+
Sign up for
The Upworthiest
Our top stories of the day delivered straight to your inbox.
More

Your Doctor Asks You This Question All The Time. Why Can't You Ever Answer It?

A while back, I had a couple medical issues come up at the same time. I had to see multiple doctors and specialists, and each would ask the same thing: "What medications are you on?"

Right now, could you accurately tell your doctor what medications you're on?

If you can't, you have plenty of company. But that doesn't make it a party. You might think, "Well, that's my doctor's job." It is, but your doctor can only track what they know.

You are the one thing your medical team has in common. So it's important that you keep a accurate, updated medication list to share with every doctor or specialist you see.

It doesn't hurt to include your emergency contact as well.

In a Canadian study, a hospital received an inaccurate medication list for new patients up to 2/3 of the time.

It also concluded that 41% of these errors were important and 22% could have hurt the patient. If the patient, their referring doctor, or their emergency contact had a full medication list, those errors could have been prevented.

Your medication list should be accurate.

It should include prescription medications, over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and any herbal supplements. It should also include any medicated cream, sprays, patches, suppositories, inhalers, or other medical devices.

Your medication list should also be up to date.

If another doctor has in any way changed your medication regimen, your list should reflect that and you should update the members of your health care team the next time you see them.

You should trust your medical team enough to talk to them if you have concerns about your medications.

Especially if those concerns are enough for you to want to change your regimen. You may have good reasons to make changes, but making those changes on your own can be dangerous.

Don't be embarrassed to share adverse reactions, safety concerns, budget issues, or difficulties in regularly taking your medications. This is crucial information for your doctors, and they may be able to work with you to find a solution that keeps you healthy while addressing your concern.

If you're uncomfortable sharing this information with your practitioners, consider whether changing your providers might make it easier for you.

Remember, your medical team is there to keep you healthy, but they can't do it without YOU.

Check out this video by Dr. Mike Evans for more about how to keep yourself safe and your team informed.

Wondering how I keep track? I like the Medisafe app, which is available for free on Android and iOS.

If you're going to go the old-fashioned route, make sure your medication list includes:

  • Medication name (including whether it's brand-name or generic)
  • When the medication was added
  • Why the medication was added
  • Who added the medication
  • How long you're supposed to take the medication
  • The dosage prescribed and the dosage taken
  • Any side effects (benign or adverse)

What do you use? What are you going to try? Tweet me and let me know.

Family

Dad found out his son bullied a kid at school and came up with a brilliant teaching moment

"I told him that we have the opportunity to make things right."

@thehalfdeaddad/TikTok

Dad on TikTok shared how he addressed his son's bullying.

What do you do when you find out your kid bullied someone? For many parents, the first step is forcing an apology. While this response is of course warranted, is it really effective? Some might argue that there are more constructive ways of handling the situation that teach a kid not only what they did wrong, but how to make things right again.

Single dadPatrick Forseth recently shared how he made a truly teachable moment out of his son, Lincoln, getting into trouble for bullying. Rather than forcing an apology, Forseth made sure his son was actively part of a solution.


The thought process behind his decision, which he explained in a now-viral TikTok video, is both simple and somewhat racial compared to how many parents have been encouraged to handle similar situations.
Keep ReadingShow less
fatherhood
Pop Culture

Mississippi meteorologist paused for a 'human' moment while reporting on devastating tornado

"Oh, man. Dear Jesus, please help them."

WTVA 9 News/YouTube

Meteorologist Matt Laubham prays for the people in the path of a deadly tornado.

Broadcasters who have to report on tragedies as they are happening have a tough job. On the one hand, they have to maintain their professionalism and inform the public of what's happening in a factual way. On the other hand, they're still human and sometimes humanity trumps the traditional perception of what's "professional."

Such was the case for WTVA meteorologist Matt Laubhan, who found himself live on the air staring at a radar scan of a deadly tornado as it moved towards the small town of Amory, Mississippi. He, more than anyone, understood the severity of the situation, and he did his best to convey that to his viewers.

