How many of you know your family’s medical history? I know for myself personally, I know most of my family’s history but there is a small & important portion that I don’t know.
When I was 18 months old I was diagnosed with Encephalitis and Epilepsy. I ended up in a coma for 3 1/2 months and no one that I would survive. However, with prayer and good healthcare, I somehow pulled through that medical crisis.
That was the starting point for all of my chronic medical problems. From that time on…it’s been a roller coaster of a ride. I’ve had 47 surgeries in 48 yours, numerous close calls with death, tons of serious medical issues and many of those issues continue today as chronic problems.
When I was 18 I took the time to talk to older members throughout my family to gain some insight on my family’s medical history. I talked to grandparents, parents, great aunts & uncles, cousins…etc. Anyone in the family who was willing to share.
I wrote down all kinds of things and made myself a good organized file of things that I learned. I then presented all of this information to my doctor and she was able to correctly diagnose me with a rare genetic disease, as well as a whole host of other problems. To this day…I update those files & records every time I learn something new about myself or other members in the family.
I feel this is really important to do. If you got close or even distant family members it’s important that you talk to them and write down any & all information that you learn. You can use this information for yourself or for future generations to come.
So…let’s get serious today. I would like to know how many of you have taken the time to learn your family’s medical history and have you documented it?
I wish that I had documented more of my family’s medical history. I agree with you that it is very important. I shall be going through my father’s notes this month to see what I can find.
I know one side of my family but unfortunately my father was not in the picture very much and I have never been close to anyone on his side of the family. I would truly like to know more about the medical side of it but would also be interested in the genealogy. You would make an excellent detective – I am impressed by how you followed through to get all the info to come up with an accurate diagnosis. Kudos to you for being such a good self advocate.
How I wish I had found out my Family’s medical History years ago. I do have some but nothing past Great Grandmas and Grandpas. Anyone I could ask are all gone, Its really a Good thing that you did. Sorry you have had so many medical issues in your life.. God Bless~
Many of my relatives were deceased by the time we were born. My Mom had us back then ‘late in life’ beginning with me at age almost 34. She was the youngest, and her older sisters had kids my age. I didnt know my maternal grandparents and lived far away from our paternal.
I did find out where my asthma (I outgrew it) came from and a couple of other things. Most came from an Aunt who did genealogy and for those who dont have living relatives that can prove invaluable.