No, really, are you getting everything you can out of your doctor?
Sometimes I feel guilty for stopping my physician and making them spend a full 15 minutes with me. But goddamnit, I was *SICK* last week. That new primary care physician I saw was awesome. She was open to all my weird explanations of my health and symptoms and constant questions.
I’m an obsessive patient. I have a lot of minor chronic health issues and so I am very careful about what I ask the doctor because of medication interaction, etc. I hate going to the doctor, but after accompanying my parent to the doctor for post-stroke follow ups, I see that it is VERY IMPORTANT to get your month’s worth out of your doctor.
-Do not go in and let them only poke and prod you.
-Be EXTREMELY specific about your concerns.
-Read up on symptoms, observations and ask the doctor what he thinks about them.
-Get yourself ready before your appointment with your concerns. Write them down so you don’t forget.
-Take a notebook with you and take notes during your time with the doctor.
-Ask why they are giving you the prescriptions and if there is anything to watch out for in terms of side effects.
-Do the ‘brown bag’ test. That’s where you take all your medications to the doctor so they can see what you were prescribed by all your specialists, etc.
[EDIT: new! After commenting at InsureBlog, I realized I forgot something.]
-If you are bi-lingual, get a translator. Many hospitals now have translation services for free if you request it. (I personally did not like our translator, but there were times where having one who was redundant was better than not having one.)
I gave the doctor a list of post-stroke concerns about appetite, rehab, etc. I talked to friends who have stroke experience about certain types of things to ask (pulse/ox numbers to ensure enough oxygen was getting to the brain, etc.). Neurological observations, caloric intake, mood, physical capabilities, prescription requests, aids for development, etc. I grilled the doctor because I wanted to get the most out of post-stroke rehab for my family. Frankly, the doctor was impressed and asked me if I had medical training. I said no. I read a lot and I have friends who are nurses, doctors and physical therapists.
Even for myself, during my first visit to the doctor recently, I was lousy miserable but asked her what to do with my infection, the meds, any possible secondary infections, etc. And since I had a follow up, I remembered that I had to ask her for an additional prescription for an asthma inhaler and tried to think of other things I might need.
Good luck! Get your money’s worth. Be an educated patient and talk to your doctor. They’re only human, trust me. If you talk to them, they’ll talk to you. They’re not gods and you have every right as a patient to address your health concerns.
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Total agreement…If you are not in charge of your health, no one is. A wise person once told me that doctor was not a godlike person and in fact 49% of all doctors graduated in the bottom half of thier class as well as 10% just ‘made it’ with performance.
I assist my mother in elder care as an advocate and do not take any ‘crap’ period. In the past when I was passive and not assertive with health issues, I found myself at a loss at times knowing I was not getting the best care.
Also, be an expert about your condition. In one situation I was involved with, two key alerternative methods combined with traditional treatment made a great difference. The doctor said it was a ‘waste of money’ on alternative methods yet could not explain the better recovery period, improve condition and overall success.
On a related note, I work on a campus with 15,000 other employees for a very large company and we have an on site clinic. The team there listens and takes my input in a serious matter while it only cost $10 for a visit. So, for my allergies and asthma treatment ($400 for bi-yearly visit from specialist with co pay of $80) that was the same EVERY series of scrips and treatment every time, I know tell the clinic doctor what I need and we all save money, time and frustration!