My heart goes out Darrie Eason, the woman who appeared on this morning’s Today Show who was diagnosed with breast cancer, had a double mastectomy, and learned later that they had made a mistake — in fact, she had no cancer at all. In her case, her biopsy specimen was mixed up with another woman’s […]
Breast Cancer Misdiagnosis on Today Show: Learnings Read More »
Were you a victim of the Vioxx deceptions? Did you ever take Phen Fen or Ketek or Avandia, only to find out you were at increased risk for heart attack or stroke or liver damage — or whatever medical horror may have been the true result of taking the drug? I could write reams about
Patients: Report Problem Pharma Drugs Read More »
I’ve been meaning to set this up for awhile — a Forum where readers of this blog, my columns, and others who are interested in asking questions or sharing their two cents would be able to do so. The Every Patient’s Advocate Forum is now online — and waiting for you to join in the
It’s YOUR Turn to Participate Read More »
I’m proud of my husband and the reason holds a good lesson for us all…. Over the past six months or so, our experiences with our family doctor’s practice have been less than acceptable. First, Hubby contacted their “prescription refill hotline” about three weeks before his arthritis prescription ran out. He needed a new prescription
Doctor Hunt: Practicing What I Preach Read More »
CNN’s Empowered Patient, Elizabeth Cohen, provided more tips this week about what to do if you think you’ve been misdiagnosed. My own misdiagnosis speaks to four of her five points — and if you have just a seed of a doubt about whether your doctor has diagnosed you correctly, please take Elizabeth’s advice. Here are
CNN and Misdiagnosis: Part II Read More »
Oprah took on healthcare, insurance and the lack thereof today. While I think she did an astounding job of moving the discussion forward, I think a major point was missed — and needs to be pointed out. Joining Oprah were Michael Moore, the director and producer of Sicko, Karen Ignagni who is the top lobbyist
Oprah Takes on Health Insurance Read More »
Last week I told you about my email pal, Tom, who fought valiantly with his health insurance company to get clearance for specialized heart surgery. Tom won permission — and his surgery was performed last Wednesday. I received an email last night — from the man himself — and he tells me he made it
Tom: A Progress Report Read More »
Last week, Newsweek’s My Turn featured an essay by Dr. Richard Karl. Newsweek called it “Good Doctors Spot Mistakes, Save Lives”… a lousy headline for a well-meaning essay, even if the essay needs a postscript. (I’ve provided that postscript below.) Dr. Karl, a surgeon, describes the frustration of trying to track down a sponge which
Newsweek’s My Turn: What About the Patient? Read More »
