When a nurse calls with lab results, or a doctor gives an update at an appointment, I now ask, “May I have a copy of the lab report?”

Without fail, each printed lab report has provided me with additional, meaningful insight, either directly, or by way of pointing me to new words to Google for clarification.  

I’m talking about the routine reports on my own health (not the weekly reports on my late Mom who was on the eldercare rollercoaster).

While I’ve always considered myself relatively healthy (and as of this past year, physically fit), repeatedly the facts in the lab report have enlightened me: helped me take ownership of my own health. 

By better understanding what is really happening in my body, I’ve been able to personally track down what I can do to improve or prevent current or potential health challenges.  

Blood tests, mammograms, ultrasounds, bone density tests, urine analysis: I’ve found that virtually every person who has verbally passed the results to me has been translating, summarizing or editing out a fact, a very specific word or context that would have enlightened me about my well being.

Mammogram

When I last asked my family doctor about the result of my mammogram, he just said, “Everything looks fine.”  When I asked for a copy of the report he had been given, my quick review in his office discovered that actually it said that it seemed OK … but my breasts were so dense, that they advised that I also get an ultrasound for a better view, as well as arrange for previous mammograms to be sent to them, for comparison, since I relocated. 

Hmmmm. Glad I asked to see the report!

Bone Density Test

When the nurse called to say my bone density test (which I requested) revealed I had “some change” (whatever that meant) but was OK since I  “did not have osteoporosis,” I asked for a copy of the report. She tossed it in the mail that day, for me to receive two days later. 

The “findings” in the official report were extremely enlightening, leading me to hours of  Web searching on the topic of “osteopenia,” which is the news-to-me category between “normal” and “osteoporosis” that indicates some bone loss, and can be (but isn’t necessarily) a  pre-cursor to osteoporosis. So far I’ve learned that we actually start losing bone density in our 30s! (I had always understood that it was in our 40s. If I had only known that earlier, I would have lived differently.) 

Surprisingly it seems (I have to do more research on this) that the majority of bone breaks in adults is in those with the more common osteopenia than in those with the more extreme osteoporosis. That self-discovered insight is making me more proactive, learning more about how to adjust my lifestyle to try to prevent more bone loss.

Blood Tests

Last year my brother was told he had diabetes. Thing is, when the doctor reviewed the file, it was evident that labs years ago actually did reveal the diabetes … but no one had told my brother. Frequently he tells me, “Imagine what I could have changed, if I had only known earlier.”

If I hadn’t had a copy of my complete blood test profile from last year, I wouldn’t have been so easily able to compare the improvement of my cholesterol numbers this year. I also would never have known what my “LDL Particle Size Pattern” is (a pattern “A,” which is the large, buoyant, preferred size) and would never have researched what that meant concerning my risk for atherosclerosis and other heart disease.  (Mom’s death certificate reads: “Cause of death: A. Heart failure; Interval - Weeks; B. Advanced Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease; Interval - Years.” Only several times in recent years did doctors even mention Mom having any heart issues at all; they always talked about strokes and seizures, not the heart.)

Hospital Records, Nursing Home Labs

When I took care of Mom, before she was ever released from a hospital, I made a trip to the Patient Records department and filled out a form to have her most recent records copied for me. While it often cost between $50 and $150 to have the records copied (I long for the day when I can just get a computer download of such data), invariably I discovered new-to-me facts that doctors must have considered “secondary” to the issue at hand. Invariably those details helped me make better healthcare decisions for her, over time.

At the nursing home, I required the nurses to call me with the results of each “routine” lab report (in addition to each change in her prescriptions). It seemed that not many ask for that frequency of information. As a well-informed patient advocate, periodically I caught health trends before the medical staff did, helping to improve Mom’s quality of life.

Owning our Health

We must take ownership of our own healthcare, and become our best health advocates. Mom had me. Thanks goodness, I have me, as well.