I
am not trying to sugarcoat the fact that spousal caregiving
is easy. It’s not. It can be physically and mentally exhausting at times. I
try to hold my emotions close so as not to upset Akaisha.
We are fortunate to have a very strong support group here in
Chapala, Mexico—including numerous doctors, nurses, neighbors, and friends.
Still, it’s challenging.
There are many times, while sitting alone quietly, when my
mind wanders and I wish I had asked the doctors this or that. Of course, if
I had known the question ahead of time, I would have asked it—but it just
popped into my head.
My introduction to AI.
It’s a great time to be alive with today’s technological
advances, especially my introduction to AI. We’ve always embraced
technology. In fact, we believe we produced one of the first CD-ROM books of
its kind:
The Adventurer’s Guide to Early Retirement
in 2005. It featured a short video and user-friendly interactive chapters.
We were ahead of our time.
Today, AI is everywhere—including in the medical field. A year or so ago, I
went to a local doctor with a skin condition. I followed his instructions
and used the cream he prescribed. When I returned a week later with no
improvement, he told me to continue and come back in another week.
Meanwhile, I started researching the issue by uploading photos of the
condition and my symptoms into AI. It told me the prescribed treatment was
wrong and suggested a different cream.
Do I trust a trained medical
doctor or a machine? Oh boy!
That was the question.
After a couple more days with no change from the original
cream, I decided to try the AI’s suggestion. It worked! Since then, AI
has been a tremendous help in guiding Akaisha’s care alongside her
doctors. When they recommend a treatment, I always check with Doc Grok
and ask for outcome percentages and success rates.
If a surgeon says she needs a certain procedure, I ask
Grok about the success rate versus length of recovery and level of
discomfort. I keep that information in mind when following up with the
doctors. If the success rate is less than 80%, the recovery time is
measured in months, and she would be in significant pain, the procedure
simply isn’t worth it to us.
Surgeons want to cut. Doctors want to doctor. I’ve found
they sometimes inflate their success rates a bit. Doc Grok has become my
referee.
No question is too trivial.
On Grok, I maintain Akaisha’s ongoing thread where I
upload every scan, surgery note, and blood test result. When I ask a
question, it knows her complete history and responds with advice
tailored specifically to her case. It’s like having a personal doctor
available 24/7 with no phone tag, office visits, or extra expenses.
If her pain level increases or new symptoms appear, I
enter the information and receive practical suggestions to help relieve
them. The results are fast.
There are many AI programs available, but in my
opinion, Grok is the best.
The key is this: the better and more accurate your
input data, the better your results will be. I’m dealing with a
complicated health issue, and I want clear, uncomplicated
answers—not medical jargon. Grok delivers exactly that.
We receive scan and blood test results by email,
usually as PDFs. I save them to my computer and upload the
information into her thread. I can even upload MRI and CT scans
(though I sometimes have to copy and paste text if there are many
images). Usually, the radiologist’s summary is enough.
Then I ask Doc Grok pointed questions about the
findings.
When a new medicine is recommended, I run it through
Grok. It already knows everything she is taking and can flag any
potential issues with interactions or dosages.
As I mentioned, the better your input, the better the
answers. Even if I don’t fully understand the medical details, Grok
explains them in plain language I can grasp.
I hope you find this information
valuable for your own healthcare journey. It has been for us.
