Be in the know

I always seem to be amazed that it is the end of the day, and the end of another week or month.  Proof that I am in the right profession!  Now it has already been 2 months since my last blog post.

Well, after practicing for 5 months and having my own clinic since January here in Airdrie, I have noticed several common trends in Canadian health care.  Here is one: No news is not necessarily good news.  That is in regards to your blood work and test results anyways.  I frequently hear this from my patients who have had recent blood work performed by their MD.  "Well I haven't heard anything back so all must be ok."  Unfortunately, Medical Doctors are in massive short supply in my area which results in these professionals being severely overworked. 

As such, I have learned to have my patients release a copy of their recent records to me so we can take a look together.  And unfortunately, I often find values that are not just low-normal or high-normal but values that are even flagged by the lab as out of normal ranges.  Most importantly, these abnormal results confirm a clinical suspicion I had regarding the symptoms and presentation of my patient.

So, these labs are your property and do not feel shy to ask to have a copy.  Your MD is within his/her right to ask that you pay a photocopy fee but they cannot prevent you from seeing your results.  Be in the know!