Planning Your Doctor Visit
How well you and your doctor talk to each other is one of the most important parts of getting good health care. Unfortunately, talking with your doctor isn't always easy. In the past, the doctor typically took the lead and the patient followed. Today, a good patient-doctor relationship is a partnership. You and your doctor can work as a team.
Creating a basic plan before you go to the doctor can help you make the most of your visit. The tips in this chapter will make it easier for you and your doctor to cover everything you need to talk about.
Planning Your Doctor Visit - Listing Your Symptoms
Talking about your health means sharing information about how you feel. Sometimes it can be hard to remember everything that is bothering you during your doctor visit. Making a list of your symptoms before your visit will help you not forget to tell the doctor anything.
Symptoms can be physical, such as pain, fever, a lump or bump, unexplained weight gain or loss, change in energy level, or having a hard time sleeping. Symptoms can also involve your thoughts and your feelings. For example, you would want to tell your doctor if you are often confused, or if you feel sad a lot.
When you list your symptoms, be specific. Your list should include:
- what the symptom is
- when it started
- what time of day it happens and how long it lasts
- how often it happens
- anything that makes it worse or better
- anything it prevents you from doing.
Being honest about what is bothering you does not mean you are complaining. The doctor needs to know how you feel to help figure out your health problem. A physical exam and medical tests provide important information, but it is your symptoms that point the doctor in the right direction.
Quiz
1. Symptoms can
A. be physical.
B. involve your thoughts.
C. involve your feelings.
D. all of the above
D is the correct answer. Symptoms are not just physical. They can also involve your thoughts and your feelings.
2. I should make a list of my symptoms
A. before my doctor visit.
B. during my doctor visit.
C. after my doctor visit.
A is the correct answer. Making a list before your visit will help you remember to tell your doctor everything. Sometimes it can be hard to remember all your symptoms during a doctor visit.
3. When you list your symptoms, it is important to
A. list only a few symptoms.
B. give only a general description.
C. be detailed.
C is the correct answer. Your list of symptoms should be detailed and include what they are and how often they occur. Your list should include all your symptoms even those you may think are not important.
4. Sharing your symptoms with your doctor will
A. help your doctor.
B. bother your doctor.
C. confuse your doctor.
A is the correct answer. Sharing your symptoms will help your doctor figure out what your health problem is.
Planning Your Doctor Visit - Listing Your Medications
Your doctor needs to know about ALL the medications you take. Medications include prescription drugs, over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs, vitamins, herbal remedies or supplements, laxatives, and eye drops.
Sometimes doctors may ask you to bring all your medications in a bag to your visit. Other doctors suggest making a list of all your medications to bring to your visit.
If you do make a list of the medications you take, do not forget to write down how much you take and how often you take it. Make sure to tell the doctor if a dose has changed or if you are taking a new medicine since your last visit.
Write down or bring all your medications even if you think that one or some of them are not important. The doctor needs to know everything you take because sometimes medicines cause problems when taken together. Also, sometimes a medicine you take for one health problem, like a headache, can cause another health problem to get worse.
Write down any medication allergies you have and any bad side effects you have had with the medicines you take. Also, write down which medications work best for you.
Bring your insurance cards, names and phone numbers of your other doctors, and the phone number of the pharmacy you use. Also, bring your medical records if your doctor does not have them.
Quiz
1. Your doctor needs to know
A. some of the medications you take.
B. all of the medications you take.
C. most of the medications you take.
B is the correct answer. It is important for your doctor to know all the medications you take, even those you only take sometimes. Some medicines should not be taken together and can even make a health problem worse. Therefore, you have to tell your doctor everything you take so that he or she can be as helpful as possible.
2. Medications include
A. over-the-counter (non-prescription) drugs.
B. vitamins and herbal supplements.
C. prescription drugs.
D. all of the above
D is the correct answer. Medications are more than just prescription drugs. They include medicine that you can get without a prescription, vitamins, herbal supplements or remedies, eye drops, and laxatives.
3. Medicines that I only take sometimes
A. need to be on my list.
B. do not need to be on my list.
C. need to be on my list in some cases.
A is the correct answer. Medicines that you take as needed but maybe not everyday still should be on your list. It is important that your doctor know about these medicines, even though you do not take them regularly. Your doctor also needs to know if you have stopped or started taking a medicine.
4. If I am having a bad reaction to a medicine, I should
A. not complain to my doctor.
B. tell my doctor.
C. wait for it to go away.
B is the correct answer. Tell your doctor if you are having a bad reaction to a medicine. Don't wait for it to go away or think that if you tell your doctor you are complaining too much. Your doctor also needs to know if you are allergic to any medicines so that he or she does not prescribe them for you.
Planning Your Doctor Visit - Habits and Life Changes
To provide the best care, your doctor must understand you as a person and know what your life is like.
Be sure to let your doctor know if you use any assistive devices to help you in your daily activities. Assistive devices can help you see, hear, stand, reach, balance, grasp items, go up or down stairs, and move around. Devices used by older adults may include canes, walkers, scooters, hearing aids, reachers, grab bars, and stair lifts.
Be prepared to tell your doctor about where you live, if you drive or how you get around, what you eat, how you sleep, what you do each day, what activities you enjoy, what your sex life is like, and if you smoke or drink alcohol.
Be open and honest. It will help your doctor to better understand your medical conditions and figure out the best treatment choices for you.
Sometimes things happen in life that are sad or stressful. Your doctor needs to know about any life changes that have occurred since your last visit because they can affect your health. Examples of life changes are divorce, death of a loved one, or changing where you live.
Your list should include all your life changes but does not need to go into detail. It can be short like "had to sell home and move in with daughter."
Also, write down and tell your doctor if you had to go to the emergency room, stay in the hospital or see a different doctor, such as a specialist, since your last visit. It may be helpful to bring that doctor's contact information.
Quiz
1. Your doctor needs to know about life changes that may have made you sad or stressed.
TRUE is the correct answer. It is important to tell your doctor about life changes that may have made you sad or stressed because they can affect your health.
2. Examples of life changes are divorce and death of a loved one.
TRUE is the correct answer.
Divorce and death of a loved one are examples of life changes. Other examples of life changes are changing where you live or having an ill loved one.
3. Your doctor only needs to know about your health symptoms, not your habits.
FALSE is the correct answer. Being open and honest with your doctor about your health symptoms AND your health habits will help him or her better understand your health.
4. Your doctor needs to know if you have had to stay in the hospital since your last visit.
TRUE is the correct answer. Updating your doctor about your life includes telling him or her about a stay in the hospital, an emergency room visit, or seeing a new doctor.
