Friday, August 8, 2008

Family Portraits

It was pouring cold rain earlier, so I rushed into the house and changed into a fuzzy sweatshirt. Now, after a few hours sitting under a warm laptop trying to catch up on blog feeds (only 727 unread posts left!), I'm starting to be hot and sweaty, but am too lazy to get up and change again.

In case you wonder why I mention this, I just feel it's important information for my legions of fans to know, serving as a valuable reminder that I cannot be counted on to take any action that requires moving away from the internet, even if it would increase my own comfort. Such is my dedication to keeping informed. 

In other news, Healthbolt writes about what sounds like an interesting website and personal health information resource: MyFamilyHealth.com

It's designed to allow members to input health information about their family in order to track and have handy those details about relatives that you're asked by doctors. Did anyone in your family have heart disease? Diabetes? Put it in here!

The site's 'about' page says that you and other relatives can jointly work on the record, so if you could get buy-in from enough aunts and uncles and cousins, I could see this really being a rich and detailed resource. Even if you only keep track of the stuff you personally know about, or can fill in from asking, it could be useful, if only by giving you a way to keep this information in one internet-accessible place where you could look it up before meeting with a new doctor. 

I've filled out a few of those family history forms in doctor's offices, and honestly can't say with certainty that I've always listed the same information (or even the right information), because I may not have remembered it the same from one year to another. Also, sometimes I just make up stuff about hereditary weeping boils, so I'll sound more interesting. 

MyFamilyHealth, which lets patients share information with their doctors and presumably with any new doctors who may be consulted, could helpfully intervene to solve this pesky concern. 

The site also ties itself into the hot new topic of genetic screening, suggesting that you can "Discover if you or your family members could benefit form [sic] specific diagnostic, genetic or screening tests." Nifty.

I'm moderately intrigued, though too lazy and busy reading blogs to sign up for an account at the moment.

I should note, too, that it was 08-08-08, so I really should have baked 8-shaped cookies or something to celebrate, but I didn't. I hope you enjoyed that little anecdote.


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