated. I only go in for my once yearly baseline labs and review. If I go in for an acute issue, it’s because I’ve exhausted my own differentials and attempts to treat it. But when I go in, half the time is more socializing conversation. And when they get down to treatment, it’s like they’re asking me for approval. The worst experience of this was one time when I was admitted for high-grade fever and hallucinations because of flu. I was lucid enough to give as much history as possible and recall the interaction. The doctor was asking me if I agreed with the plan and had any preference for treatment. (Had not yet diagnosed, still in the investigation phase. ) Considering I was seeing animals crawling around the room, I just said, get my fever down and draw all the labs they thought necessary. I appreciate the professional courtesy… but I really needed to be treated and not consulted.”

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27. Being able to “talk doctor” is a bonus.

“I am a doctor, can confirm. I had a fairly significant medical event happen this fall, for which I’m still seeing multiple specialists. It’s nice because when I say I’m a doctor, the providers switch from the language we use to talk to patients to the language we use to talk to each other, and I feel like I can both express things with better accuracy and understand things more clearly when we use the jargon I’m accustomed to hearing when I talk to other doctors.”

Chambered-nautilus continues, “I also try not to be the doctor to myself and will defer to my providers’ advice and recommendations because I inherently can’t see myself objectively. For example, one of my specialists suggested that I should start a new medicine for a bothersome but not debilitating symptom related to my medical event from earlier this year. I instantly thought of three different drugs that could be used and their side effect profiles. Actually, I wrote down a chart for which drugs would cause which side effects and how they might affect my life, and the timeline they’d need before my symptoms improved versus just dealing with the symptom. Ultimately I just ended up booking an appointment with my PCP to discuss it with him. I’ll end up choosing whatever he recommends.”

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26. When your friends and family are also doctors, you’re in good hands.

The point of view from Fresherty you may find interesting because they are not from the USA. Let’s see how it compares to some of our other stories. “I’ll preface it with “Not In USA.” You really don’t, at least not in the same way you would as a patient. Most trivial stuff doesn’t require any interaction with others. If you’re unsure, want a second opinion or sounding board… that’s again not really a problem. Especially when you come from a family of doctors, but even if that’s not the case, your entire circle of friends is … you guessed it, doctors. So you just call them. When something more serious happens, it’s more like a weird consult – we both know what’s going on, let’s skip the bull and get into the important stuff.”

“A bit of a special case is when there’s an emergency. When calling 112, you really should start with “I’m a doctor, here’s what’s happening” to – again – at least attempt to skip all the bull. Not that it always works. It’s really extremely frustrating speaking from experience. When for one reason or another, you or someone close to you has to be admitted to a hospital, you call someone you know that works there or someone you know that knows someone who works there. Again: to skip all the bull (and honestly also to jump the queue and avoid a ‘normal patient’ experience). But yeah, you really don’t want to be admitted unless you REALLY need to for a variety of reasons.”

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25. Emergency services are just as important as the doctors in the hospital.

“The USA here, former 911 medical dispatch. At the private ambulance agency where I worked, when a caller says they’re a doctor, we still have to follow our protocol and ask our standard questions. (NAEMD for the dispatch folks) “Tell me exactly what happened. How old is the patient? Is the patient conscious? Are they breathing? Is their breathing normal?”…and so on. This can lead to some very disgruntled doctors throwing medical jargon at me and yelling, “Just get here now!” This is understandable because they’re not used to dealing with emergencies in the field. Insertcaffeine actually describes a typical 911 call here, which is very insightful and interesting. “Doctor: JUST GET HERE NOW! Don’t you know what commotio cordis is?!

Me: No, sir. The ambulance is driving over from 38th & Wadsworth. Doctor: I DON’T KNOW WHERE THAT IS! Me: [feelin smug as #$%& but continuing the call with professionalism] The ambulance should be here within the next few minutes. Is there someone who can relieve the person doing CPR? Crew: On scene Me: [to radio] They’re on the baseball field, [timestamp] Me: [to phone] You should see the ambulance driving onto the field. Please wave them down.

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24. It’s not easy to diagnose yourself.

“For me, it’s hard to turn off the “here’s what I think is going on and here’s what I need” sort of mentality. It’s just a reflex because that’s what we do every day. Identify a problem, propose a solution. But it is bad. Why? Two reasons: 1.) It’s a d#$%-move. It is disrespectful to tell another practitioner how they should be doing their job. Trying to direct your own care is a quick way to get your doctor annoyed with you, and generally speaking, it won’t improve your outcome but will drive up the bill.” Broken_castor makes a great point – you have to let other doctors do their job too!

“2. I am often wrong about my body. Despite all my medical knowledge, interpreting signs and symptoms on yourself is very different from doing it to a patient, and we are often wrong. For example, a brilliant surgeon friend of mine diagnosed herself with a stomach ulcer, and it was a small bowel resection needing an exploratory operation. I mean, as a surgeon, that stuff is literally our bread and butter. Did she diagnose herself correctly, no? Instead, she dealt with the pain for weeks while the ulcer meds did nothing and ended up in the emergency room once it got unbearable (i.e., the way that every other non-physician patient presents). The emergency room doc diagnosed her before she’d even gotten the CT because it was textbook small bowel obstruction. It’s just not easy to diagnose yourself.”

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23. Family and business should never mix.

“Personally, if it’s a doctor I have never met before, I don’t announce that I am a doctor. If the question of what I do comes up, then I will let them know. I do not want their judgment to be clouded based on knowing that I am a doctor, nor am I looking for preferential treatment. So, I do have an idea of what should be done, but like any other patient, I do have the right to refuse treatment or disagree with the treatment plan, but for the most part, I go along with what the doctor suggests.”

“I don’t give them a hard time, and I am never rude to them like most patients are. Learning to let that control go is something I had to work on when I became a doctor. I have a small child, and I am not her doctor. She has a pediatrician, and we take her when she is due for her follow-up visits, sick visits, etc. Again, I do this because I do not want my relationship with her to cloud my judgment.” Cooziethegrouch is smart in making the decision on separating family from business and care.

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22. No med students here, please.

“I’m a pediatric resident. I’m currently pregnant so going to the doctor quite a bit lately. I see a different person every time, for the most part. I guess that’s how it goes in an academic setting. The intake form asks about occupation, so if anyone bothers to read the social history section of my chart, they’ll know. They might ask me about how I’m holding up in residency. The last time when I said I was having hip pain, told me not to take the stairs all the time (we tend to be stairs, people, when rounding in the hospital because it’s usually more convenient).” Worryworttheworrier understands the routine of the checkups but has an interesting boundary she has set for her birth – keep reading to see what she’s requesting.

