The Charlotte Jewish News - March 2021 - Page 39
To Your Health Conversations About Healthcare Empowerment: When You’re Diagnosed With Cancer
By Lorrie Klemons, MSN, RN, CDP As we all know, cancer is a devastating disease. It not only is devastating to the patient but also devastates everyone who cares about the patient. Once you have been diagnosed with cancer, your life is never the same. Every ache, every pain, every bump, and every lump make you worry that your cancer is back. Regardless of what type of cancer you are diagnosed with, all persons
with cancer share the same anxieties and fears. Everyone wants the best treatment available. Everyone wants to live. When you are diagnosed with cancer, you put your fate into the hands of the cancer specialists. They will determine the best form of medical treatment for your cancer, which can include surgery, chemotherapy (drug therapy) or radiation therapy. You may be treated with one or all three of these treatment modalities. While you must have faith in your doctors, you can also make sure that you are informed about the type of cancer you have. Ask questions. Ask lots of questions. Ask for clarification when you don’t understand the answers. Ask how to spell the terminology your doctor uses. Write down your questions before you visit the doctor so you don’t forget to ask them. Write down the
answers if you feel you need to. Bring an advocate with you to every appointment. When you are stressed out, it is often hard to concentrate or recall conversations. You may also not ask the important questions. Your advocate will help remind you of the discussion and ask the questions that need to be asked. It is helpful to have the same advocate with you for each doctor visit so that person will be familiar with your illness and the prescribed treatment. Seek out a second opinion if you feel compelled to do so. Patients do this all the time, and it will not jeopardize your relationship with the primary doctor. Most insurance companies will gladly pay for a second opinion. You will feel more in control of the situation if you get the second opinion, and it will also give you a sense of security assuming that both doctors agree on the
diagnosis and treatment modality. You can become confused if you get two different opinions from two (or more) doctors. At that point you may want to do some research on your own to determine the best course of action to take. Though you may be compelled to crisscross the globe going from doctor to doctor for a cure, this is not to your advantage. It will be too exhausting, too expensive, and too emotionally draining. At some point, you will have to put your trust in one doctor. Be sure to let loved ones and friends support you in this journey. They can help you physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Do not shut them out. You will need them now more than ever. Don’t be ashamed to ask for help. Tell people what you need and how they can help you. You cannot do this on your own. There are many places where
cancer patients can go for information, resources, and assistance. Some of these include: The American Cancer Society: (800) 227-2345, www.cancer.org Cancer Care: (800) 813-HOPE (4673), www.cancercare.org Cancer Spiritual Support: www.mystronghold.org Cancer Information Service: (800)-4-CANCER (226237) CaringBridge: www.CaringBridge.org Lorrie Klemons, MSN, RN, CDP is a Certified Dementia Practitioner, Patient-Senior-Caregiver Advocate, Educator, Consultant, Speaker, Author, Warrior Mom, and End of LifeDeath Doula Reach out to Lorrie for any healthcare advocacy or empowerment needs you might have at lorrieklemons@gmail. com. www.KlemonsHealthCareConsulting.com.
for daily wear. Hearing aids can even be made completely custom in the ear canal with no portion behind the ear. That custom fit is impossible for a mail order or over the counter amplifier. The Bottom Line While amplifiers are cheaper and readily available, they are not meant to be used for hearing loss. They might seem like a quick fix, but they may make your hearing condition even worse. They are designed for people with standard hearing capability who still want to amplify sound for recreational purposes. On the other hand, hearing aids are an investment in actually
correcting your hearing loss and in improving your overall health. So, before you spend your hardearned cash on a sound-improving device, make sure you visit us at Levine Hearing, get checked and tested, and try out a customized hearing aid that resonates with your hearing issues. Madison Levine’s daughter will tell you that her mommy “helps people hear better.” In fact, Madison is a second-generation Hearing Instrument Specialist. She founded Levine Hearing, near the Arboretum, in 2015 as an independent practice focused on individualized patient care.
Hearing Aids vs. Amplifiers
By Madison Levine, Levine Hearing Hearing Aids vs. Amplifiers? I get asked this question all the time! According to the Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, it is estimated that approximately 38.2 million Americans grapple with some form of hearing loss. This makes hearing loss one of the most common health complications in the US. Since I believe (and research backs me up here) that hearing better makes you feel better, I want you to understand the merits of using either hearing aids or amplifiers to improve their hearing. Did you know that hearing aids and amplifiers can look the same, but the two are totally different items with different uses? The outer shell is pretty easy to
make, but the computer inside it is what will separate the quality of sound. What Is the Difference Between Hearing Aids & Amplifiers? For starters, amplifiers or personal sound amplifying products (PSAPs), as they are commonly known, are devices that take all the frequencies in a given environment and equally raise the volume. PSAPs don’t suppress the background noise but instead amplify every sound that is on their radar. Since most individuals with hearing loss struggle when they are in noisy situations, it means that these devices can only be ideal if they are used for leisure. By that I mean, one-onone situations with zero background noise. Therefore, if you are talking one on one with somebody or want to improve the sound during recreational activities such as theater and bird watching, amplifiers are the perfect solution. However, if you want a device that selectively finetunes all frequencies when you are in noisy situations, you can bet that PSAPs won’t help. I have read some really misleading advertisements recently with titles like, “PSAPS: the greatest invention of 2020,” while ampli-
fiers have actually been around for decades. On the other hand, hearing aids have made immense advancements in the last 10 years and are professionally designed and customized devices that take into account every frequency of an individual’s hearing loss. These devices make all sounds clearer, not just louder. They evaluate the noises around you, categorize them by the type of noise, and then use compression to help you focus on the speech you want to hear. Hearing aids help you hear sounds more clearly, while amplifiers help you just hear them louder. Hearing aids are regulated and classified as Class 1 medical devices by the FDA, and are best prescribed by a hearing healthcare professional (like me!), while amplifiers are still marketed in something like the Wild West. There are few regulations on what they can and can’t say or promote. Hearing aid or psap Also, amplifiers are generally made in a one-size-fits-all approach. The picture on the right is a common fit that I see for an amplifier. It is sticking out of the ear and is quite noticeable. A custom fit hearing aid like the image on the left is much more discreet and is also more comfortable
