The other day, I was speaking to my elderly Aunt. She was telling me that she found herself
fainting for no reason. She told me one
day she woke up on the kitchen floor.
I was alarmed. I
asked if she told her doctor, and she did.
He had her undergo many tests but found no reason for the sudden loss of
consciousness. Now, this is not normal
and these symptoms have meaning. My
conclusion was either a cardiac problem or something like a stroke. She told me she had no problems after she
fainted.
Of course., since I am the family Advocate, especially for
health-related issues, I urged her to seek a second opinion at a large
University center, where they would have more specific diagnostic tests. I searched and gave her some physician names
to call and set up appointments. She was
very thankful, but this is what I do.
I cannot sit by and just blindly trust anything a doctor is
saying. These statements need to backed up
by evidence-based medicine and research.
Only then can we make decisions and proceed or elect to wait and
see. I told my Aunt, ‘The worst case
scenario would be that you suffer a big
stroke and end up in a nursing home the rest of your life.’ That was appalling to her and I think that
caused her to rethink the potential severity of these symptoms.
But the best I can do, as head of Family Medical Advocate is
to BE that expert advocate and help people make informed choices. I am waiting to see what happens next.