“But other than that and me understanding things on a different level than the average person, it’s not particularly awkward or different. It does get awkward when I see a brand new med student but only for me because I’m like, ah, I remember those days. Also, I’m not going to let any med students come to my delivery because I have the potential to supervise them later on. One of the family medicine residents I worked with twice is going to be on L&D around my due date but promised me that he would not pick me up as a patient.

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21. Outdated equipment in the modern world.

“I’ll let you in on a little-known secret among docs: The stethoscope is largely an outdated instrument with very low sensitivity and specificity for most pathologies. It only remains because patients expect it. It basically has zero utility for a new patient without symptoms (non-emergent exam). If someone has difficulty breathing, do you think it matters what the stethoscope sounds like? You’re still going to get an X-ray and/or treat.” PacoTacoMeat brings up some interesting insider knowledge. You could ask your own doctor about this on your next visit! They continue:

“If someone is having chest symptoms or an abnormal pulse, do you think the stethoscope will dictate whether a CXR, CT, EKG, and/or echo are ordered? No one other than a cardiologist is going to diagnose any cardiac abnormality, and even they are going to order one or more of the tests above. Basically, no relevant diagnosis or clinical decision-making is made with a stethoscope nowadays. The only place the stethoscope has a small use is in the emergent setting and/or where there’s no modern technology from the last 100 years available.”

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20. Everyone should be treated the same.

“If I go to the doctor, it’ll be a doctor who isn’t in my specialty, and I will literally behave like any other patient except I know what to tell him better. I’ll just skip the part where I see a GP before it and go directly to the specialist because my knowledge level is equal to the GPs knowledge level usually.” Gk786 makes a great point/suggestion of leaving out the fact that you are a doctor as well. This could mean that they get the same level of care as any other patient and is treated like one.

“Back when I first started seeing patients as a medical student and taking histories, one of my first patients was a gynecologist lady. I took her history and was presenting it to the attending when she corrected me on a pretty big mistake I made in the middle, saying, “No, that’s not true; you didn’t ask that properly. I said I had this, this, and this.” It was sooo embarrassing for me, haha. But usually, I love doctor patients because they are easier to talk to and explain everything to clearly and quickly.”

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19. Sometimes, it’s just easier to say you work in healthcare.

“Not a doctor but work in healthcare and just graduating from nursing school. The actual workers (doctors, nurses, etc.) don’t generally tell you, so those that often do, in my experience, aren’t actually what they say they are (such as saying they are a nurse and then asking me if their blood pressure was good. Or saying I “hit their finger bone” when doing a finger stick, which is impossible with the needle I’m using). Usually, the only times my providers have known I do anything healthcare is when I accidentally use a medical term that most people wouldn’t, and that’s usually what prompts me to ask someone if they didn’t tell me.”

“For the patients, I’ve had legit in healthcare it’s just easier to explain things since I can just say the medical term and not have to try and explain in other terms and often have a better understanding of meds so I can just name the med and they know what I’m talking about. Fewer explanations are needed overall. Bonus that I often don’t need to actually go to the doctor since I know enough providers to get their opinions and can get the doctors I work at to prescribe some meds without an official visit since we just chat during work.” Future_nurse19 is right. There are definitely perks to working alongside doctors!

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18. It doesn’t matter who does certain treatments; it’s all the same.

“I’m a Physicians’s Assistant, not a GP, but I think the situations are fairly comparable here. For most preventative things like checking my blood pressure, my weight, or getting a mammogram, there’s absolutely no difference between my experience and the average pt. For any kind of vaccination, test, or giving blood. Again no difference. The biggest oddity is that when I’m sick, I consciously try to come in with symptoms rather than a diagnosis or any kind of treatment. As in rather than saying, “I have an ear infection, can I get a z-pack” or even telling them what I suspect, I’ll just describe my symptoms and let them take a look and come to the same conclusion themselves.”

“Thus far, I’ve never had any reason to contradict any diagnosis I’ve gotten, but I have at times asked for a different medication than what they suggest. Often that’s just down to personal preference, though.” PA_PA is talking about a great approach in how they handle their medical care. Instead of saying what they think the diagnosis is, it’s better to see what the other doctor comes up with themselves from their point of view. You can always say what you prefer later or if you think it could be something else!

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17. Dentists are doctors too.

I’m a dentist. I regularly tell my patients with TMJ issues how to alleviate their pain…reduce stress, cut out caffeine, sleep in literally any position other than your stomach, stop chewing gum, hold your head/neck in a proper position, actually get a nightguard and wear it. I’ve had TMJ pain on and off for six years. I do all of the things I tell my patients NOT to do. I do them every single day and often to excess.”

“Long story short: I diagnose myself. I don’t treat myself.” ParkingTadpole explains they are only human too. Sometimes, you’ll want to listen to the saying, “practice what you preach.” If you are giving advice out to people, you should be practicing that advice yourself too. Even though he does diagnose themselves, which many of the other doctors on here admit to not doing, at least they don’t try to treat or medicate themselves.

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16. Unremarkable genitals are lost in a sea of other unremarkable genitals.

“Okay, so I’m a CNA, so I’ve seen more d!$%s than a hooker. I am WAY less shy about my body than health care professionals now. It’s just so not a big deal to us. I see naked people literally every day at work. I’m not even uncomfortable or shy when I get a pelvic exam (or transvag ultrasound or an endometrial biopsy). It’s just more skin, and I know from personal experience that unremarkable genitals are lost in a sea of other unremarkable genitals.” Damn_Dog_Inappropes explains what we often hear from our parents – they are doctors, and they have seen it all! It’s best to be open and honest with your doctors.

“That being said, I’m pretty tight with my primary care doc. He’s never even so much as seen me in my undies, much less had his hand inside me. As much as I understand that it’s just more skin, and 3.2 seconds after my clothes are back on, he’ll have forgotten what my vag looks like. I’m still not sure I want him to see me naked. I know someday he’s going to have to do a well-woman exam on me (at least a breast exam), but it is not this day!”

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15. It’s all in whom you know.

“There was a point I was waiting to go in for an op, and it kept getting delayed. Then all of a sudden they called me up and said the NHS would be paying for me to go to a Bupa hospital and have the op. So, I spoke to a friend that worked in the hospital I should have been having the op in originally. I asked him if he could find anything out. It turns out the surgeon that was meant to be doing my op on the NHS had decided to do a favor for his girlfriend by doing an op on her daughter and made a mistake, but I was waiting on an op on my ear, so guessing it was the same for her. ”

“Not sure the outcome of the mistake, but he got suspended while it was investigated, and a few of his patients that were waiting for ops got moved to private at the NHS expense. 10/10 would want my NHS surgeon to do that again if it meant that I got to go private without the cost.” Homingstar got very lucky this time. If they didn’t have that friend who could find out about the surgeon doing another procedure – they wouldn’t have gotten the extra care. What a sweet deal for them in the end!

