To consistently be the CEO of your health, reflect on three words: stubbornness, responsibility and accountability.

Stubbornly sticking up for yourself is a good thing. But another kind of stubbornness is the biggest barrier all of us have to understanding and maintaining our health and wellness.

We are always too busy. Or we say this can’t be happening to me. Or we believe everything will be all right. And trust me, stubbornness is not just etched on the male gene.

Responsibility is accepting that you make the choice – no one else does – when you have the power to change. And finally, accountability is about setting milestones to measure your progress and reassess as necessary.

Medical mix-ups occur, so always remember that this is your health at stake. Thousands of people die each year because of misdiagnosis or treatment errors. We tend to view diagnosis as it’s portrayed on television – a mysterious skill that rests on deductive powers of Dr. House-type figures.

If only it were so.

Insightful doctors help, but misdiagnosis often occurs from simple problems such as missed test results, or a failure to consult with a specialist or even the right specialist. Dr. David Newman-Toker, an assistant professor of neurology at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, used his research to come up with this statement: “When the focus is just on how smart the doctor is, it keeps us from fixing structural issues that contribute to misdiagnosis, like poor communication.”

This concept also diminishes the role that patients play. When doctors fail to report test results to patients, for example, misdiagnosis might have been nipped in the bud in a strikingly simple way: the patient, taking responsibility for her health, calls the doctor’s office. “Are those results in yet?”

Here are some situations when misdiagnosis is common, along with some steps you can take to prevent it.

• I am dizzy. Does this mean I am having a stroke?

A recent study from Johns Hopkins suggests that emergency room physicians initially misdiagnose nearly 15 per cent of stokes. Misdiagnosis may exceed 50 per cent when symptoms are brief and resolve on their own.

Mini strokes, called transient ischemic attacks, are not deadly and may just be a warning sign of a more serious attack in the coming days. Recognizing one of these warnings can help you get treatment to prevent stroke, such as daily low-dose aspirin.

You should call 9-1-1 if you have numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side; confusion or trouble speaking or understanding; difficulty seeing with one or both eyes; and loss of balance or coordination.

Dizziness that comes on suddenly and persists needs to be checked out. If it comes and goes and you can bring it on or make it worse by shifting your head, it’s most likely an inner ear problem.

• I’m experiencing chest pain. Does this mean I am having a heart attack?

About six per cent of emergency room patients who were told their symptoms are not heart related actually had a heart attack or related event within a month, says a recent article. Unfortunately, the problem is worse in women, as their symptoms are often more subtle. Abnormal stress test results are often dismissed when additional tests such as angiography show that the arteries are clear.

You should know the signs and symptoms of heart attack in men and women. Have your doctor explain these to you. If the emergency room physician rules out a heart attack, follow up with your doctor and review your coronary risk factors.

• My moods are swinging madly. Am I going crazy?

A recent study indicated that 40 per cent of patients with bipolar disorder had previously received an incorrect diagnosis of depression. This happens often because depression is the most common frequent initial symptom of bipolar disorder. But it’s not the only one or necessarily the most serious one.

You can expect your doctor to ask about other symptoms such as periods of persistent irritability. Because many patients may not recognize the full range of their moods, close family or friends should be involved in the initial assessment.

• I’m gaining weight and I’m always tired. It’s my thyroid. Right?

The diagnosis of hypothyroidism, or low thyroid production, is often made by doctors through urine tests, temperature taking and saliva tests. These have proven inaccurate. Patients misdiagnosed may be treated with thyroid medication when their real cause of their symptoms is stress or depression.

You can ask for a blood test that measures your thyroid-stimulating hormone. Everyone 50 years and over should consider getting a TSH level check.

In order to decrease the likelihood of a misdiagnosis, consider how you describe your symptoms. You need to tell your story in a way that makes your doctor listen and understand.

Mention all your complaints, because it takes a constellation of symptoms to get the complete picture.

Explain your symptoms in a chronological order – knowing which came first can be crucial. Don’t minimize your complaints; tell your health story like it is. It is sometimes useful to bring a list to help you remember or bring along a companion.

Sure, there are cracks in healthcare. But with a little of your own attention, you do not need to fall through them.

Dr. Larry Ohlhauser, MD, is an internationally acclaimed health consultant and author living in Edmonton. Reach him through his website at www.thehealthyceo.com.