Doctor's appointments and more doctor's appointments....

When you may be thinking of all the other things you have to do, take heart. Going with your mom or dad to a doctor’s appointment is important! Sometimes, you need to be the interpreter to what is said by the medical staff to your aging parent. My sisters and I can now laugh at a certain appointment where the internist carefully explained to my dad how his blood sugar was elevated and that his body did not have or make enough insulin to carry the nutrients into the cell. At his age and based on the data, the doctor suggested an oral medication that would help his body produce the much needed insulin to assist the nutrients to cross into the cells where they needed to be..... Bottom line, dad got into the car and with relief and excitement shared with my sister, “Well at least I’m not diabetic!” Unfortunately that is exactly what the doctor was telling him! Thankfully, my sister was with him to listen, interpret and re-explain! When you think you are wasting your time at another appointment, think again. You may be the glue that holds your parent’s health together. You know them better than anyone else and are key to transferring important information back and forth between them and the experts.