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14. Everyone deals with death in different ways.

Preech says, “I come from a family of doctors. I am a doctor, and I grew up knowing basically every doctor in my area. The best story I got is about a doctor we will call “Graybow,” perhaps one of the most senior and respected internal medicine doctors in my area. My dad is a workaholic. He loves medicine more than anything, and if he could do anything, it would likely be spending more time in the hospital. Me? Not so much… Dad and Dr. Graybow were very similar in how much they love their work. Dad and Graybow over the years became good friends and had a sort of direct and cynical humor they shared with each other. At one point, my dad cracked a joke at Graybow because he again showed up to work even though he was a bit sick.

Dad asked: “Hey Gray, when do you think you are going to retire? You are getting pretty old, and we don’t want to have to pick you up off the floor here at some point. Graybow replied: I’ll never retire. Wait. Yeah, I will… when I die. Graybow never retired. A few years later, he was driving back home from an outing with his middle-aged son, and he started having a heart attack. While I assume he was experiencing the severe and horrible pain of a heart attack, he just looked over at his son and said: I am sorry, I have a heart attack. …he passed away after pulling over. The man apologized to his son for having a heart attack that he was completely aware of. I can’t say I would have handled that as he did.”

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13. Mental health is as important as our physical health.

A deleted user says, “Not a doctor but a long-term caregiver who’s worked in Hospice/Mental Illness/and Developmental Disabilities. I married a man with PTSD induced by severe childhood trauma. He suffers from severe depression and anxiety. About two years ago, he had a mental breakdown after a large change in our lives—actually, several large changes. We got married. Both changed our jobs. I had major surgery, we moved and adopted a dog all in the span of six months. The day his breakdown took hold, life had completely changed for him, and I had been hounding him to help me pack up our lives every day for weeks and just didn’t understand why he wasn’t excited to be moving to a great new place that allowed dogs! He loves dogs!”

“And as blatantly obvious as it seems now, I didn’t see it then. I deep down feel incredible guilt for being someone who has had so much training in healthcare, and caring for others, watching for signs of mental health struggles, the fact that I not only didn’t see him struggling but also contributed to it, had made me question whether or not I am a good person. I have felt so guilty for so long. Through therapy, I have learned to understand that when it’s your loved one, you are blinded by that. Your love for them hinders your ability to think straight. To see the signs effectively. And that’s okay. Luckily I was able to get him to help through therapy and some PRN medication. I feel so incredibly lucky to still have him today. And so incredibly guilty that I didn’t help him sooner.”

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12. I can write my own prescriptions.

“Doctor here. I will diagnose myself and write scripts or as a partner for things like flu, tendinitis, etc. I go to a derm friend every 6-12 months for a mole check. Other big things I’ll ask friends I trust who are doctors.” says the doctor going by _Gphill_, which seems like it may be a blurred line – is it okay to write your own prescriptions? Should doctors be allowed to do this? It seems like it should always be looked at by another doctor, even for the less serious things.

They continue: “The major problem this question leads to but may not ask do you call in sick when you are a doctor. In 9 years of private practice, I haven’t missed a day, despite being sick. There was an article a few years ago that labeled it a Presenteeism instead of absenteeism. It’s showing up when you shouldn’t. Personally, I don’t want to inconvenience people who have missed work or waited on a result, and I don’t want to dump on my partners. Lots of handwashing and apologies for staying far back during conversations.”

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11. A happy ending to a bad diagnosis.

“My father is a doc. He had been having shortness of breath and chest tightness worsening over a few months. One day, after work was done and the clinic was closed, he hopped in the CT scanner and read his own CT scan. Massively enlarged lymph nodes all through his body – lymphoma. He’s alive and well after diagnosing himself with cancer years ago!” MrsRodgers’s father had an outcome after having a scary diagnosis. It’s a good thing they did the CT scan, and here is an update on how he is doing years later:

“EDIT: Holy crap, this blew up. To address FAQs: he is a partner in a private practice group that owns their own outpatient centers. Thus he was able to use the scanner informally. Yes, I know we are privileged to be a medical family, and he is so lucky to have access to care that isn’t affordable for a huge chunk of the US population. MEDICARE FOR ALL. I’m not sure if he had a partner stay behind to help with the scanner. I’ll have to ask. And he is 17 or so odd years in remission from stage 4 non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and doing fantastic. Retiring in a month after 45 years in radiology!”

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10. You are not immortal.

“Okay, so my dad is a doctor, and one time when I was around 7, he fell out of a tree directly onto a rock while we were camping, and he had a giant scrape on his side. He told us he was okay and nothing was wrong, so we left as planned and canoed back to our car without incident, besides my mom constantly telling him to stop paddling because of his side and him telling her everything was fine. He basically just said it was a scrape and nothing was wrong.” says The_Chief_Zev, but that’s not their dad’s only misfortune. Keep reading to see what really happened.

“About a week later, he was having trouble BREATHING, and he still wouldn’t go see a doctor because he self-diagnosed that he was okay, so my mom had to FORCE him to go to the hospital and get an x-ray done, and it turns out he had two broken ribs. So not only do doctors self-diagnose themselves, but they’re also pretty dumb when they’re doing it. TLDR: my dad’s a doctor/idiot, and he wrongly self diagnoses himself all the time because he thinks he’s immortal or something.”

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9. What it’s like when the doctor is sick.

“I’m the audiologist at an ENT office; there are two more audiologists that work at our “subdivision” hearing aid clinic. I do everything in my power to avoid calling out sick because I know that a) they HATE covering the ENT schedule and b) their patients will have to be rescheduled. Everyone is inconvenienced, and we lose money.” explains Crazydisneycatlady, which is understandable. Everyone gets sick, and unfortunately, people need to be covered at their job from time to time.

“However, as an audiologist…if I’m so sick that I can’t talk, there’s little point to me doing my job. I’ve called in sick four times in the past 2+ years. I had a horrible cold (one sick day) that improved, I went on vacation, and when I came back, it reared up again (another sick day). I also had strep throat earlier this year, so I had to take two days for antibiotics to fully kick in since I picked them up in the afternoon – the throat pain waking me up from a dead sleep was a big clue for that one.”

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8. None of us are perfect, but we should listen to the advice from our doctors.

“Middle-aged doctor here. Most of the docs I work with are obsessed with preventive care, so we try to keep the cardiovascular risk factors under control. We take our blood pressure drugs, our statins, and our metformin if we need it. We’re not perfect, especially me, but we tend to exercise, and we watch what we eat. I know one doctor who still smokes, but he’s a rarity, and he’s practically a tourist attraction, like a two-headed calf in a village museum or something.”

