Good-to-Know Medical Information
The Short Life of Medical Records
Breast Cancer Signs, Symptoms, and Exams
Perspective on Knee Joint Replacements
Something to Laugh About
The Short Life of Medical Records
Do you know that each state has a medical record retention law that specifies how long doctors and hospitals must keep medical records? In Illinois, it’s six years, but generally, the time limit is between five and ten years. It’s best to always get copies of your test results, X-rays, and DVDs of MRIs and CT scans after every procedure in case you need to see a new doctor.
But this may not always work. When my neurologist ordered an X-ray of my tailbone, she said I could share it with my acupuncturist, who suspects my back is causing my foot neuropathy. When I gave her the DVD, I was surprised to learn she could not read it on her computer, nor did the facility have the special software required to read X-rays and scans. She found the X-ray findings helpful, but this made me wonder if the records we get in the future will be readable to a new doctor we might want to share them with.
Breast Cancer Signs, Symptoms, and Exams
According to OSF Healthcare, “Breast cancer deaths have declined since 1990 thanks to early detection, better screening, increased awareness, and new treatment options. As a result, women who are regularly screened for breast cancer have a 47 percent lower risk of dying from the disease compared to those who aren’t.”
Women are advised to pay attention to how their breasts normally look and feel so they will be aware of any changes or suspicious lumps.This Cancer.org page discusses cancer signs and symptoms, and this Mayo Clinic page explains how to do a self-exam of your breasts in the shower or lying down.
My Experience: When my oncologist retired a few years ago, my surgeon took over the examinations. He emphasized that mammograms do not find every breast cancer, which is why he examined my breasts after every screening, particularly after my mastectomy. “Your other breast is always at risk,” he said. (I’ve written about this in my PDF article, “Breast Cancer Returns After Twenty Years.”)
Two days before I was supposed to see my surgeon last year, he left his practice and vanished from the internet, until last month when he turned up in a distant city. Since then, I’ve felt vulnerable without him or my former oncologist. (All breast cancer survivors should have an “oncologist on tap,” so to speak.) I finally found one near me who I’ll be consulting with in September. I wish it were sooner, but she is booking five months ahead, and I was lucky to find her.
Perspective on Knee Joint Replacements
Before one of my sisters had knee joint replacement surgery, she asked me what kind of prosthesis I’d gotten for my surgeries in 2005 and 2006. I had all my surgical records except for this detail so I called my knee surgeon. That’s when I learned he no longer had my records. But he said he had used Zimmer implants for years and considered them the best available today. Both my husband and I used this surgeon and had excellent results with no problems, so I urged my sister to find a surgeon with a good track record of success who would explain her joint replacement options and answer all her questions, which she did.
Until writing this, I didn’t know that “About 790,000 total knee replacements are done every year in the US, and total knee replacements are now one of the safest and most reliable treatments in any area of medicine. Even better news is that joint replacements can last twenty years or more.” (Source Rheumatology.org.)
I last saw my knee surgeon in 2019 after I’d banged up one knee in a fall. After X-raying both knees, he said, “If I didn't know better, I’d think I’d done your surgery last month.” He confirmed that I would never need to have these joints replaced, no matter how long I lived or how many miles I walked or rode on my exercise bike. And my sister was told the same thing. But I wonder if younger adults or runners would get the same answer.
The article linked above offers tips on how to prevent the need for this kind of surgery. For more info, Google “4 types of knee joint implants.”
Something to Laugh About
As I was about to have an X-ray of my knees before my first knee surgery, I looked at them and remembered how slender and nice-looking my knees and legs were when Harry and I married. Now with age and weight gain, my knees were fat and ugly and my legs had varicose veins. Suddenly I laughed aloud, startling the X-ray technician.
“What’s so funny?” she asked.
“I just remembered something my late husband once said to make me laugh about our ugly legs. In his best imitation of W. C. Fields—who dragged out the last word of this sentence—he said, “The last time I saw legs like that, they were on a Steinway.”
I got another laugh when one of my old friends came for a visit after I’d had both knees done. When I showed her my scars, she laughed and quipped, “That horse will never run again.”
To age gracefully, we need to hone our sense of humor. As gossip columnist Elsa Maxwell advised, “Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can.”
First published as a Brabec Bulletin on June 5, 2024.
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