Sense and nonsense in medicine as you age?
December 22, 2015 11:05 AM Subscribe
I saw a two-panel cartoon recently. The drawing was of a man with an ache. At 20 he thinks "Ooh, that hurts!" and at 40 he thinks "So this is how it ends!" Which crystallized a question I have about aging and self-monitoring.
Recently I've learned of various friends with serious illnesses and wondered if this book or resource exists: an overview of advice on whether this bump, this ache, this nubbin, is no big deal, or something one ought to look into. I'd like something fairly dry, with photos and anatomical diagrams perhaps, rather than something jolly and patronizing.
I can't ask older relatives because they're all dead (and there you go, my mother occasionally complained of "aches and pains" and said I'd come to those too, but it wasn't anything physically painful that killed her).
I'm disinclined to run to the doctor, but as I get older I have to weigh whether that attitude will kill me...
Recently I've learned of various friends with serious illnesses and wondered if this book or resource exists: an overview of advice on whether this bump, this ache, this nubbin, is no big deal, or something one ought to look into. I'd like something fairly dry, with photos and anatomical diagrams perhaps, rather than something jolly and patronizing.
I can't ask older relatives because they're all dead (and there you go, my mother occasionally complained of "aches and pains" and said I'd come to those too, but it wasn't anything physically painful that killed her).
I'm disinclined to run to the doctor, but as I get older I have to weigh whether that attitude will kill me...
It may help you to reframe this not as "will this bump/ache kill me?" but rather "would my quality of life improve if I dealt with this?"
So many of the "minor" aches and pains of aging are due to things like bad posture or being out of shape or small injuries that cause you to, for instance, favor one leg and throw your back out of whack, all of which lead to much bigger problems down the road. Going to the doctor regularly and going to the doctor to treat the minor stuff keeps it from becoming major stuff and keeps the minor stuff from overwhelming your life.
I'll also add that a doctor found my mom's breast cancer at stage 0 when she finally, after many years, decided to ask her doctor about why her arm hair disappeared. Turns out her thyroid levels were all out of whack, and when her doc sent her for a whole battery of routine tests to check and see what else might be going on they found the cancer.
Be proactive and deal with the minor-seeming stuff and keep your quality of life high as long as possible.
posted by phunniemee at 11:32 AM on December 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
So many of the "minor" aches and pains of aging are due to things like bad posture or being out of shape or small injuries that cause you to, for instance, favor one leg and throw your back out of whack, all of which lead to much bigger problems down the road. Going to the doctor regularly and going to the doctor to treat the minor stuff keeps it from becoming major stuff and keeps the minor stuff from overwhelming your life.
I'll also add that a doctor found my mom's breast cancer at stage 0 when she finally, after many years, decided to ask her doctor about why her arm hair disappeared. Turns out her thyroid levels were all out of whack, and when her doc sent her for a whole battery of routine tests to check and see what else might be going on they found the cancer.
Be proactive and deal with the minor-seeming stuff and keep your quality of life high as long as possible.
posted by phunniemee at 11:32 AM on December 22, 2015 [6 favorites]
As long as you are getting your annual physicals most things can wait until the next physical, but you shouldn't hesitate to bring up anything at that physical.
Problem with resources for the layman is you tend to believe you have whatever you are reading. I are up with "Laboratory Medicine" as my bathroom reading material and would convince myself I had whatever I'd recently read. The new version of this is WebMD where you are empowered to search out your symptoms, but not really qualified for a diagnosis. So chances are you won't have African blood worms or brain cancer.
This said, if I were wanting the information you are asking for I would start with an anatomy book. Know what is where and what it's function is goes a long ways toward knowing what hurts. Seriously, I had what I figured was going to be bladder cancer, but ended up being a kidney issue (not cancer). If I'd bothered to look at a diagram of my own plumbing I'd have known it wasn't the bladder. This also goes toward what I was suggesting above, that having a little knowledge can be bad in that you will convince yourself it's the most terrible thing possible just because something itches, aches, or burns.
Once you have the anatomy down I'd move on to a book on common illnesses or one on aging.
I'm lucky. I grew up being prodded by doctors (family friends) since my folks were in the medical field. So I developed a habit of running to them like a hypochondriac. I still have doctor friends I can pick up a phone and ask dumb questions of.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:52 AM on December 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
Problem with resources for the layman is you tend to believe you have whatever you are reading. I are up with "Laboratory Medicine" as my bathroom reading material and would convince myself I had whatever I'd recently read. The new version of this is WebMD where you are empowered to search out your symptoms, but not really qualified for a diagnosis. So chances are you won't have African blood worms or brain cancer.