Throwaway9045235360 eats right and exercises, which is what a lot of us try to do. We are all human, though, and sometimes slip up. They continue: “The observation is probably correct that when doctors have a symptom, we tend to downplay or ignore it. And I believe we tend to decline therapy. I have a couple of minor orthopedic ailments that my doctor has suggested I have fixed. I laugh. I’ve known a couple of docs who declined treatment for cancer.”

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7. “I’ll feel sorry for myself and watch Netflix on the couch.”

“The emergency doctor here – my specialty means I’m usually thinking in ‘worst case scenario’ or ‘what can’t I miss’ when I’m seeing patients. I usually end up thinking along similar lines when it’s myself as well. Things like ‘Could I have a lower respiratory tract, or do I have pneumonia? It’s probably the former, and if it’s the latter, I’ll get worse, and I can go see someone for antibiotics later on/go to ED if I’m persistently tachycardic, tachypnoeic, febrile with rigors, etc. In the meantime, I’ll feel sorry for myself and watch Netflix on the couch.'”

“I also think about what the actual management would be if I had the illness that I might be worried about in the first place. For example, I had a nasty fall onto my flexed knee the other day, and it was exquisitely tender. I was almost sure it was just a bad bruise, but I knew if I DID have a fracture, it would probably be for conservative (non-operative) management anyway, so I just limped around for a week or so.” DrTickle28 is right – sometimes it’s not as bad as it seems. However, it probably would have been best to get it checked out to be safe.

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6. Take a personal day for your own health and your family’s health.

“My wife is a doctor in Canada. She works in a small practice with five doctors. One of them is her family physician that she will see with an official appointment, seeing as a patient and not a colleague. Everything is documented in the ERM software. If she gets sick, you power through the day and see your patients. You can’t just call in sick as you have 20-30 patients booked and no one to cover you. You don’t get time off or sick leave. She then comes home and does charting for a couple of hours and dies in bed, and does it all over again the next morning.”

“Doctors cannot afford to be sick. Financially or for their patients that will be pissed if you rebook their appointments last minute.” Scootbert is right, and as a society, we have come to expect the best from our doctors. But they are human too, and we need to be kind of they need to rebook an appointment. You never know when someone has to call in for a personal day, whether it be for their family or for themselves.

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5. Let the doctors do their job.

“Not a doctor here. Paramedic. We’re even worse patients than doctors because we like to think we know what’s going on and get no time off to actually be sick. Often times we come to work sicker than most of the people we pick up in our ambulance. We self-diagnose, and if it doesn’t require a prescription or surgeon, we make do with duct tape and NSAIDs. If we DO require actual medical intervention, we do all the things we hate when our patients do it to us.”

“We tell them where to start IVs. We ask to see imaging and lab results. If there was a way for us to stay awake and assist in our own surgery, we’d do that too! The last time I was getting an IV pre-OP (shoulder repair), I was unintentionally telling the nurse where I preferred the IV. The nurse said if I didn’t cut it out, she’d find a much less pleasant spot to place the IV. My wife, also a medic, agreed with her and told her to use a much larger needle too. I shut up, haha” IVStarter was right to leave the doctor taking care of them to do the procedure! No one likes a “backseat driver.”

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4. If you have the coverage and knowledge, use it!

“For context, US MD, licensed and double boarded. My aim is to live as long as possible and be as healthy as possible during that time. I feel confident to make most diagnoses knowing my history. However, I’ve seen enough to know that it’s better to be totally sure than not when it comes to most things because there’s always a non-zero percent chance that it’s something rare and deadly. For colds, supportive care, and no antibiotics. Blood in the stool, colonoscopy tomorrow. I pay for insurance so that it’s there when I need it. I’m not hesitant to use it. Also, I know specialists of all types.”

It sounds like DoctorJonesMD has it all figured out. They continue: “When I need another set of eyes or a second or third opinion, they’re just a text away. I do all age-appropriate cancer screening early just because I have the access. Life insurance is locked into a great rate, so there’s no financial harm to me being a bit more paranoid. Another thing, if I have a bad virus, I’m staying home. No reason to infect all of my patients with something that they may be less equipped to fight off. I get the flu shot at the start of each season despite never having had the flu. And I get the appropriate vaccines when I travel. I take vitamins because they could potentially help. Just a multivitamin, vitamin D, and fish oil.”

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3. You can self-diagnose to a point, but if it’s serious, see your doctor.

“I have on many occasions used online resources to help decide if my symptom is worth seeing a specialist for or escalating (not WebMD obviously, use UpToDate or PubMed). If it’s something serious that I can’t deal with myself, either with time or over-the-counter medication, I would definitely see my general physician either for treatment or specialist referral. I basically just become a regular patient but with an insider perspective on the system and some pre-formed opinions on my own diagnosis.” Ninjase sounds like they’ve got a good routine figured out for when they aren’t feeling great.

They continue: “Currently, I’m dealing with annoying palpitations. I got an ECG at work which showed frequent ectopics. At the moment, I’m sitting on it debating if I should bother seeing a cardiologist or if it will just disappear since most cases are completely benign and self-limiting. In terms of prescription, I would never prescribe myself new medication for acute illness. I only self prescribe to renew old scripts that I can’t be bothered getting. The worst thing is getting medical certificates for work since I can’t write them myself, and it’s a huge waste of everyone’s time just to get a piece of paper saying I have the flu.”

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2. Just get it checked out!

“Well, my wife can tell you I make the worst patient. I take out my own stitches and tend not to follow post OP instructions too well. I certainly try not to diagnose myself as now I can’t tell if I’m overreacting or underreacting, but when I do get symptoms, boy does my brain feel a little like WebMD sometimes. And I can’t stand being in a Dr’s office, ex. I had to go to a dermatologist, and the whole time in the waiting room, I was thinking about the prognosis of various stages of melanoma I could have. It was benign, of course.”

“I injured my knee badly playing soccer and was at work the next day, borrowed some crutches from physical therapy so I could hobble around and see patients, only got it imaged a month later as my wife had enough, turns out I tore my ACL and lateral meniscus, had to take a week off for surgery sadly. Just the other day at work, I had acute RUQ pain, positive Murphy’s and right shoulder pain, though I had a gallstone, just rode it out in the call room after seeing my patients. I guess I’m terrified of showing up in the ED saying, “I’m a doctor. I think it’s XYZ,” and finding out it’s nothing, and I’m just being pathetic, haha.” Drprocrastinate should never be worried if it’s something else; it’s okay to brainstorm and figure it out to get the best care!

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1. You will know when enough is enough.

