If you’ve been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening illness it’s not unusual to routinely get lab work done to check numerous health indicators. If you thought waiting for the results from diagnostic tests were torture then you haven’t waited by the phone or computer waiting for the latest results on your current status. The test results are not only the gauge of how the treatment is working, but for many it’s the barometer of how they’re feeling.

Ever wonder how you would feel if you didn’t know the test results? What would happen if you were feeling well and you were told that the numbers were good even if they weren’t very good? Would you do anything differently? Would you feel any worse just because you were told the numbers weren’t good? The placebo effect is our response to news often used in pharmaceutical trials. It’s not uncommon to find that the patient receiving the placebo responds even though not receiving a therapeutic medication, but the mind can impact how the body responds and the opposite is true.

Are you capable of receiving the lab results and not use them as an indicator of how the body is feeling? In many instances the tests are indicators; those things you need to look into further but not necessarily a health threat. The lab results can be the springboard for conversations with your medical team. Understanding the implications of the lab results is more important than the number. If the lab results indicate the treatment regimen isn’t working that’s a big issue. If the lab results indicate that a secondary condition results from the medication, then although inconvenient you haven’t been condemned to poor health.

It’s important to keep up with your lab work because it’s part of your medical treatment. You have to remember that the numbers are indicators. They are conversation starters about how to maximize the treatment protocol. The hope is that you become conscious of the impact your lab results have on your emotional and physical health. Speak with your doctor about your reaction to your numbers so as a team you can decrease the negative impact of the numbers. Remember that how you feel is as important as the numbers. Your medical provider should couple the lab results with proof of your health and that’s based on how you’re living your life!

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