My health story is very long, so I will do it in a sequence of event without the details. If anyone would like to know more for any reason, please send me a note. Ongoing symptoms since my teenage years include: terrible cramps with period, low blood pressure, fibrocystic breasts with a recent diagnosis of atypical hyperplasia (now at a high risk for breast cancer), ovarian cysts that went misdiagnosed for 3 years, ended up with surgery (delayed for 2 days - the delay led to deep vein thrombophlebitis), my iliac vein on the left side has remained totally blocked for 30 years and significantly impacted my ability to exercise. This set of incidents led to a great deal of mistrust and subsequently, I chose to ignore intermittent dysplasia in my Pap Tests and ended up with cancer. I had been told that if I ever had to have abdominal surgery again it would be VERY life threatening, thus ignoring the Pap results. I have 2 sisters and a nephew with Type I diabetes and have some form of glucose intolerance that has made it very difficult for me to find the best way to eat and feel good. I have recently discovered Dr. David Brownsteins work on thyroid, iodine and iodines role in our health and am coming to the conclusion that I have thyroid issues - still investigating. I do know that by going on a gluten-free diet and taking kelp I no longer have a fuzzy brain in the morning and some other symptoms have been relieved including arrhythmia (heart palpitations). I have been blessed with pretty good health since a radical hysterectomy in 1993. I have experienced life-threatening medical errors with both surgeries, which led me to write my book, The Savvy Patient's Toolkit.
"Mr. Corbett, you have prostate cancer. It is early stage. You have a variety of treatment options (he explained them)in your case I recommend watchful waiting," said the doctor on receipt of ...
June 18, 2012 - 12:37pm
"Mrs. Jones(my 80 year old neighbor), did you notice any difference in the way you felt this time versus the last time you lost consciousness?" the doctor asked the morning after she was admitted ...
May 31, 2012 - 1:53pm
When it comes to health care, advocating for yourself or a loved one is a tough job. The danger we face when doing so is that, "we don't know what we don't know", so we don't know the actions we ...
May 30, 2012 - 5:32pm
After my husband was diagnosed in kidney failure resulting from doctor errors we knew we had to become more engaged in our healthcare. What we didn't know was that by doing so our doctors would ...
April 30, 2012 - 6:39pm
This is a question I am often asked when speaking to groups. Here is a simplified answer.
If you have had much contact with the medical system over the years you have seen how much things have ...
April 10, 2012 - 1:28pm
What little or big things tend to nag you as you seek a diagnosis, treatment plan, etc.
March 28, 2012 - 5:18pm
In my last "Share" I told the story of how I came to be a patient advocate and speaker, write The Savvy Patient's Toolkit and start the Savvy Patient School. Today I will share seven of the key ...
March 28, 2012 - 5:08pm
How did I come to write The Savvy Patient’s Toolkit? A question I am often asked. The first form for the book emerged in my head the night my husband was told he was in kidney failure and might ...
March 6, 2012 - 1:18pm
I am a new blogger for EmpowHer and am pleased to find this group. Living with chronic conditions is difficult whether they are genetic, a result of lifestyle or a result of medical errors. My ...
March 6, 2012 - 12:58pm
Mr. Jarvis had surgery last week for a hernia. It wasn't until after the surgery that he gave a clear description of his symptoms. He had been telling his wife and his doctor for several months ...
February 21, 2012 - 9:18am
I feel people can make a big difference in the care they receive. As the medical system has changed and become more complex and fragmented over the years people,especially those over 50, haven't ...
February 2, 2012 - 7:28pm
This is a question I am often asked when speaking to groups. Here is a simplified answer. If you have had much contact with the medical system over the years you have seen how much things have ...
Margo Corbett commented on Margo Corbett's post How Did Medicine Get So Messy?