Can You Hear Me Now?

I've had a cell phone now for as long as I can remember. True, there were many of my friends that had cell phones while I was still stuck with my beeper, but I wasn't that far behind in adapting this technology.

The various stages of what I call my “cell phone development” have been very different from one to the next. In stage one I could only make calls and receive calls, whereas in my current stage I barely even make calls. With each stage there has been somewhat of a learning curve, but I've hit each curve at full throttle and loved every minute of it.

So, what specifically is my current cell phone stage all about? How do I use this marvelous tool? If anything, it's a wonderful tool that helps facilitate and coordinate all the many things that I have going on in my life. Personally I don't have a house phone, so whenever I need to get a hold of someone, or someone might need to get a hold of me, it's imperative that I have my cell phone with me. Also, with out a cell phone my wife would never be able to call me and let me know what other errands I needed to run before I made my way into the driveway.

I don't know about you, but my cell is also like a mini safety beacon. I recall when my wife and I were on our honeymoon in Jamaica. It was during the time when there was rioting going on, and regardless of whether or not we were in any danger, it felt good that we were able to carry around a little piece of safety with us wherever we went. I won't go into what we would have been charged for international use, but it would have been well worth it if we were to have ever been in any true danger.

All in all I really don't know what I would do without my cell. That sounds bad after rereading it, but it is the reality that my life has become. I'm usually sleeping when I'm at home, therefore I need to be accessible when I'm up and out on the town. My cell provides this opportunity for me so that I can talk about access other ways that keep me in touch with the world around me.

Here's to you Mr. Cell Phone.

I'm Sick & Tired...Pun Intended

I really don't like going to the Doctor. Don't get me wrong though, I like my yearly checkups, prescriptions when I'm sick, and health advice from a Doctor I trust.

However, none of these things outweigh the displeasure I have in actually going to the Doctor. Yes, I'm talking about getting in my car, driving to his office, signing in, sitting in a room full of sick people, small talk with the nurse who has a freezing stethoscope on my chest, and then, more waiting in a secluded room while reading ESPN the magazine from 2003. All for what? So that he can tell me I'm in good health, write me a prescription, and then bill me/my insurance company a crazy amount of money. I'm over it.

To help combat this undesirable dilemma, I have gone to the internet. I have found a variety of different sites out there, some like Sermo in that people like me, can get there own health analysis from professionals in the medical field. Sites such as Sermo.com are becoming more and more popular for individuals that just want a straight answer without the outdated magazines, small talk, and interruption to ones daily routine.

There are also other new technologies that I've found that could be very useful, if not to me, then to others out there without a care in the world for waiting room purgatory.

One of these new technologies, the EPI Life phone , is a great little way one will be able to use their mobile phone. Did someone ask if there was an app for that? In the world of instant gratification, applications that can help, catch, or even diagnosis patients aliments are a must have.

I see a future in which the uses of applications like Facetime, Tango, Skype, and other technologies the like, help patients like me talk to a physician while at work when simply not having the time to visit the Doctors. With applications like these, and new laws that have been put into place making patient records easier to access, it is easier and easier to put your health in your own hands.

One thing that can be worrisome however is the legitimacy of the information you are in fact getting. With the abundance of information out there, and alterer motives up the wazoo, there is strong possibility that the cure you really need could get lost in translation somewhere. It will always be important to leave important health decisions to professionals.

I am excited about the health care horizon that lays ahead. I do see more freedom of choice for the patient which is always good when it's coupled with the correct knowledge to make that choice.