{"id":5114,"date":"2022-12-19T21:26:06","date_gmt":"2022-12-19T21:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pockethealthqa.wpengine.com\/?p=5114"},"modified":"2025-05-12T17:08:55","modified_gmt":"2025-05-12T21:08:55","slug":"patient-spotlight-accessing-imaging-reports-gave-norm-clarity-on-his-diagnosis","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pockethealth.com\/patient-resources\/patient-spotlight-accessing-imaging-reports-gave-norm-clarity-on-his-diagnosis\/","title":{"rendered":"Patient Spotlight: Accessing Imaging Reports Gave Norm Clarity on his Diagnosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Norm, 70, wasn\u2019t aware he had a hiatal hernia until he was able to see his X-rays for himself.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Norm was out deer hunting with a friend in early November when he came down with a persistent cough that forced him to scrap the trip and seek medical assistance.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 70-year-old from Peterborough already had a history of bad coughs that quickly progressed into pneumonia. He feared what doctors would find when they took an X-ray of his chest.<\/span><\/p>\n

The former conservation officer was already taking a greater interest in his health after experiencing pericarditis \u2014 a swelling of the fluid-filled sac surrounding the heart \u2014 a year earlier. This, coupled with a few unsettling stories from acquaintances, had him on high alert as he headed to the hospital.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had friends of friends die because of symptoms not being diagnosed properly,\u201d he said. I’m trying to take a closer look at my own health care. If something comes up that doesn\u2019t make sense, I\u2019ll ask questions. I\u2019ve got a good cardiologist and family doctor \u2014 I totally rely on them \u2014 but it\u2019s not going to prevent me from taking control of the things that I should be taking control of myself.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Covering the bases<\/b><\/p>\n

For Norm, a big part of this process was signing up for PocketHealth, which allowed him to quickly access his imaging results and instantly share them with others. The emergency doctor assured him that his cough wasn\u2019t a sign of pneumonia, COVID-19 or anything else of real concern. It was just a regular respiratory illness complicated by asthma<\/span><\/p>\n

But with the access PocketHealth gave him to his scans, he discovered a separate issue: Norm had a hiatal hernia that dated back at least eight years.<\/span><\/p>\n

He would soon learn that a hiatal hernia occurs when a small portion of the stomach pushes through an opening in the chest cavity. For many patients, the condition presents no symptoms and requires no treatment. For others, it can produce symptoms similar to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), including heartburn, bloating and discomfort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instant X-ray Access<\/b><\/p>\n

Feeling a little concerned by the discovery, particularly because of recent symptoms associated with hiatal hernia, Norm used his PocketHealth account to send an X-ray to his daughter, a radiology technologist, who confirmed the diagnosis and said she was surprised the issue had not been flagged. Norm quickly booked an appointment with his family doctor who explained that, although the hernia was known to them, they didn\u2019t tell him about it because it was a minor issue that didn\u2019t require treatment and would only have added unnecessary stress.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI was satisfied with his explanation,\u201d Norm said. \u201cSometimes ignorance is bliss and I don\u2019t need to overthink things \u2014 which I tend to do. So, it was almost like, \u2018Thanks for saving me all that anxiety, Doc. And now that I\u2019ve found out about it, you\u2019ve allayed any concerns that I have and I think you dealt with me properly.\u2019\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Charting a New Course<\/b><\/p>\n

Seeing his scans for himself had a profound effect on Norm and his desire to stay engaged with his health. It empowered him to broach the hernia issue with his doctor and helped him make a potential connection with a new symptom of bloating that had arisen over the past six months.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe fact that I had access to that information through PocketHealth gave me the opportunity to chat with my doctor about this and he satisfied my concerns,\u201d he said. \u201cBut it also allowed us to move forward into examining this new symptom. So, it\u2019s all good. And it wouldn\u2019t have been possible without looking at those X-rays and the reports made available through PocketHealth.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Now that he has been hands-on with it for a few weeks, Norm said he recommends PocketHealth to anyone who wants to be as informed as possible when doctors start prescribing treatments. In addition to sharing his results with others, he was able to use the platform\u2019s built-in <\/span>Report Reader<\/span><\/a> to better understand the complex terminology that can accompany imaging scans and use this knowledge to ensure he did not fall through the cracks of a strained healthcare system.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been in and out of my account several times over the past couple of weeks, sending something out to my daughter, printing off copies and storing them in the computer,\u201d he said. \u201cPocketHealth has helped me get the information that I\u2019d been interested in getting for a while but was administratively complicated.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis makes it very easy.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Norm, 70, wasn\u2019t aware he had a hiatal hernia until he was able to see his X-rays for himself. Norm was out deer hunting with a friend in early November when he came down with a persistent cough that forced him to scrap the trip and seek medical assistance. The 70-year-old from Peterborough already had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":5115,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[336,337],"tags":[203],"table_tags":[],"class_list":["post-5114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-other-imaging","category-patient-advocacy","tag-patient-spotlight"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nPatient Spotlight: Accessing Imaging Reports Gave Norm Clarity on his Diagnosis | PocketHealth<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Norm visited the ER for treatment for sudden difficulty breathing. 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