Dr Sarah Jarvis
MyWeekly’s favourite gp from tv and radio writes for you
I’ve probably heard every excuse under the sun – in fact, some patients are so convinced Granny knew best, I wonder why they bother to see their GP at all! Here are some of the best (or worst?) reasons my patients come up with…
One of the patient habits doctors hate most is using someone else’s medicines if their own have run out, or if they have “the same” symptoms. It makes it hard for your doctor to keep up on how well controlled your condition is. Getting through too many “reliever” inhalers can indicate you’re at high risk of a lifethreatening asthma attack. So if you’re using a lot of reliever medication but your doctor doesn’t know because you’ve used someone else’s, you could be at risk. It might be completely safe for someone else to use a medication, but dangerous for you because of interactions with other medicines you take. Some patients think they can fool me by taking their blood pressure medicines just for a couple of weeks before their check-up. That means their blood pressure will be normal when it’s measured – but their overall risk of stroke is hugely raised. We do keep tabs on how often you order your repeat prescriptions! Most of us can’t resist old wives’ tales. For instance, reading in dim light doesn’t damage your eyesight, although it can leave them feeling strained and dry. Sitting too close to the TV doesn’t damage them either, although the bright light may give you a headache.
THERE ARE EXPIRY DATES ON DRUGS FOR A REASON – THEY MAY NOTWORK AND MAY NOT BE SAFE IF THEY’RE OUT OF DATE
Eating carrots doesn’t help you see in the dark either! Apparently this old wives’ tale started in WW2, when a public service campaign encouraged us all to eat more carrots for better night vision. Carrots are a good source of vitamin A, which does help protect the surface of the eye – but you can get plenty in your diet even if carrots leave you cold.
Some patients think cigarettes aren’t harmful if they don’t smoke regularly. This is a bit like the myth that calories from chips don’t count if you’ve pinched them from someone else’s plate! In fact, just one cigarette a week is as bad for your heart as eight a day. On the plus side, it should be a lot easier for you to give up, and within a year your risk of heart attack drops by half.
At this time of year I get dozens of patients requesting home visits for coughs and colds on the basis that it will make them sicker to go outside. Firstly, unless you have other long term health conditions like asthma or COPD, there’s rarely anything a doctor can do. Secondly, colds and coughs are caused by viruses – not by going out in cold weather. There is some evidence that getting very cold for hours at a time can lower your body’s ability to fight off infection, and a sudden change in air temperature can trigger a bout of coughing, but wrapping up warmly to go outside is fine.
Sadly, one of the reasons I hear (more from men than women) is “I thought it would go away”. That may be true of the common cold, but it certainly isn’t when it is related to coughing up blood, losing weight for no reason, a lump in your breast or a host of other symptoms. Most of these patients know their symptoms could mean cancer and bury their heads in the sand. Getting seen and treated early means better chance of longer survival – no excuses! Next Week: Do you have undiagnosed diabetes?
DON’T SHARE CREAMS – DOING THIS CAN PASS ON GERMS AND GIVE YOU AN INFECTION YOU NEVER EVEN HAD TO START WITH!
COLDS AND COUGHS ARE CAUSED BY VIRUSES – NOT BY GOING OUT IN COLD WEATHER’’