Kind eReader,

In this column I talk about all the ways technology and the Internet benefit readers, authors and publishers. Well, today I want to discuss something a bit more serious than that, because my recent experiences taught me the Web can be assist in a lot more crucial way: like helping save your life.

My column is late this month because I’m recuperating from emergency gall bladder surgery. My story might not have ended so well had I not relied on the Internet and taken a proactive approach to my health. I hope the lessons I learned in the past month will be valuable for you to hear!

For some years I’ve had digestive problems that my family doctor attributed to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). IBS is hard to diagnose and has no cure; it just means periodically you have to deal with abdominal cramps, bloating and the like. Diet can alleviate it, stress aggravates it, and I’d come to terms with the occasional bouts of suffering as part of my lot in life, along with being Type I (insulin-dependent) diabetic.

About three weeks ago I suffered an unusually acute attack of pain, which continued for almost three days. I thought it might be flu, since it was worse than IBS. I recovered and was okay for two days, then the pain returned with a vengeance. I had no idea IBS could be so terrible!

I called my doctor’s office to tell them what was going on and see if I could get anything for the pain. I described my symptoms accurately to the admin people and also to a nurse: nearly labor-levels of non-stop cramps from my collar bone to my hips, both front and back. They assumed the problem was just IBS, and prescribed first one anti-spasmodic and then another. My doctor (whom I learned after the fact was never told any details about my pain) did not instruct me to get medical attention.

After three more days of this pain, I did some extensive research on the Web. I had every symptom of gall bladder problems except fever, and began to suspect that was my diagnosis rather than IBS. When I woke up at night shaking violently, I knew that had to be it; we went to the emergency room and 13 hours later I had my gall bladder out. It was completely gangrenous by this time.

Lesson learned: don’t rely on your medical practitioners to be infallible. You have to be proactive about your own health care, and the Web can be a marvelous tool. Sure, there’s a lot of quackery online, but there is also a lot of science and a lot of anecdotal information about people just like you.

This isn’t the first or last time the Web has trumped my care providers in terms of being accurate and helpful. For example, I recently also figured out why the new insulin my doctor switched me to wasn’t working for me and asked to be switched back. A study published on the web compared the two insulins and from that I could easily see the problem.

Someone once said “information is power,” and that’s what the Internet is: information. There’s no longer any reason to sit back and expect health care providers to do everything for you. You can work with them to research your specific health issues and be proactive in addressing those with your doctors, armed with information they may have overlooked.

This same principle applies to everything from what may be wrong with your car to where to stay in a strange city. The tools are there to make your life safer and easier, if you just avail yourself of them in a reasonable manner.

I’m on the mend now but I realize things could have gone much better for me if I had not depended so much upon my doctor taking action or communicating more effectively. With so much information at ready hand, and the attitude that I have the responsibility for my own health and safety, I won’t let this happen again!

Once again I say, it’s a great time to be alive. And I’m happy that I still am!

eRead on,

Diana

Diana Laurence“>Diana Laurence is the author of the Soulful Sex anthologies of erotic romance fiction, and released her latest book “Bloodchained” in September 2007 (www.bloodchained.com/). Diana’s works are published by Living Beyond Reality Press (http://www.livingbeyondreality.com/). Visit her at www.dianalaurence.com or enjoy her blog at www.eroticawithsoul.blogspot.com.

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