"This is a strong, life-threatening tornado that's going to move either extremely close to Amory or in through the northern part of the city of Amory."

He added, "Y'all trust me too much," explaining that people sometimes take his predictions of where the tornado will go as hard fact, but the reality is that tornados can change directions at any time. "So Amory, we need to be in our tornado safe place," he said.

Keep ReadingShow less
humanity
Family

Korean mom has a perfect response to the teacher who called her son's lunches 'disgusting'

Good for her for standing up for her child's culture.

via Roman Harak/Flickr

A Korean mother and her son

A recently posted story on Reddit shows a mother confidently standing up for her family after being bullied by a teacher for her culture. Reddit user Flowergardens0 posted the story to the AITA forum, where people ask whether they are wrong in a specific situation.

Over 5,600 people commented on the story, and an overwhelming majority thought the mother was right. Here’s what went down:

“I (34F) have a (5M) son who attends preschool. A few hours after I picked him up from school today, I got a phone call from his teacher,” Flowergardens0 wrote. “She made absolutely no effort to sound kind when she, in an extremely rude and annoyed tone, told me to stop packing my son such ‘disgusting and inappropriate’ lunches."

Keep ReadingShow less
parenting
Pop Culture

Rick Astley covered Foo Fighters' 'Everlong' and it's shockingly great

Consider yourself Rick-Grohled.

Rick Astley/YouTube

Rick Astley rocking his Foo Fighters 'Everlong' cover.

Rick Astley has to be the luckiest '80s musician on the planet. The whole "Rickrolling" phenomenon has given his hit song "Never Gonna Give You Up" a reach far beyond its natural life span, and kept the guy a household name far longer than he probably would have been.

(For those who are unfamiliar, Rickrolling is when you make someone think they're being sent to a website, but the link goes to Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" video instead as a joke. It's a silly viral bait-and-switch gag that's been going since 2006.)

But what people may not realize, because his most famous song has become an internet joke, is that Rick Astley is actually a really freaking great musician. The man can saaaang and it seems he's only gotten better with age.

Keep ReadingShow less
Education

People are raving about how much easier it is to read with 'bionic reading' font

This viral tool could be a game-changer for some.

Photo via Canva, @WhattheADHD/Twitter

The 'bionic reading' font is designed to help keep you focused and read faster.

Reading is a fundamental tool of learning for most people, which is why it's one of the first things kids learn in school and why nations set literacy goals.

But even those of us who are able to read fluently might sometimes struggle with the act of reading itself. Perhaps we don't read as quickly as we wish we could or maybe our minds wander as our eyes move across the words. Sometimes we get to the end of a paragraph and realize we didn't retain anything we just read.

People with focus or attention issues can struggle with reading, despite having no actual reading disabilities. It can be extremely frustrating to want to read something and have no issues with understanding the material, yet be unable to keep your mind engaged with the text long enough to get "into" what you're reading.

Keep ReadingShow less
Joy

Airbnb host wakes his guest up in the middle of the night so she wouldn't miss the northern lights

Best. Host. Ever.

@penslucero/TikTok

Pency Lucero taking in the Northern Lights

Seeing the northern lights is a common bucket list adventure for many people. After all, it ticks a lot of boxes—being a dazzling light show, rich historical experience and scientific phenomenon all rolled into one. Plus there’s the uncertainty of it all, never quite knowing if you’ll witness a vivid streak of otherworldly colors dance across the sky…or simply see an oddly colored cloud. It’s nature’s slot machine, if you will.

Traveler and content creator Pency Lucero was willing to take that gamble. After thorough research, she stumbled upon an Airbnb in Rörbäck, Sweden with an actual picture of the northern lights shining above the cabin in the listing. With that kind of photo evidence, she felt good about her odds.

However, as soon as she landed, snow began falling so hard that the entire sky was “barely visible,” she told Upworthy. Martin, the Airbnb host, was nonetheless determined to do everything he could to ensure his guests got to see the spectacle, even offering to wake Lucero up in the middle of the night if he saw anything.

Then one night, the knock came.

Keep ReadingShow less
nature
Trending Stories