This said, if I were wanting the information you are asking for I would start with an anatomy book. Know what is where and what it's function is goes a long ways toward knowing what hurts. Seriously, I had what I figured was going to be bladder cancer, but ended up being a kidney issue (not cancer). If I'd bothered to look at a diagram of my own plumbing I'd have known it wasn't the bladder. This also goes toward what I was suggesting above, that having a little knowledge can be bad in that you will convince yourself it's the most terrible thing possible just because something itches, aches, or burns.
Once you have the anatomy down I'd move on to a book on common illnesses or one on aging.
I'm lucky. I grew up being prodded by doctors (family friends) since my folks were in the medical field. So I developed a habit of running to them like a hypochondriac. I still have doctor friends I can pick up a phone and ask dumb questions of.
posted by cjorgensen at 11:52 AM on December 22, 2015 [1 favorite]
I've inherited such books and clippings from my slightly hypochondriacal mother. I've googled and read newer books and proper medical texts. Often by using multiple such tools I've successfully known when to hold 'em, and when to fold 'em and meet a physician.
That said, simple inspection can be simply inconclusive. Biases of wishful thinking and fear intrude.
I like most people lack microscopes, MRI units, a collection of stains, diagnostic training, etc. The above advice for regular checkups and proactive visits certainly applies.
Example one. A new bump in my hairline started bleeding. Biopsy found it to be an "-oma". Slice, slice, observe for a few months: gone. Ten years later, an apparently identical bump showed up in the corresponding spot on the other side. Biopsy found it to be non-cancerous. The doc easily froze it off as an aesthetic favor. Example two. A month of pain in left shoulder after shoveling dirt was MRI'd, found no damage. The pain faded. A year later, lesser pain in right shoulder after shoveling snow was MRI'd, found serious tears that PT mitigated, though surgery might still occur.
posted by gregoreo at 12:00 PM on December 22, 2015
That said, simple inspection can be simply inconclusive. Biases of wishful thinking and fear intrude.
I like most people lack microscopes, MRI units, a collection of stains, diagnostic training, etc. The above advice for regular checkups and proactive visits certainly applies.
Example one. A new bump in my hairline started bleeding. Biopsy found it to be an "-oma". Slice, slice, observe for a few months: gone. Ten years later, an apparently identical bump showed up in the corresponding spot on the other side. Biopsy found it to be non-cancerous. The doc easily froze it off as an aesthetic favor. Example two. A month of pain in left shoulder after shoveling dirt was MRI'd, found no damage. The pain faded. A year later, lesser pain in right shoulder after shoveling snow was MRI'd, found serious tears that PT mitigated, though surgery might still occur.
posted by gregoreo at 12:00 PM on December 22, 2015
I would recommend checking whether or not your insurance offers a nurse health advice line. The number is probably on the back of your card, or on the insurance website. Basically this is a free service where you call in and talk to a nurse, who will advise you on whether your problem is "Go to the ER immediately!" or "You should schedule an appointment sometime in the next month" or "This is nothing to worry about right now." I find it very reassuring to talk to a "real person" about this sort of thing, and at least in my experience, they do NOT always tell you that you need to see a doctor (which I thought they might do as a CYA thing). Sometimes it's "Monitor your fever and try taking X over the counter thing, and if it doesn't get better within 48 hours, then it's doctor time."
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:04 PM on December 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by rainbowbrite at 12:04 PM on December 22, 2015 [3 favorites]
May I suggest google. It's just that there is so so insanely much, look through just the latin names of all the parts of the body in an anatomy book.
Personal anecdote, in the car I finally stuck my tongue out and freaked at the brown fuzz. Horrible, oh gawd, cancer!! Had an appointment with the doc before I got home. Really freaked. After doing some research I was 90 percent certain it was a reaction to a prescription mouthwash. Canceled the appointment, cut down on the medicine and it was fine in a few days.
That said, getting on the phone with a nurse is often an option 24/7 with many insurance plans. Never hesitate making the call!
posted by sammyo at 12:08 PM on December 22, 2015
Personal anecdote, in the car I finally stuck my tongue out and freaked at the brown fuzz. Horrible, oh gawd, cancer!! Had an appointment with the doc before I got home. Really freaked. After doing some research I was 90 percent certain it was a reaction to a prescription mouthwash. Canceled the appointment, cut down on the medicine and it was fine in a few days.
That said, getting on the phone with a nurse is often an option 24/7 with many insurance plans. Never hesitate making the call!
posted by sammyo at 12:08 PM on December 22, 2015
Response by poster: Footnote: I am in Canada. I have socialized medicine, but not “insurance” in the American sense. I can call 811 and talk to a nurse, but there are no mandatory annual physicals. Typically, our system is excellent if you're really sick or injured, but can be a little difficult to access for preventive medicine – hence my query.
posted by zadcat at 12:16 PM on December 22, 2015
posted by zadcat at 12:16 PM on December 22, 2015
I know what type of reference you're looking for, unfortunately I've never found a single source reference for the layman. Please post an update if you do.
posted by PorcineWithMe at 12:34 PM on December 22, 2015
posted by PorcineWithMe at 12:34 PM on December 22, 2015
an overview of advice on whether this bump, this ache, this nubbin, is no big deal, or something one ought to look into
Right there, you've clearly enunciated the job of a family doctor, and it'll be hard to replace that with a book, no matter how closely read.