“My husband is a family medicine doc, and he won’t go to the doctor. He found out a year or so ago that he’s diabetic. He’s ashamed because of the stigma, in medicine, associated with diabetes. He takes metformin (self-prescribed) but refuses to use insulin or talk about it. He’s in exquisite pain all of the time (he has had back pain for 20+ years… I think this is making it worse). Just last week, he had two episodes of being incontinent which have never happened before. I sent a long email to a colleague/friend of his. I can’t look back and wish I had done something, and enough is enough.”

Good for 662grace for knowing when to take more action for their husband. Hopefully, it won’t be too late, and he will start taking better care of himself. They continue: “His colleague returns from a vacation tomorrow, so I expect I’ll hear from him soon. My husband knows I sent the email but knows he has no choice in the matter. I love my husband. He is a wonderful, caring physician who is 49 years old and refuses to do anything for his own health, which is going to kill him.”

Health

Doctors Say Doing This During Sleep Triples the Chances of Stroke

Do you have sleep apnea? It can take a toll on your overall health, including becoming a risk factor for developing other severe medical conditions. Moreover,… Trista Smith - December 14, 2021

Do you have sleep apnea? It can take a toll on your overall health, including becoming a risk factor for developing other severe medical conditions. Moreover, for many Americans, letting this serious medical condition go untreated for too long can have harmful, lasting consequences. The following article will not only to educate you about what obstructive sleep apnea is. This content will also identify signs and symptoms, what can be done to treat this condition, and ways to help prevent it. Read on to learn more about what you can do if you have to deal with this medical condition and what you can do to help decrease your chances of developing it.

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For many years now, so much information has been readily available about living a healthy lifestyle and avoiding dealing with significant health concerns. One of the most challenging health issues that can occur is experiencing a stroke. This is a health issue where experiencing one can be reduced if specific lifestyle changes are made. However, there is still one significant risk factor that many do not even think of. That’s your sleep. There are several key things to consider regarding your sleep patterns that can help you identify whether or not you might be at risk for developing something called sleep apnea. Read on to learn more about what sleep apnea is, the dangers of experiencing it, and what you can do to help treat it as well as prevent it from happening to you.

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25. What Is Sleep Apnea?

The potentially detrimental and dangerous medical condition known as sleep apnea is much more common than you think. Sleep apnea can be hard to detect and diagnose is a deciding factor in how many people are not aware that this issue even exists. Nonetheless, sleep apnea is a dangerous health issue. It can occur when your regular nighttime breathing pattern is disrupted during sleep. You stop breathing for a while, sometimes up to thirty seconds, because your throat muscles relax. When this relaxation of the throat muscles occurs, your airway narrows and, in turn, reduces the amount of oxygen that is present in your blood. Your brain then receives this action as a signal that you are having trouble breathing. You wake up to take another breath and begin a regular breathing pattern again.

The practice of falling asleep, having your throat muscles relax to the point of not breathing. Then your brain waking you to continue breathing can become disruptive to your nighttime sleep. It causes harmful consequences to your brain and body. If this pattern of abnormal sleep continues to go untreated, some other serious risk factors come into play as far as you are more likely to experience and have to deal with. The study of sleep apnea includes its possible causes, symptoms, and complications. Researchers and doctors established a connection between experiencing this abnormal breathing pattern and an increased risk of stroke. That is a scary idea to think about. You might be increasing your risk of experiencing a stroke by letting this disruptive sleep pattern continue untreated.

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23. Sleep Apnea Can Increase Your Risk of Stroke

There are three different types of sleep apnea that you could potentially experience. Obstructive sleep apnea is the first and usually most common type. It is the one that occurs when your throat muscles become relaxed and can restrict your airway. The second type is central sleep apnea. This one happens when your brain does not send the correct signals to control your breathing in a usual way. And the last type of sleep apnea is called complex sleep apnea syndrome. It is a combination of the first two types occurring at once.

One major finding resulting from the research is that something called White Matter Hyperintensities can form in the brain due to having sleep apnea. White Matter Hyperintensities, or WMHs, are lesions that can develop in the brain when your throat muscles relax to the point that you are experiencing obstructive sleep apnea. These lesions in the brain are linked to increasing the likelihood you may experience cardiovascular issues. That can include having a stroke. Having WMHs in your brain triples your risk of experiencing a stroke.

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22. Symptoms Associated with Sleep Apnea

Diagnosing sleep apnea is not the easiest thing to do because how can you be aware of anything going on while sleeping? Nonetheless, several symptoms are characteristic of having obstructive sleep apnea. The obvious one is that you are experiencing times during your nighttime slumber when you stop breathing for some time. This occurs when your throat muscles become relaxed. When this happens, you will stop breathing for a period. Yes, this is difficult to diagnose on your own. There are several things to be on the lookout for and discuss with your doctor when diagnosing this medical issue.

Are you feeling fatigued during the day, like you are not getting enough rest? Maybe you are having periods of restlessness during the night, like not staying asleep and waking up often during the night. Symptoms that you may identify yourself include waking up suddenly gasping for air or feeling like you are choking. Another sign you might experience is waking up in the morning with a dry or sore mouth. Snoring is one symptom you will most likely not be aware of yourself, and so it may be helpful to rely on your sleeping partner to help you identify some of these symptoms in an attempt to diagnose this issue.

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21. Causes and Risk Factors of Sleep Apnea

Having an increased risk of developing obstructive sleep apnea is connected with several different lifestyle factors. Many things can come into play as far as the lifestyle you lead. How do you take care of yourself? Risk factors for developing obstructive sleep apnea include being overweight, smoking, drinking alcohol or sedatives excessively, and having Type 2 Diabetes. These causes also overlap with those that can increase your risk of having a stroke.

The factors described above are ones that you can do something about to decrease your chances of developing sleep apnea. However, several other somewhat unavoidable factors can also increase your chances. These include being male, older, and having a family history of sleep apnea. Others involve having a larger neck circumference or having a narrowed airway. If you have other previous heart and other medical conditions, it may increase your risk.

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20. Ways to Prevent Sleep Apnea From Happening to You

Yes, some factors are inherently against you regarding the likelihood of developing sleep apnea. However, there are several things you can do proactively to try and prevent the onset of this medical condition. Making changes in your lifestyle habits is one of the biggest areas in which you can be diligent. You can avoid dealing with medical issues like sleep apnea and other conditions like heart disease and stroke.

Doing things like eating a diet with fruits and vegetables and protein will help keep your body healthy. So will exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and reducing alcohol use. These are all great ways to stay on top of your health and keep yourself in the best condition. Being aware of risk factors that come from your family history is important, too. What about understanding your family history? You can do health screening tests can with your doctor to learn about risks. You can identify heart disease, certain cancers, diabetes, and the risk of stroke through screenings and tests. That way, you can get a complete picture of your health profile. Your doctor can recommend changes to lower your chances of developing sleep apnea.

