The Question: Is it the family physician’s job to gather test results and explain the outcome of those tests – blood tests, ultrasounds, X-rays and...
Personal Health Navigator
Paul Taylor retired from his role as Sunnybrook’s Patient Navigation Advisor in 2020. From 2013 to 2020, he wrote a regular column in which he provided advice and answered questions from patients and their families. Follow Paul on Twitter @epaultaylor
Alcohol and Diabetes: A Potentially Dangerous Mix
The Question: How does alcohol consumption affect diabetes? I work with street people who don’t always eat properly. Does it worsen their diabetes...
Pain Control: How to Stay on Top of it after Surgery
The Question: Before I undergo a knee replacement, I have to see an anesthesiologist. I know the visit is to go over details to put me under during...
What Cancer Patients Need to Know about Clinical Trials
The Question: I have run out of conventional medical treatments for my cancer, which has metastasized. How do I join a clinical trial? How do I...
Why Patients Need to be Vigilant about Blood Clots – the Silent Killers
The Question: I take warfarin for atrial fibrillation. Every three weeks, I go to a clinic to get my blood checked and, if needed, my warfarin dose...
Home Dialysis and the Lengthy Wait for a Kidney Transplant
The Question: I want to do dialysis at home but am worried. Is it safe? Is it possible? The Answer: This is the kind of question Alireza Zahirieh...
Spine Surgery: Why the Waits are So Long
The Question: After years of lower back pain, I have been referred to a spine surgeon. How long will it be until I undergo surgery? The Answer: Once...
What Tests to Expect When You are Expecting
The Question: I’m early in my pregnancy and wonder what screening and diagnostic tests I should undergo. I’m worried about taking a test that leads...
Stuck in Hospital: When Patients are Waiting for Another Care Setting
The Question: My mother is an elderly woman with Alzheimer’s admitted to Sunnybrook a few weeks ago and she is now ready to leave. None of the...
Waiting for Surgery When in Hospital
The Question: My father has been on a “wait and see” list for 36 hours, with an IV drip. Once they know surgery isn’t going to happen, why wouldn’t...