There's no role for the "annual physical" anymore, but there is still very much a role for having a primary care physician in your life who will, through years of experience and training, be able to risk stratify your aches or bumps and investigate as needed without causing too much anxiety.
posted by cacofonie at 12:37 PM on December 22, 2015
Right there, you've clearly enunciated the job of a family doctor, and it'll be hard to replace that with a book, no matter how closely read.
There's no role for the "annual physical" anymore, but there is still very much a role for having a primary care physician in your life who will, through years of experience and training, be able to risk stratify your aches or bumps and investigate as needed without causing too much anxiety.
posted by cacofonie at 12:37 PM on December 22, 2015
This book is one good source:
Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective
posted by Corvid at 12:46 PM on December 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
Body Signs: From Warning Signs to False Alarms...How to Be Your Own Diagnostic Detective
posted by Corvid at 12:46 PM on December 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
I found The Family Practice Notebook to have useful info intended more for doctors, but useable by anybody who can read carefully and look up unfamiliar words. (And frankly, knowing the unfamiliar words makes search results MUCH more useful.)
posted by spacewrench at 12:48 PM on December 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by spacewrench at 12:48 PM on December 22, 2015 [2 favorites]
The Healthwise Handbook is an excellent reference for questions like that. And everything ends with a section on "when to see a doctor."
posted by SLC Mom at 9:30 PM on December 22, 2015
posted by SLC Mom at 9:30 PM on December 22, 2015
Don't know if this book exists either, but you might enjoy Ernest Hemingway's short story "God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen" which (among other things) features dialog between two doctors about such a reference -- the younger one wants (a better) one, while the older doctor ridicules the notion of relying on such a book.
posted by Rash at 11:11 PM on December 23, 2015
posted by Rash at 11:11 PM on December 23, 2015
Late to the doctor party but.
As a hypochondriac who also has a chronic illness (and yes, that's as fun as you're thinking it is), I find it really interesting to see the different perspectives on this. (Notably, phatkitten - we're so opposite here!) Anyway, I picked up my knowledge of when is something HOLY CRAP EMERGENCY ROOM TIME vs 'yeah, I should go to the MinuteClinic tomorrow' vs 'yeah I should ask my doctor next time I see her' (which is easier for me as I am in once a month for ongoing maintenance-type stuff) over the years from my mom and my doctors. If you're not easily sucked down the WebMD fearhole, maybe go and read/Google about some of the scary more-sudden medical problems so you'll know you'd recognize acute badness? It helped me a lot to know how high a fever is A Bad Thing, common stroke/heart attack indicators, how to tell a muscle strain from a brain-eating infection stiff neck, and so on. For the milder/more chronic stuff, I always come down on the 'ask a doctor' side, but then I know those aren't emergencies, y'know? so I can wait without panicking.
At any rate, I know that's not *quite* what you meant, but I find that the more I learn about the acute things, the easier it is to get a feel for the chronic things too, so if you do the one (which is a bit easier to find sources for), it might help you absorb the other.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 12:03 PM on December 28, 2015
As a hypochondriac who also has a chronic illness (and yes, that's as fun as you're thinking it is), I find it really interesting to see the different perspectives on this. (Notably, phatkitten - we're so opposite here!) Anyway, I picked up my knowledge of when is something HOLY CRAP EMERGENCY ROOM TIME vs 'yeah, I should go to the MinuteClinic tomorrow' vs 'yeah I should ask my doctor next time I see her' (which is easier for me as I am in once a month for ongoing maintenance-type stuff) over the years from my mom and my doctors. If you're not easily sucked down the WebMD fearhole, maybe go and read/Google about some of the scary more-sudden medical problems so you'll know you'd recognize acute badness? It helped me a lot to know how high a fever is A Bad Thing, common stroke/heart attack indicators, how to tell a muscle strain from a brain-eating infection stiff neck, and so on. For the milder/more chronic stuff, I always come down on the 'ask a doctor' side, but then I know those aren't emergencies, y'know? so I can wait without panicking.
At any rate, I know that's not *quite* what you meant, but I find that the more I learn about the acute things, the easier it is to get a feel for the chronic things too, so if you do the one (which is a bit easier to find sources for), it might help you absorb the other.
posted by dust.wind.dude at 12:03 PM on December 28, 2015
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posted by andrewcooke at 11:31 AM on December 22, 2015 [2 favorites]