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19. Complications That Can Arise from Developing Sleep Apnea

Several other potentially serious health conditions can arise from developing sleep apnea and not getting it treated. Things like daytime fatigue can occur because you are not getting a restful night’s sleep. Why? Probably from waking up many times in the night. This disruptive sleep pattern can lead to difficulty concentrating on tasks and staying awake during the day. You might also become more short-tempered, emotional, or irritable towards others due to this lack of sufficient rest at night. You may think it is not that big of a deal to wake several times in the night. However, over time, this can become a much bigger issue. It can lead to developing other severe health conditions. Being aware of irregularities in your sleep and breathing patterns is essential. Furthermore, knowing the consequences of this problem is the first crucial step in controlling your health. Early detection of issues like sleep apnea is critical. Nevertheless, it will also help lower your risk of stroke.

Another issue from sleep apnea is developing high blood pressure. You can also have other heart problems due to the lack of oxygen going to your brain. When the body experiences this lack of oxygen for long periods, other conditions that affect the heart can become an issue. That is especially true if it goes untreated. Diseases such as hypertension, recurrent heart attack, and of course, the risk of stroke may develop. There are still several other medical concerns that can arise when the issue of sleep apnea goes untreated. Things like Type 2 Diabetes can become more likely and develop metabolic syndrome. The point of breathing normally during surgeries while being put under general anesthesia can also become a great concern.

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18. What You Can Do if You Have Sleep Apnea

If you or your doctor suspects you might have sleep apnea, you can do several things to diagnose, treat, and manage this medical issue. You can take several different tests to solidify your diagnosis in the form of sleep tests. You can complete these options at home or in the hospital. If you have some form of sleep testing done in the hospital, you will be hooked up to a machine that will measure various vital signs in your body to get an accurate picture of what a typical night’s sleep looks like for you.

Your doctor might also give you some monitoring equipment to take home with you. That way, you can measure your vital signs while you sleep in your bed. This can be very beneficial. At times, it can be even a little bit more accurate. Why? Because you are likely to be more comfortable sleeping in your own bed than trying to sleep in the hospital. It is not as familiar of a place! The sleep monitoring equipment will measure your vital signs. That includes your heart rate, blood oxygen level, and breathing patterns. It will all help determine if you do have some form of sleep apnea.

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17. Risk Factors for Experiencing a Stroke

Just as being more predisposed to developing sleep apnea because of certain risk factors, many of those same risk factors apply here. Several factors come into play when becoming more vulnerable to experiencing a stroke. The same factors include being overweight, smoking, and heavy alcohol use. Having high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and a family history of heart problems also play a role. The same risk factors that can lead to an increased likelihood of developing sleep apnea can also raise your risk of stroke. Experiencing obstructive sleep apnea is a risk factor of becoming more likely to experience a stroke. This is another chance to emphasize why it is so important to stay on top of your health. You should proactively identify risk factors and symptoms that might be indicators of having a medical issue or concern.

Several other factors come into play in connection with the increased likelihood of experiencing a stroke. Age is a major one, as those over 55 are more likely to be at risk and race; African Americans are at an increased risk of experiencing a stroke. Males are also much more likely to be at risk for stroke as well as those who use hormone therapies and birth control pills. Of course, you cannot change some of these factors. However, you can quit things like smoking and excessive alcohol use. It will improve obesity, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure. Your effort will do a lot to decrease your risk factors and chances of experiencing a stroke.

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16. Different Types of Strokes

There are three different types of strokes. The first and most common type is called an Ischemic stroke. It occurs when oxygen-rich blood flowing through your arteries to your brain becomes restricted. When blocked, a reduction in blood flow to the brain is the result. The second kind is a hemorrhagic stroke. It happens due to the leaking or rupturing of a blood vessel directly in your brain. A hemorrhagic stroke requires medical attention as soon as possible. Severe trauma, such as a car accident, can cause this stroke. So can uncontrolled high blood pressure, high dosage of blood thinners or bulges at weak spots in your blood vessel walls. There are two types of hemorrhagic strokes. The first and most common type is intracerebral. It happens when an artery in your brain bursts, resulting in blood flooding to the surrounding tissue. While less familiar but equally dangerous, a subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs when you have a bleed happening in the area between the brain and the tissue covering it.

The last type is a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA). This is a “mini-stroke.” Blood flow restriction to the brain does not last as long as with the other types of strokes. Nonetheless, this type of stroke still has its consequences. Symptoms of a TIA stroke can look like those of an Ischemic or Hemorrhagic stroke. It is still imperative that you seek medical attention right away. It is impossible to discern the differences in these types of strokes from experiencing symptoms. Medical attention at the hospital is the only way doctors will determine the type of stroke.

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15. What You Can Do To Help Prevent a Stroke

A stroke has to do with disruptive actions occurring in the brain as far as not getting enough oxygen in your blood and also the occurrence of blood vessels engorging or rupturing in your brain. While it is not much you can do about certain risk factors that predispose you to possibly experiencing a stroke. There are still some critical points to discuss in how you have control over the prevention of a stroke. Managing and improving lifestyle choices like maintaining a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol use, and quitting tobacco use are significant improvements. They can help decrease your chances of developing sleep apnea, reduce your risk of stroke, as well as several other medical conditions.

By lowering your weight and cutting out things like smoking, you are improving the overall health of your body and brain and giving it a much better chance at coping with health issues that you may already be predisposed to due to family history. Other things that can be done to reduce your risk are managing any other health issues you may already have, like high blood pressure or diabetes, and exercising regularly. Being diligent about all these things will give you a leg up on staying healthy and maintaining good health as you get older.

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14. Signs and Symptoms of a Stroke

There are key signs to pay attention to if you think you may be experiencing a stroke. Several adverse reactions occur in the body and brain during a stroke. The results of those reactions can exhibit themselves in obvious ways. One of the first telltale signs of a stroke is having trouble speaking to others. You might not understand what others are saying to you. This is an immediate red flag that something wrong might be going on in your brain.

Another vital sign of being aware that you might be experiencing a stroke is that you could begin to have some paralysis in one limb or on one side of your body. You could also experience a headache, have trouble seeing out of one or both eyes, or have difficulty walking. If you or someone you know starts to experience these symptoms, you must get medical attention right away. In doing so, you will be giving yourself the greatest chance of keeping internal damage to your brain and body to a minimum.

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13. What Should You Do If You Have a Stroke?

