MEDICAL EXPERTS TEAM – YOU GOT ONE?

PLANNED LONGEVITY™ Strategy Series: Hiring a medical expert team.

Medical experts are available for hire, and it’s free to hire them.

Now let me make a distinction here. My dentist of 20+ years is on my team. The guy he sends me to for a root canal is not. The root canal guy is someone I hire to do a job, and that’s it. He’s not a team member.

My gastroenterologist is on my team; the specialist he sent me to for removing a rather large gallstone is a guy with special equipment to remove large gallstones. He’s just someone I hired to do a job. He did, and I’ll probably never see him again.

So now you’re getting the idea. My medical expert team is where I go when I need advice and possibly treatment. The best thing about this arrangement is having these experts on my staff is free unless I use their services.

Yeah, there’s a set-up charge to get started, but so what? You have to buy a license to operate a vehicle on the street, and you have to renew it again every year. Unlike the auto license, once I’m set up with them, I don’t have to pay my medical experts anything unless I use their services.

It’s an amazing deal and essential for executing my PLANNED LONGEVITY™ strategy.

Why have a medical experts team?

First, it’s almost certain that you are going to need one or all of them eventually. Yes, you could die suddenly – just drop dead, but that’s not how it usually happens. In fact, this way of dying is quite rare and sort of difficult to define – usually, there are indicators leading up to the final “sudden” event.

For most of us, this might be the preferred way to go, especially during our sleep, but other than from fatal accidents, dying usually takes time, more often than not, lots of time.

The strategy behind a Planned Longeviy™ medical expert team is based on having access to personally selected professionals in several fields. This guides us and provides assistance when necessary. In any medical situation, your odds of controlling it and minimizing its effects are far better if you have a team in place that knows you “medically.”

Although we don’t look at it this way, lack of information in an emergency is a critical risk factor. Having a medical expert team in place helps remove this risk factor or at least reduce it considerably.

My Primary Healthcare Provider (PHP) has been my doctor for over 23 years. There’s not much she doesn’t know about my health situation. If I have an emergency, I want to see her face, not the face of a stranger.

Building your team:

Because everyone is different, I’m going to use my own team as an example. What I do to manage my team will work for you. Your team might be different, but the principles are the same.

Who’s on my team?

Primary care provider (PHP): 23 years

My Dentist: 20+ years

Dermatologist: 8 year

My Urologist: 11 years

Cardiologist: 6 years

My Gastroenterologist: 16 years

I see each of these experts twice a year. When I visit them, I have a written list of questions and concerns I want to talk about. In some cases, I have blood tests in hand. For my PHP, it’s a CBC, Fasting Insulin, and an A1c. For my Urologist, it’s Testosterone and PSA. I bring these with me to avoid a second meeting to discuss blood tests.

My expectation Is that I will be able to meet most of my medical needs with this overall schedule.

Now, this might seem like a lot of “doctoring,” but it’s planned and well thought out in advance. It takes very little of my time and, over the years, has helped me nip many issues in the bud. Where I am now, healthwise and agewise, I feel quite comfortable.

If you look at the times of these relationships, you can see that my starting place was my PHP. With her assistance, I built my team of experts.

Maintaining and growing your team:

First, and before anything else, get a PHP that you trust. This does not mean walk-in clinics or telemedicine. These things have their place, but you need a real relationship with a PHP. The best way to do this is by being a good patient. Yes, this is a two-way relationship. Patients have responsibilities too, and I will get to these later.

Once you have a relationship with your Primary doctor (your PHP), you need a complete assessment of your health and use this to start building other relationships accordingly. Here’s a couple to start with:

Dental Health.

The more we learn about oral health, the more we realize how it affects our entire system. For example, a very serious bacterial infection called myocarditis – an infection that weakens your heart muscles – is known to be associated with oral infections.

There are numerous other examples, less extreme maybe, but still potentially damaging to your health. So here’s the takeaway: find a good dentist, get your oral health up to snuff, and keep it there with regular dental exams and cleanings.

This could be a lifesaver.

Skin Health.

The most common of all cancers is skin cancer, and these lesions become more numerous as we age. Melanoma is by far the most aggressive skin cancer, and I have had several in their earliest stage and had them removed.

These cancers were discovered in a skin exam by my Dermatologist. Who subsequently removed them. For years now, I have had a bi-annual (every six months) skin cancer exam, and occasionally my dermatologist will find one and remove it.

