A Personal Health Care Liaison

For some reason I find myself in doctor’s offices more frequently than I’d prefer. I’m somewhat accident prone, a competitive runner and my family has a history of diabetes and heart disease (both of which require me to constantly monitor my health).

Don’t get me wrong, physicians themselves are nice and all, but if I go in for something other than a routine check up I get a little anxious sitting on the exam table. I don’t know what to expect, and I admit in the past I’ve Googled my symptoms to try to figure out what’s wrong. However, after leaving the doctor’s office (or after reading several WebMD or Wikipedia articles) sometimes I feel more confused than before. I’ve found that sometimes I don’t completely understand my diagnosis, or I focus too much on what could happen that I fail to hear the doctor’s recommendations to manage my health.

When I start to stress out because I can’t make sense of it all, I do what any mature adult would do. I call my mom.

Besides offering the emotional support only a mother can give, my mom is a registered nurse. When speaking to her, I can vent about my anxiety, tell her my concerns, ask for advice and even get upset. These are things that I may not express to my physician during my appointment because I’m worried I’ll embarrass myself or that I’m taking up their valuable time. I’m also just not that comfortable being so vulnerable with them.

My mother effortlessly straddles the “mom” vs. “nurse” line – comforting me but also telling me when I’m overreacting and need to get over myself (mom) and clearly explaining what I need to do in a way that I’ll easily understand (nurse).

She helps me focus on the important things – explains what the ‘medical words’ mean, and helps me make needed changes to my lifestyle. A few weeks ago after I called my mom semi-panicking over what turned out to simply be poison ivy I thought, “Wow. Wouldn’t it be great if everyone could have such easy access to a trusted source of information?” Hence a blog was born.

Think of me as your ‘personal health liaison’ - I’m going to walk the line between doctor and patient. I’ll interview Maimonides physicians about relevant conditions, trends and procedures – making sure you get “insider” information not found elsewhere. I’ll approach patient topics that may be difficult and sensitive, and I will address the most prevalent health issues in Brooklyn.

I believe clear, understandable health information is key to educated health decisions. I’m here to help.