Health History Interview with a 70-Year-Old - Free Paper

An individual's health history is useful, especially in the treatment process, to understand the right medication and how to handle certain rare cases. The history looks at the family history of an individual and their medical history. Over the years, the United States has made significant steps to improve healthcare in the country. Certain groups, such as the 65-year-old and above persons, receive significant attention from the government.

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Dr. Lynn McCain is a 70-year-old Caucasian female currently living in her retirement place located in Gulfport Mississippi. She relocated from Tennessee to be near her son following her husband's death over six years ago. She explains that it is difficult to adjust to the new setting and older age. She grew up in a small town in Tennessee in the 1900s and associated her dedication to taking care of her family, especially her father. She always received encouragement to succeed in her profession and as a woman. Lynn remembers that the very first trip she had with her father to the store was when she was five. She says that her father acknowledged that she was bright, and she was like a shining star. Dr. Lynn's life appeared to be one faced with an opportunity, challenge, loss, and the desire to cause change by contributing to the generations to come.

The only stressors that Dr. Lynn experienced in her are traced back to when she was thirteen. She had lost her four-year-old brother, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Grief is a common event among individuals, and it is a crucial occurrence that can be applied to test the approach an individual uses to ensure they cope with the situation. It also tests the resources a family uses to address the issue. Dr. Lynn was brought up as a staunch Christian and remained active in community events and activities. She describes finding solace, especially in her grandmother’s home. However, her younger brother's death traumatized her mother, such that Lynn would take over the role of a mother at an early age. The experience prepared her to deal with challenging situations such as death.

Lynn always felt acceptance by her father and the family members, although she could feel a significant disconnect from her mother. The situation had an adverse impact on her self-concept, especially as a female. She would enjoy making her father feel proud of her and attain confidence via the accomplishments she made. The critical nature of her mother likely contributed to long-term impact and potentially led to negative self-image and role confusion. However, her father was around to intervene and play a crucial role in her life.

Additionally, Lynn found acceptance from their peers and in her higher learning. While away from home, she could take control of her setting to ensure she succeeded in academics. Lynn states that her father wanted her to be a physician, and she worked for it in college. She eventually graduated from college and started to practice her profession as a doctor. She loved to serve her community, especially in alleviating the rampant health issues in the country.

Dr. Lynn noted with a shaky voice that they were ever a happy family until she started to develop medical issues that the family members were unable to predict. She developed degenerative disc disorder, migraines, and rheumatological issues when she was 40. The migraine condition has an association with family history. Lynn revealed that her late grandfather suffered a similar condition in his early adulthood. She noted that her grandfather developed a condition that they could not understand since, during the period, there was little understanding of the majority of the health issues. The problem was so severe on him until his demise. She associates the condition with her grandfather and says it is likely she inherited it from him.

The problems of migraine initially showed slow development, but few healthcare professionals were well conversant with migraines and medical errors to achieve effective treatment. By then, she was a doctor and continued to work regardless of her condition, vomiting between sessions with patients. Dr. Lyn learned that she would find hope brought about by the sumatriptan medication (Lipton et al., 2018). It was not available in the United States during that time; thus, it was to be shipped from foreign countries such as Canada and the Netherlands. She took medication for a year, and it allowed her to report to work again and proceed with her life. The medication was expensive based on it being not readily available, and the shipment costs, alongside the one-year duration she was under medication. She spent approximately $15000 on the medication and other medical attention from her physician. She later developed an ischemic attack, which affected her life and career. She was not in a position to continue with the triptans that functioned as a relief for migraines. The physicians did not know the best measures to advise her, but only prescribed steroids to treat inflammation. As a result, Dr. Lynn developed diabetes mellitus type 2 from the over-prescription of steroids. She was compelled to close her practice and permit both private disability and social security to cater to the family and pay for the medical bills.

This time around, the treatment for the problem had been established in the US and even at significantly reduced prices. Migraines are currently a treatable condition in the US. It has been described as a condition that potentially causes serious throbbing pain, especially on one side of a human's head (Lipton et al., 2018). In most cases, it is accompanied by vomiting, nausea, and a lot of sensitivity experiences to sound and light. Migraine is found to last for hours or days, and it is associated with pain such that it interferes with an individual’s daily activities (Lipton et al., 2018). The improvement in healthcare in the US saw the establishment of medications that assist in preventing some migraines, such as Dr. Lynn's condition. They usually make the experience less painful. Lynn describes that she was advised to take measures such as changing her lifestyle, using self-help remedies, and the right medicines available in US medical centers to address the condition.

She explains that healthcare in the US has evolved compared to her experience while she worked as a doctor in her young and late adulthood. Patients can easily access healthcare and the insurance coverage that makes it affordable (Goodman et al., 2017). She acknowledges the developments and programs introduced by various administrations across her life have seen a significant transformation in healthcare. The programs such as Medicaid and Medicare focus on the 65-year-old and above in the US. The passing of the Affordable Care Act has helped her arrange for insurance plans since she could not afford the high premiums (Koh & Sebelius, 2010). This is a great improvement in health care when compared to the 1950s or 1960s.

Even though the healthcare costs in the US are found to be higher than in other countries, she describes the current costs as slightly affordable compared to the past. Individuals, especially those in the 65 and above category, enjoy subsidized medical coverage and treatment from various programs offered by both the federal government and state administrations.

Conclusion

Healthcare is an important aspect of a country, and the government needs to focus on improving it and making the services available and affordable to its citizens. The medical history of 70 years old reveals the trends in which the US has been improving its healthcare system by providing cures and medication for certain diseases, which were initially a challenge such as a migraine. Numerous programs have been put in place to help susceptible groups such as those 65 years and above to enable them to access quality and lower-cost healthcare services.

References

Goodman, M., Onwumere, O., Milam, L., & Peipert, J. F. (2017). Reducing health disparities by removing cost, access, and knowledge barriers. American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 216(4), 382-e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2016.12.015

Koh, H. K., & Sebelius, K. G. (2010). Promoting prevention through the affordable care act. New England Journal of Medicine, 363(14), 1296-1299. DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1008560

Lipton, R. B., Munjal, S., BrandSchieber, E., & Rapoport, A. M. (2018). DFN02 (sumatriptan 10 mg with a permeation enhancer) nasal spray vs. placebo in the acute treatment of migraine: A doubleblind, placebocontrolled study. Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain, 58(5), 676-687. https://doi.org/10.1111/head.13309