I strongly recommend that all my OMY friends start a relationship with a Dermatologist.

So a dentist and a dermatologist, in addition to one’s PHP, are a basic team for everyone.

So what else?

Well, this depends on your personal needs. The best thing is to let your PHP be your guide. I think everyone should have a relationship with a cardiologist. Why? It’s really simple. The most likely way you will die is from a cardiovascular event. You can start with an annual heart exam and go from there. I see my cardiologist every six months.

Here is a great article about starting a relationship with a cardiologist. It happens to be for women, but it also applies to men.

Most aging men should have a relationship with a Urologist because of the commonality of prostate issues. Women should have a doctor who screens them for breast cancer. Prostate and breast cancer are second in frequency only to skin cancers. This commonality should be enough to make you aware and to fold these concerns into your team selection.

This list could go on, but at this point, it really depends a lot on your health situation.

Here are some rules for relationship maintenance.

• Your team members are highly trained professionals with many responsibilities and rules to follow. Treat them with the respect they deserve. Try to understand the world as they see it when engaging with a patient.
• Be on time for your appointment. Arrive 15 minutes early. If you can’t make it on time, call and let them know your situation. Whatever happens, don’t just neglect to show up. Do this too often, and you’ll be dropped as a patient.
• Be prepared for your appointment. Have your paperwork and test results in order if it’s a follow-up or routine visit. If you’re having a problem, list your symptoms and their frequencies. Be as specific as you can. Don’t just say, “I hurt all over,” or “I just feel like crap.” These statements don’t offer much to go on. They cause needless tests and delay your relief as a patient.
• Ensure that you keep all your medical team members updated on the medications you take, how much, and how often. This helps minimize negative drug interactions and duplication.
• Finally, I shouldn’t have to say this, but loud music, loud talking, constant cellphones going off with silly ringtones, and unruly children are all rude to others and are not welcome in a doctor’s waiting room. Rudeness to employees is not excusable either.
• You want a good doctor, and doctors want good patients. It’s a simple formula that allows for trusting, long-term relationships. This is how you build your team of medical experts. You must also understand that your success with health issues is your responsibility, not your doctor’s. This is what I mean by “team of experts management.” It’s your job. Helping you do it is your doctor’s job.

Adding to your team.

From time to time, you might need to add a new member to your advisory team. This can happen if one of your current advisors retires, dies, changes professions, or moves somewhere else.

This is a case where your PHP comes to the rescue. He or she will likely know about you losing a team member and might set you up with a replacement. One of the most important benefits of having a good relationship with your PHP is that they will know you well, and they also know the possible replacement candidates. If you’ve been a good and loyal patient, they will set you up with the expert they would select for themselves.

Loyalty has rewards, and a strong relationship with your PHP is invaluable. It is an investment in your health and your future. This might be the most important statement in this post.

The other reason to add to your team is not a replacement issue, but rather you’re having a new health condition. Using myself again, If I develop a chronic kidney condition, I would seek a Nephrologist to join my team. These new additions are usually for chronic conditions.

Using your team.

I try to keep things simple. I see all of my experts every six months. Usually, I have a list of things I want to discuss, and in some cases have some lab tests with me.

Your doctor is going to give you ten or maybe fifteen minutes. To make the most of your time and ensure you get everything you want covered, have a written list of things you want to discuss.

Often I email my cardiologist a list of things I want to discuss, tests I might want to consider, and a detailed description of any symptoms (sometimes with pictures) I might be having. This is in preparation for an upcoming appointment.

I have done this with other doctors (especially my dermatologist with pictures of skin lesions) to prepare them for what I hope to accomplish during our appointment.

I’d be willing to bet that I get more out of my appointments than 95% of all other patients. You can do the same thing with a little planning. Use your team and show appreciation. Believe me, they will appreciate you in return.

In a medical setting, doctors have obligations to patients, but patients have obligations as well. Think about what you can do to improve your relationships and act on it.

So Finally.

Staying healthy and living a long life might happen by accident, but that’s not how it usually works. As an OMY, following Planned Longevity™ Strategies, you have an advantage over many others. Building a team of medical experts is one of the best tools you can have in your Master Toolbox.

OMY1

Note: this article will appear in my Planned Longevity™ Strategies.

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