I Peeked

The nurse left the room for a few minutes on Friday when I went for blood work and I looked at my medical file.  I felt like maybe I was doing something wrong but that’s impossible, right?  I mean after all, it *is* all about me!!  I will start writing everything down because some of the notes on the chart I don’t remember being said at all!  For example, it said I was counseled for a low potassium diet – the only thing he mentioned diet-related was at the end of the appointment when he handed me a sheet of paper with pictures of foods that I could (low-phosphorus) and couldn’t (high-phosphorus) eat (nothing about potassium).

At my last appointment, the doctor switched blood pressure medications because the one I was on could cause my potassium to go up.  I get that but the notes said it was switched to improve potassium levels and to see if it would improve my renal (kidney) function.  That would be great but I wonder why I was on it in the first place?

I’ve been told that I need to be active in this whole process and I thought I knew what that meant but I didn’t.  I am beginning to understand though:  question everything, research everything, and bug my doctors to death until I completely understand everything that is going on.  That will be a bit hard for me but I see its necessity.

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