I recently appeared as a guest on a program called Invisible Condition where I talked about my mom’s being misdiagnosed with Alzheimer’s. As it turned out, she had a treatable condition called normal pressure hydrocephalus (NPH). While I never want to give anyone false hope—Alzheimer’s is much more prevalent than NPH—I emphasized that we know our loved ones better than anyone else.

As a caregiver, you may face times when you need to advocate for your care recipient. Signs and symptoms may point to something different than what a doctor has diagnosed, as was the case with my mother. Or a medication might be causing an adverse effect the doctor doesn’t recognize because he doesn’t know what’s normal for your loved one. There may be any number of reasons you need to speak up.

Doctors have accumulated vast stores of training, knowledge, and experience most of us don’t have, but they are fallible just like anyone else. However, we have to disagree without alienating them.

The best-case scenario is a partnership between you and the medical staff, but as I said before, you know your loved one better than anyone else. If you can’t find a solution that fits the situation, it might be time to find a new doctor, a decision wisely made with prayer.

To hear the broadcast, visit e360TV and scroll down to and click on Invisible Condition. Then find episode S1E23 Misdiagnosis.

You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, you know it altogether.
Psalm 139:3-4 ESV

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing, 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, freelance edits, and proofreads for Farmers’ Almanac. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.