Prepared Patient Archives
Volume 5 | Volume 4 | Volume 3 | Volume 2 | Volume 1
Volume 5:
Special Release: Updated from Volume 2 , Issue 6
Young Adults Taking the Health Care Reins
Your parents still might be willing to do your laundry, but if you’re over 18, they can’t make your medical decisions. Are you ready to navigate the adult health care system? This updated Prepared Patient feature offers advice for young people who are just starting out in managing their health care, including information on important provisions from the Affordable Care Act.
Full Text
Issue 1 - Small Steps to Big Health Change
We often give a chilly reception to the idea of going "cold turkey" when it comes to anything that has to do with changing behaviors and habits, even those that may be important for our health. And no wonder: habits become habits because they give us something we think we need. Maybe they make us feel better (hello, chocolate!) or they offer comfort, familiarity or convenience to our lives. Once we get used to doing things a certain way, the idea of changing a routine behavior can seem overwhelming. And we worry (with good reason) that we won’t be successful if we try to change our habits all at once. It turns out, the key to lasting behavior change is taking small steps.
Full Text | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person: Joan Reder
Volume 4:
Issue 10 - Reducing Your Risk of Medical Errors
Recovering from a knee replacement is difficult under the best of circumstances, but for Herminia Briones, the year following her surgery was filled with unexpected pain, complications and confusion. Her repeated attempts to draw attention to her problems went unheeded, beginning an unfortunate and not uncommon struggle with medical error. Why do medical errors happen and how can you help protect yourself from harm?
Full Text | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person - Herminia Briones
Issue 9 - Using Physician Rating Websites
User reviews and ratings on Websites can help you locate a reputable handyman, the perfect restaurant for your anniversary dinner or the right TV for your den. So why wouldn’t you turn to the Internet to find your next doctor? New health review sites promise to help you make this important decision for yourself or your loved ones. However, patients and physicians alike are finding that these doctor reviews aren’t as transparent or useful as they might seem.
Full Text | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person: Jennifer Stevens
Issue 8 - Cutting Through ICU Confusion
In January 2010, after beginning treatment for chronic Lyme disease, 53-year-old Jim Young lost significant weight and struggled to breathe. Doctors admitted him to a private room in the hospital, but within 15 hours, his wife Erica Kosal received a call about his imminent transfer to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The first time seeing him in the ICU came as a shock to Kosal, 42, a college professor. "I can remember he was hooked up to all kind of machines. He looked so deflated. He was out of it and really sleepy and confused. He didn't look like the same person and I wasn't prepared for that," Kosal said.
Every year more than 5 million people in the United States spend time in intensive care units for acute injuries or life-threatening illnesses. For patients, family members and friends, the ICU experience is often emotional and confusing.
Full Text | PDF | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person
Issue 7 - Getting the Right Help for Acute Pain
Jan Adams, 66, a retired general practitioner who lives in a Minneapolis suburb, has had multiple experiences of acute pain—most of which were managed well but one that was not. While Adams’ post-surgical back pain received excellent care, her most traumatic experience with acute pain came during an emergency gastrointestinal procedure.
Lys Fulda, a 36-year-old sales and marketing professional from Chicago, also had a terrifying experience with acute pain during a root canal in her 20s, which left her with a fear of dentists that took 10 years “and a very patient dentist” to conquer.
Fifty-four-year-old Mike Gaynes, a media consultant, suffered extreme acute pain during an attack of kidney stones. On his way to a hike with his wife, he was suddenly overcome by it. “I’ve never been shot or stabbed, but talking to people who have, that’s the closest thing to it,” he says.
Full Text | PDF | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person
Issue 6 - When Pain Doesn't End
Teresa Shaffer, then a 24-year-old stay at home mom of three, thought she was just suffering the aftermath of a rough pregnancy. But when back pain left her unable even to pick up her baby, she began a decades-long journey through chronic pain, eventually receiving a diagnosis of degenerative joint disease. Although she was wheelchair-bound at one point, today, at 47, through water therapy, medication, exercise, counseling and perseverance, Shaffer is able to walk on her own and manage her pain—as well as serving as an advocate for other pain patients at the American Pain Foundation. Kelly Young—known online as the Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Warrior—has suffered constant pain from her illness for the last five years. A mother of five, 46-year-old Young copes with her illness with a mix of medications, grit and RA advocacy work.
Full Text | PDF | Abridged Version | First Person
Issue 5 - Watchful Waiting: When Treatment Can Wait
In 1999, Syd Ball, a nuclear engineer from Oak Ridge, Tenn., was preparing for a work trip to Russia when his local urologist notified him he showed signs of early prostate cancer. According to the urologist who did his initial testing, his only options were prostate removal surgery or radiation therapy. But when Ball sought a second opinion, the urologist told him he was an excellent candidate for active surveillance — also known as watchful waiting. "The idea that I'd be constantly monitored — I figured, well, if it does start growing, the survival rates for doing surgery before it spreads are very favorable," Ball said. For some patients, delaying treatment while regularly monitoring the progress of disease may benefit them more than a rush to pharmaceutical or surgical options.
