Don' t play with fire...

You know how they always say don't play with fire or you'll get burnt...and nobody listens till they get burnt?...well I'm burning!!! It's not like the warning bells didn't go off early enough...I just thought what the heck, dive in and screw the consequences!!! Well that's my self-cremation story...

Any who...it looks like I saved another life! Remember my friend that was in the Emergency room a few nights ago? well she' much better now. My warning to the rest of you is never trust E.R doctors. I am not saying they don't do a good job, but the problem is that they are only there to fix you up enough to either get you home so you can see your own G.P the next day, or enough to fix you up and send you to other hospital units. They don't know you well enough to take your history into consideration and are just sort of patching you up. If they send you home with something that you need to take for the rest of your life...question it with a second opinion.
Many people think Doctors are mini gods and they do not question what they are told. I remember going to the doctor once because I kept having little dizzy spells, and the doomass I had at the time told me my symptoms weren't classic and I was simply having "subconscious" panick attacks and I just needed Xanax! I told him the only way I was taking an anti anxiety medication was if he investigated my symtoms using the technology available now such as EKG's, EEG's...etc! He was trying to diagnose me like a witch doctor without running tests first. I figured it was because I was on a sliding scale payment system and he figured I would never be able to affrod all the tests necessary, so he opted for the easy way out to get me to shut up.

The reason I questioned this doctor at the time was that I knew I was born with some heart issue that has resolved. I am not sure what the issue I had was because my mother doesn't remember and doctors in Zambia don't usually explain much...besides the Doctor I had then is dead now so I can't ask him. I somehow knew there was a connection to the symptoms I was having, but I couldn't afford a new doctor on what I was making as a student. So it actually too about 3 years before I finally went in to see someone. In the mean time I kept having the dizzy spells every now and again. The new doctor simply ordered all the tests without me asking and we got an EKG and an echo cardiogram...and presto! we found out that I have a low grade murmur and my heart rate can drop to the low 30's at times...and my blood pressure also has a tendancy to drop... which could have been causing the dizziness. Since finding that out, I know how to better manage myself and can drink plenty of fluids and more salt than usual which makes me feel so much better. The low heart rate isn't due to a conduction issue, so it's not dangerous...and in fact people that exercise tend to have low heart rates...which is what scared me because I DO NOT exercise...I know the importance... but would rather stick to sexercise and the occasional swimming once a year if you don't mind :-) I'm too fat and lazy to be bothered! Okay I will seriously get started on walking now that it's warmer...lol!

Any way, my friends ER doc, told her to get started on blood pressure medication, and I told her to not take it because I knew that wasn't the underlying issue. Besides her pressure was fine when they told me what it was. I asked her to wait till she saw her G.P the next day and told her what to ask him. She did just that, and she is now being managed properly! It was funny because I had to call her every 2 hours through the night to make sure she was alive and she lives many states away from me.

Bottom line is...question your health care providers...no matter how highly recommended they are! You can also google your medications or illnesses to learn more before accepting what you're told. I have also seen many medical errors on the discovery channel...it aint pretty!

(picture of sangoma from robertahorton.com)