The sooner you can get to a hospital and begin treatment for a stroke, the greater your chances of having less damaging and long-lasting effects occur to your body and brain. If you suddenly can not speak as you regularly do with others, begin to have vision problems, or experience numbness or paralysis on one side of your body, it is crucial to get medical attention as quickly as possible. There is no time to waste. If you even might just suspect that you may be experiencing symptoms of a stroke, do not delay in getting yourself to the hospital to get help. You must not wait around to see if you start to feel better or if your symptoms begin to subside. You need to get medical attention right away to have the best possible outcome. In the case of dealing with the possibility of experiencing a stroke, it is much better to be safe than sorry.

In the unfortunate event that you experience a stroke, your doctor will take several steps to decide how to treat you once you have been seen. Depending on the type of stroke you have experienced, doctors will decide to take one or more actions as part of your treatment plan. As a general start to diagnosing and treating a stroke, you may undergo a stroke consultation, blood tests, a CT scan, and even an MRI. These are all very informative tools that doctors will use to get a better idea of precisely what is happening in your body, and therefore what the best course of treatment is for you.

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12. Treatments for a Stroke

If you have had an Ischemic stroke, time is significant in that you get to a hospital. An emergency dose of IV medication can be given within 4.5 hours to help break up any blood clots. It can help reduce any further damage to your brain and body. According to Mayo Clinic, other medical options like emergency endovascular procedures may occur. This is when doctors will send medication directly to the site in your brain where the stroke is happening. Another option is removing the actual blood clot with a stent retriever. Again, the chances to treat a stroke are critically dependent on how soon you get to the hospital to receive care. Doctors can do procedures only within a particular window of time. We cannot emphasize the factor of time enough concerning the onset of having a stroke. Specific options might not be available if you waited too long to seek medical attention.

Suppose you are experiencing a hemorrhagic stroke. Doctors may consider other options in your treatment plan while at the hospital. Gaining control and stopping the bleeding in your brain at the aneurysm site is the biggest priority for doctors. Possible procedures for handling this type of stroke are emergency-related. Doctors can try counteracting blood thinners you may be taking. They can administer medications to reduce the amount of pressure occurring in your brain. There are medications designed to lower your blood pressure, prevent spasms of blood vessels, and avoid possible seizures. Surgical clipping and coiling can be a way to stop the aneurysm from bleeding further, bursting, and bleeding again. Again, the sooner you can get to the hospital, the sooner doctors can begin a plan of action. It can not only save your life but prevent further damage.

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11. Complications That Can Occur After a Stroke

Because of the extensive amount of damage that can occur in your brain and body during a stroke, there are some possible longer-lasting effects and consequences that you may have to deal with due to having one. This is why time is so crucial in that you need to get yourself to the hospital to receive medical attention as quickly as possible. This can help to avoid causing any lasting or long-term subsequent consequences from experiencing a stroke. While some complications are milder than others, these issues are all still obstacles on some level that you might have to endure after treatment.

When your body experiences a stroke, several things are going on that can cause severe damage and even death if left untreated for too long. The event of a stroke is due to the restriction or reduction of oxygen-rich blood to your brain. The brain does not handle this very well. Oxygen is necessary for our survival, and the longer your brain and body are dealing with the reduction or absence of it, the more serious your prognosis can be. This again directly relates to the time factor and how crucial it is that you get to the hospital as soon as you suspect you may be experiencing symptoms. The longer your brain has to deal with a lack of oxygen, the more likely it is that you will experience more serious and long-lasting damage in your brain and body.

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10. What To Do If Someone You Know Is Experiencing a Stroke

You can do several things immediately if you think you or someone you know is having a stroke. If you begin to experience any, even one of the symptoms indicative of a stroke, the most crucial thing to do is take action quickly. Time is not on your side when experiencing this kind of destructive interaction in your brain and body. If you have identified or suspected that you are having symptoms of a stroke, you need to begin receiving medical attention as soon as possible. Whether dialing 911 to call for an ambulance or getting to the nearest hospital as quickly as you can, it is of the utmost importance to get medical attention as soon as possible.

Have you ever heard of FAST? It stands for face, arm, speech, and time. Each of these words refers to a way to identify symptoms of a stroke. First, examine your face and whether or not you can smile. Is one side drooping? This is a sign of paralysis. Next is the arm. Can you raise both arms in the air without one of them starting to drift downward? If you cannot keep both arms evenly lifted into the air, this could indicate a stroke. The ‘s’ is FAST is for speech. Can you form words and sentences normally? Are you struggling to talk and even understand others? The last and probably most important part of FAST is the word time. If you suspect that you might be experiencing a stroke, call 911. You should immediately get medical attention. Every second counts!

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9. This Is What Recovery and Rehabilitation From a Stroke Looks Like

Recovery from a stroke can take several different forms depending on the extensiveness of damage done inside your brain and body. It also depends on what kind of damage was done to either the brain’s left side or the right side. The left and right hemispheres of the brain are responsible for the development of different skills and for shaping things like personality and behavior traits. If brain damage has occurred on the left side of your brain specifically, language impairment can occur as well as the possibility of the development of language disorders. Additionally, if damage occurs to the right side of your brain, the left side of your body will experience issues with movement and sensation. Likewise, if the damage was done to the left side of your brain, you might experience problems with movement and feeling on the right side of your body.

After experiencing a stroke and being treated for it, doctors will most likely keep you in the hospital for a day at least for additional observation to be sure no further issues present themselves. Then once you are cleared to go home, rehabilitation can take several forms, depending on the severity of the damage done to your brain and body. Your doctors will look at all the results from the tests they conducted and decide on a treatment plan for you going forward when you head home from the hospital.

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8. Ways to Help a Person Having a Stroke

There are several things to remember that can be helpful to a person who is experiencing a stroke. One of the everyday things that occur naturally is the fear of the unknown and not understanding exactly what is going on, as symptoms can be very frightening to experience. Being able to stay relaxed and level-headed to keep a person experiencing a stroke as calm as possible can mean the difference in promptly getting to the hospital. Someone who is very scared about what is going may not be level-headed to decide that they need to get themselves to the hospital and be seen by a doctor.

You can do several other vital things to support and help someone who is having a stroke. Stay with them and try to keep them in a calm disposition. Also, talk to them regularly, and keep their immediate environment as distraction and stimulation free possible. One of the most helpful things to do is call 911. Again, when someone is experiencing a stroke, time is crucial in keeping damage done to the brain and body to a minimum and keeping options open as far as what medical treatments can be administered to help save someone’s life. Another way you can support someone experiencing a stroke is to drive them to the hospital. If someone is dealing with any of the symptoms that might indicate a stroke, especially having any kind of paralysis or trouble seeing or walking, letting them get behind the wheel and drive is not a good idea. You do not want to let them get into the position where they are possibly putting themselves and others at risk of further injury.

