Ask HN: What medical advice did you have to learn the hard way? - townesok
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sloaken
You have to be the expert in you.

You should be the one that cares the most about your health. Yeah your wife
cares, your mother cares, and even your doctor cares. But you must care the
most.

<My story> When you are told what to do about your health care, and you follow
it without understanding then you have abdicated your caring to another.

I had a thyroid issue. I complained to my doctor. He said I was fine, I
accepted it. He then decided I had other issues. Issues that he himself had
and was very sensitive to the symptoms. He then went heavy handed in curing
it. As opposed to the common light handed initial treatments to fix it.

A different doctor then found the thyroid problem. Turned out my thyroid was
'technically' putting out enough, 1% lower and it would have been too low. But
my pituitary gland (which drives the thyroid) was pushing the maximum to the
thyroid to produce. Turns out doing the ratio between the two numbers is a
common practice, which my original doctor did not do.

From that I learned to understand my blood work. I get copies of it and check
for items slightly outside the norm and discuss with doctor. I also read up on
all medication the doctor gives me. Some meds I have been given will address
the symptoms, but can actually make the problem worse.

To be fair, most doctors only have a limited time with you. You have to be the
expert in you.

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townesok
I had knee surgery. After weening off opioids, I was put on three different
NSAIDs simultaneously -- meloxicam, ibuprofen, and aspirin for blood clots.
Two and a half weeks later I was admitted to the hospital for three days with
micro-perforations and an infection in the sigmoid colon (diverticulitis).
It's impossible to prove causation, but this is not something that young
people usually get.

Medical advice: Be _very_ careful with NSAIDs. And be careful when multiple
doctors are prescribing you medications.

