The Letter U...

I've opted for Unique to as my "U" word.  This word means one-of-a-kind, specific, without equal, etc..  It is the antithesis of a common mentality in our society, One-size-fits-all.  

This one size thing is pervasive throughout our culture from food to clothing, most alarmingly it exists in medicine.   I'm not even happy with one size fits most.   Plain & simple, we may look the same, may share some similar ailments & may even have the same diagnosis, that still does not make us the same.

Understandably, medicine works in a realm of generalizations.  That is the way of it.  However, it is up to us to make our physicians & other health care providers remember that we are not the same person they just treated.  It  is up to us to keep track or our health & to educate ourselves on our ailments & treatments. 

Whenever you are given a new prescription, there should be an insert describing the chemical nature of the drug & it's possible reactions & interactions.   This list is going to look huge.  Guess what?  Those are only the most commonly reported ailments or those most commonly noted during the initial trails of the medication.  If you go online & research your drug, you will probably find a plethora of other reactions/interactions that the patients report.

I have dealt with gout & that beast is from hell.   I listened to my doctor & read the medication labels.  I did as I was told & still got flare ups.   So, I researched it.  I found out that several things that were setting it off.  When, what & how much I ate affected it drastically.  How I held my feet when I slept.  Weather phenomenon & climate such as extreme shifts in temperature or high humidity could cause a flare up.  Even the low-dose aspirin my doctor had me on was causing problems with my gout.  Once I figured these things out, I got my gout under control.

The point is, you are unique.  Your body, your chemistry, your reactions, your lifestyle & much more make you a very specific entity.  All these things alter your health & the treatments you may receive to keep you healthy.  This uniqueness makes you, you, but it also makes you responsible for figuring out best to keep yourself healthy.  Your doctor puts you on Epivir & tells you to expect reactions A - Z.  Then you go & have an unlisted reaction.  You should inform your doctor, but you should also research this & see if anyone else is having the same reaction.  You have to figure out, is it you, an interaction or something completely unrelated.

Being + is difficult, but being + & unique can be ever more so.  I've had many weird reactions to my meds, some common, some not.  I have done the best I can within my ability to make my treatment plan & drug regimen suit my life & my needs.  Have you?

Cya