Full Text | Abridged Version | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person-Hartmann | First Person-Ball
Issue 4 - Vitamins & Supplements: Before You Dive In
At 98 years old, Bob Stewart swears by his dietary supplements as a secret to successful aging. He takes flaxseed and apple cider vinegar pills, along with a Japanese supplement called nattokinase. He has never had a “bad experience” or side effects, he says. But Betsy McMillan, an Ohio writer, describes her overdose from a vitamin B complex supplement. After a few weeks of taking it—in which she never exceeded the dose recommended on the bottle—her liver began to swell and she was overwhelmed by fatigue. It turned out that the pills contained potentially fatal levels of niacin.
Full Text | PDF | Abridged Version | PDF | Frequently Asked Questions | First Person
Issue 3 - Hospice Care: What Is It, Anyway?
Three a.m. can be a lonely time for caregivers. But when Renata Rafferty’s husband Jerome struggled to breathe late one night, she knew she wasn’t completely alone. Though it was the middle of the night when Renata called, the on-call nurse at their hospice responded immediately: arranging medical equipment and a nurse to check on Jerome. Now, months after Jerome’s death, Renata says hospice “is not the place you go to die, it’s the place you go to celebrate and finish your life, in an environment where that is the sole and only focus.”
Full Text | PDF | Abridged Version | PDF |
Frequently Asked Questions | First Person
Issue 2 - Side Effects: When Silence Isn’t Golden
“I had a wonderful gentleman patient who had resistant blood pressure,” recalls Vicki Koenig, M.D., a retired family doctor in Exmore, VA. “When he came for a blood pressure check on the latest new med and it was great, I was ecstatic. Then he said, ‘But I notice my urine’s a little dark.’ His was one of the first cases of fatal liver complications from this medication.” Medication side effects are common—but when should you speak up?
Full Text | Abridged Version | Frequently Asked Questions
Issue 1 - In Case of Emergency: Who’s Who in the ER
While commuting to work in September 2009, Ashley Finley stopped her bike short to avoid a pedestrian — and flew over the handlebars, hitting her head on the pavement. Her chin gushing blood and with concerns about head injury, Ashley and her partner, Goldie Pyka*, immediately headed to an ER. Though their wait time in the Washington, D.C., emergency room was minimal, Pyka says she felt surprised by the number of people who participated in Ashley’s care. “I was expecting to see one person, tell them what happened and have that person help. I wasn’t expecting to interact with that many people and to not really be told who they were and what they were there for. I felt we were very passive in the whole experience,” Pyka says.
Full Text | Abridged Version | Frequently Asked Questions
Volume 3:
- Issue 10 - Talking About Medical Tests With Your Health Care Team - Full Text
- Issue 9 - Your Doctor’s Office, Demystified - Full Text | FAQ
- Issue 8 - Talking About Symptoms With Your Health Care Team - Full Text | FAQ
- Issue 7 - Uncovering Your Health Risks - Full Text
- Issue 6 - Goodbye, Acute Care, Hello, Rehab - Full Text
- Issue 5 - When Depression Is Severe - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 4 - Roll Up Your Sleeve: Adult Vaccinations - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 3 - Advance Directives: Caring for You & Your Family - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 2 - On Your Own With Multiple Meds - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 1 - Need Help With Your Mental Health? - Full Text | PDF
Volume 2:
- Issue 8 - A Day in the Life of Your Prescription - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 7 - Making a Pact With Your Doctors - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 6 - Young Adults Taking the Health Care Reins - Full Text (updated Feb. 2012)
- Issue 5 - Seeking a Second …or Third …Opinion - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 4 - Managing Medical and Mental Illness - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 3 - Coping With the High Costs of Prescriptions - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 2 - Sorting Out Medical Opinion Overload - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 1 - Taking Charge of Your Health Records - Full Text | PDF
Volume 1
- Issue 12 - Sick at Work - Full Text |
- Issue 11 - Hospital Report Cards: Grading Facilities Near You - Full Text |
- Issue 10 - Retail Clinics: What’s in Store for Health Care - Full Text |
- Issue 9 - Larger Patients: ISO Fewer Lectures, Better Health Care - Full Text |
- Issue 8 - Giving Your Doctor the Pink Slip - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 7 - When Getting to the Doctor Is Half the Battle - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 6 - Don't Let Germs Hitch a Ride from your Doctors Office - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 5 - Monitoring Your Child’s Development: Your Pediatrician Can Help - PDF
- Issue 4 - The "Handoff": Your Roadmap to a New Doctor’s Care - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 3 - Effective Patienthood Begins With Good Communication - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 2 - Chronic Conditions: When Do You Call the Doctor? - Full Text | PDF
- Issue 1 - Do You Need a Yearly Checkup? - Full Text | PDF
