Lying to Your Doctor

A man diagnosed with Ebola Virus is under treatment in Dallas, Texas.  Two days before he was admitted to the hospital, he was seen in the Emergency Department with fever and abdominal pain.

Now, due to HIPPA, we are unlikely to know exactly what transpired during this visit, but it seems that the patient mentioned to the nursing staff that he was visiting from Liberia, but did not make further mention of it.  It is particularly clear that this Liberian gentleman did not emphasize to the physician that he was from Liberia or, that he had recently had close contact with a woman who died from Ebola.

I don't totally understand the rationale for not sharing this information.  I would have mentioned this several times just to be sure that the medical staff included it in the possible diagnoses, but maybe that's just me.

"Excuse me, Dr. Smith, but about a week ago I watched a lady die from Ebola.  I just thought I'd mention that."

I am always amazed by people who choose to lie to their doctor or, at the least, fudge the truth. 

I remember a woman with diabetes who brought in her sugar log books.  Carefully noted in the columns were various sugars, all between 90 and 140.  A couple of slightly elevated sugars -- 176 and 182 -- were noted with little notes:  "Ate at Golden Corral," or "Aunt Nellie's Birthday Cake."

"Looks good, Lynn," I said.

"Can I get you to cut down on my insulin dosage?"  She asked me quickly.

"Let's see what your A1C showed," I said.  I clicked on it and paused.  "Oh my, Lynn," I said.  "Your A1C test is 14.1."

"What does that mean?"  She asked.

"It means that your average sugar over the last three months has been a little over 360."

"Oh," she said and was quiet.

The whole log book was a complete fabrication.  There was no reason for Lynn to lie to me.  Even if I had no way of checking her average sugar, lying about it wouldn't change the fact that it was totally and completely out of control.  Lying about it wouldn't change the effects that the high sugar was having every day on her eyes, kidneys, and nerve endings.

Lying to your doctor doesn't hurt your doctor at all.  It just hurts you.

In the end, I am afraid that there far too many people who don't just lie to their doctors.  Many people deceive themselves and try to deceive their Maker too.  Of course, it never works, because no amount of lies can change the heart's condition.

In the end, honesty is not just the best policy, it is the only way to begin the path that leads to physical and spiritual healing.