Surviving Your Doctors: Why the Medical System is Dangerous to Your Health and How to Get through it Alive Book

This book is quite an eye-opener. Experiencing medical care over the years one can see the changes in complexity and the opportunity for errors as well as the time and energy wasted on bureaucratic complexities. The patient is the ultimate loser. There is abundant confirmation of my own rather recent change in paradigm to go from trusting doctors and other medical professionals to having to be your own advocate and take responsibility for your health care. The book has its limitations as it was written over 10 years ago (before ACA) and realistically out of date in the rapidly changing health care field. It does what it promises in making the case that the medical system is dangerous, but in my mind is unrealistic in terms of how to get through it and what the answers are.

The book was not as well written as I would have liked. There was enough jumping around to confuse the reader and too much knowledge of medical jargon and procedures was assumed. No fault of the author, but the copy of the book I bought was missing a section of pages so I was unable to read that part.

The prescriptions for the reader were a mixed bag. Some were quite unrealistic. Researching (using Google) medical issues was emphasized. Doctors used to frown on that and some still do. When a medical crisis hits, not everyone has the luxury to be able to do that. Time and money are constraints in doing complicated research in an area you are not familiar with. If you are the one with the medical issue, you flat-out may not be in any condition to do extensive research or pepper doctors with questions. Another point he made repeatedly for emphasis was to have an advocate go with you to appointments and be with you round the clock in the hospital. It makes sense as they would be another set of ears and eyes and could take notes and help you to follow up. Not everyone has that luxury either. Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, anyone being with you is forbidden and you are on your own whether you are in any condition to fend for yourself or not.

Because of the complexity, the author encourages the patient to check and question everything - labels, x-rays, test results, medication to be given, etc. More frequently than we believe, meds, procedures and even surgeries are given to the wrong patient with disastrous results. He encourages second opinions and second readings of x-rays and other tests. This is placing undue burden on an ill patient as well as distressed family members. The problem is real and we as patients should step up and check what we can, but the author is overboard in his expectations.

To cap it off, the author advocates universal health care. I know that insurance companies create havoc for medical professionals and ultimately patients, but I have yet to see a government takeover be the answer to any such problem. It has gotten too big every year and we are seeing creeping socialism in many areas of our lives.

I have learned quite a few things from reading this work and hopefully it will help me better deal with medical issues. I'll likely be more alert and ask more questions as I shift my lifelong mindset from a complete trust in medical professionals to realizing they are also humans who are worn thin with complexities and can loose focus and make mistakes. My guard will be up even though I will not be doing everything advocated by this author.