18 Seconds for Health

an insider's guide to better communicating with your doctor

Author Archives: Felecia Froe MD

About Felecia Froe MD

Felecia Froe is a daughter, sister, mother, and aunt. She is also a urologist, in practice for the past 22 years. She completed her residency at the University of Missouri-Columbia Hospitals and Clinics in 1993 and has practiced in numerous settings and several states ever since. Felecia started 18 Seconds for Health in 2016 to help patients communicate with their doctors so they may lead a healthier life.

What You Should Consider Before Recording Your Medical Exam

Ben & Cat Photoshoot

Doctor appointments can be overwhelming. When you’re sick, it’s difficult to understand everything your doctor is saying. When you’re chronically ill, it’s even harder. Recently, I came across an article discussing pros and cons of recording doctor’s visits.

It’s clear Read the rest

What Your Doctor Doesn’t Know Might Hurt You

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I had a conversation with a guy the other day. We’ll call him Bill. He told me that when he went to the doctor, he wanted his doctor to be God. I let it go the first time he said Read the rest

Why You Should Take Your Intuition as Seriously as Your Doctor Takes Her Medical Training

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It seems natural to want to believe that we are healthy and that everything is fine. But, what if every thing is not fine? What do you do when you really feel that something is not right? When you feel Read the rest

How Asking Your Doctor for a Raincheck Could Save Your Career

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Comedian Amy Schumer’s Trainwreck deserves major accolades. Not because of the female empowerment, off-the-wall jokes, or sex positivity, which were, of course, amazingly liberating, but because of one scene when a patient advocates on his own behalf.

The romantic interest Read the rest

One Simple Way to Actually Enjoy Your Doctor’s Appointment

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Perhaps if we were in a more playful mindset when we went to the doctor it would not be such a chore.

When we play with our friends, we just seem to be on the same wavelength. You can talk … Read the rest

Instead of Doing What You’re Told, Make Your Own Decisions for Crying Out Loud: A Rant about Dependency, Freedom and Medicine

glassesIt seems like people are becoming more dependent: more dependent on drugs, more dependent on the government, more dependent on anything that will help them get by.

Everything is someone else’s fault and there is little to no personal responsibility

Read the rest

Who’s Advice Are You Listening To

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Since the idea of 18 Seconds began, I have focused on the idea that doctors are able to spend a limited amount of time with each patient. Physicians are pressured by circumstance to hurry; we are pressured to see as Read the rest

Warning: This Article Contains Mention of an Old Lady Swallowing a Cat

old lady

Let me tell you a story…

I know an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly. She didn’t either, but she got scared and went to the doctor. Because she was a favorite … Read the rest

Why Western Medicine Can’t Keep You Healthy

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Have you ever known something, but didn’t know how  you knew it?

For me, for some reason, I have known that we (in western medicine) do not have the ability to keep people healthy. I have known this for a … Read the rest

Why You Might Already Be Your Doctor’s Favorite Patient

“It is much more important to know what sort of a patient has a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has.” –William Osler

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I’d like to start this post by listing the characteristics of my favorite Read the rest