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7. Avoid Doing These Things If Someone is Experiencing a Stroke

When you suspect someone may be having a stroke, you do not want to say this aloud to them. The symptoms of a stroke can be scary. Thus, it does not make sense to add to a person’s fear and uncertainty. This will increase their anxiety and possibly make them act irrational. How? By denying their symptoms and not being willing to get medical attention. The best thing to do is to remain calm. Identify the symptoms they are exhibiting. Call 911 immediately, and get them to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Two other important things to avoid letting them do and not doing yourself is not giving them or letting them take any medication. This can do more harm than good, depending on the type of stroke they are having. Not all strokes are caused by blood clots, so taking aspiring is not a recommended. Why? Because if the stroke is from a ruptured blood vessel the aspirin could make the bleeding more severe actually. The other thing to avoid is letting them have any food or drink. This is because someone who is experiencing a stroke can be dealing with some level of paralysis, and it is easily possible they could choke on something they try to eat or drink. Again, the very best thing is to act fast and get them to the hospital as quickly as you can.

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6. Differences in Symptoms of a Stroke for Men And Women

Stroke symptoms can present very differently for women compared to men. Having some knowledge of this variation can be key in the early detection of the experience of a stroke. There are several critical differences in the way a stroke might develop in women, and they are more subtle things that may be a little harder to identify than the main signs and symptoms of a stroke. One big difference is that women may not have any classic symptoms that can signify a stroke. Women may experience trouble breathing, tightness in the chest, and feeling anxious more than usual. It is essential to take these symptoms seriously. Often, these signs are brushed off or disregarded as just feeling overwhelmed by life stressors. A stroke is a medical issue that needs immediate medical attention to avoid severe damage and lasting consequences.

The biggest thing to remember here is that you might experience symptoms that differ from someone else’s experience. Your body is different from others. Therefore, you may experience signs and complications utterly different from, say, someone you know or heard about who experienced a stroke. You do not want to allow yourself to compare your experience to others so that you may downplay, minimize or discredit the validity or intensity of your symptoms that may be developing. If you are in any way suspecting that symptoms characteristic of a stroke are beginning to develop, you need to get medical attention as soon as possible.

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5. Maintaining a Good Support System After Having a Stroke

This area gets overlooked concerning how to keep getting better after experiencing something as scary as a stroke. For many people, this experience was most likely quite frightening. The idea of the unknown regarding how and why these symptoms came on so suddenly can be scary. So can the fact that there may have been some serious damage done to the mind and body. For some, it is necessary to relearn specific skills to become and maintain independence again. And for still others, the idea of independence is no longer an option. For many, that can be a challenging thing to wrap your opinion around.

Did you live independently before having a stroke? Maybe you have to rely on someone else to complete daily tasks for you. That can be a tough pill to swallow. The damage that can occur to the brain and body due to a stroke can be completely life-altering. This is not something that you should have to experience or go through alone. It is imperative to your well-being that you try to maintain a healthy level of support from other people. You can get help from your spouse, other family members, doctors, or support groups. You can get help online or in-person.

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4. The Importance of Social Interaction

The amount of social interaction you have while rehabilitating can play a massive role in improving your health. Furthermore, maintaining that level of health and wellness, both in your body and mind, is important. One of the more detrimental things you can do after experiencing a stroke is isolating yourself from others. Although it may not seem like it, this can begin to take an enormous toll on your emotional state. It can be a debilitating factor in your improvement and progress overall. There are excellent resources available for people who have experienced almost any health crisis, including having a stroke.

Reaching out and staying connected with others, in your family, community, and with others who have experienced similar events is ideal. It is a great way to ensure that you will keep getting better after leaving the hospital. Sharing your experience with others can be a prominent form of therapy. It can help you create and maintain lasting connections that may one day get you through another crisis. At the very least, keeping up a healthy level of social interaction will help you feel like you are not alone. Why? Because it’s entirely possible that having a stroke made you feel just like that. Don’t be afraid to ask others for help as well. Many people are ready and willing to be a resource and source of support for others. However, they aren’t always sure how to do it if you haven’t asked for it. The simple act of meeting a friend for coffee or getting into an online support group can be very beneficial. These actions can be quite therapeutic in your recovery journey from a stroke.

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3. Looking Toward the Future

All the information you just received from the hospital can be scary. That goes from the first consultation with a doctor to the various stroke tests. Not to mention dealing with the debilitating symptoms and complications that you might experience. Then you have endless conversations about what happened to you. There are questions about why. Beyond that, you need to know what you should expect now. The combination of all these things can be tough to handle. As if that is not enough, you might have to navigate the concerned family members and friends who are checking on you. This can be very overwhelming.

The challenge of dealing with the symptoms and complications of having a stroke alone can be enough to make you feel defeated. Then you question yourself, competency, and capabilities. You might wonder why this had to happen to you. Was there something you should have done differently? These are all very natural and valid thoughts and feelings that can arise from dealing with this experience. Understand that you may not have been able to do anything differently to avoid it. Please realize that you have the necessary resources you need to get through these complications. Reaching out and maintaining a healthy level of social support is crucial. It will be beneficial in rehabilitating from having a stroke.

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2. The Best Takeaway To Remember After You Have Experienced a Stroke

So, you have had a stroke and survived a terrifying medical emergency. Now what? The following are some key points to keep in mind as you begin your recovery journey after leaving the hospital. One of the first things, and quite essential thoughts to understand, is that you are not alone. As scary as the experience of the stroke may have been for you, know that you are not the only person in the world who has gone through this event.

In saying that, it does not mean to invalidate or minimize your personal experience in a way. Remember that you can reach out and find others around you who have experienced similar things. It can be a good source of comfort and support as you are trying to digest, decipher, and comprehend everything you have just been through. The way you reach out might be to your spouse, best friend, or a family member. It may be talking to your doctor, counselor, or finding a support group, whether in person or online. That way, you can discuss your experience with others out loud and hear the things other people have gone through as well.

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1. You Are Not Alone

You can talk about what you experienced and hear about the events that others went through. Listen to them talk about their fears, concerns, thoughts, and feelings. It can be a great source of comfort and support for you as you try to navigate this new chapter of your life. You might find out that someone else has the same thoughts and feelings of inadequacy. By talking to each other, you could discover how that person is coping with those same issues. Do not be afraid to reach out and discuss your experience with others. You will gain a great source of support and encouragement. Likewise, you will try to cope with the things you have experienced.

The events surrounding your experience of having a stroke might not be that clear. It greatly depends on what type of stroke you experienced and the extent of damage to your brain and body. It might benefit you to reach out to the people around you and might have helped you when the stroke occurred. Not having a clear picture or accurate memory of what events took place can be an unsettling feeling. You should not be afraid to seek out others in the form of social interaction. It can help gain some clarity regarding the accuracy of the events that transpired surrounding the timeline of a stroke.

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