Preparing for a Doctor’s appointment
Up until 2014 I thought I was a healthy person and I’d been doing most of the things to stay that way. Every year I’d go for my check-ups and walk out with a clean bill of health. In 2014 I began seeing doctor after doctor to discover what was causing my suspected, but unknown autoimmune disease. I’m not quite ready to get into the details yet, because there is still more unknown than known. However, I do want to implore you to make sure you are taking care of yourself. I also would like to share what I’ve learned since 2014 about how to prepare for a doctor’s appointment and how to live with chronic illness.
Find doctors you trust
This might seem obvious, but finding doctors you trust is something I’ve had to learn. Some of the doctors I’ve seen, while I didn’t question their expertise, I felt they were just checking the boxes with me. I’ve discovered my biggest pet peeve is a doctor that waits until they get into the room with me to look at my chart. They don’t even take the time to find out my name before stepping in the room. Yes, I know they see a lot of patients, but to have to sit while they read my chart, especially before they can address me by name is frustrating for me. However, once the doctor has caught up and if we have a productive appointment, I can get passed the start. However, doctors who don’t listen and give off an air of superiority, I can’t tolerate. How can they treat someone if they won’t even listen to them?
Finding a trustworthy doctor that is knowledgeable, listens and don’t see you as a widget on their assembly belt is important to me. Find out what qualities you need in a doctor and don’t settle for anything less.
Keep a health tracker
You are the only person who knows how you feel. Keeping a health tracker and note things like:
Energy level
Blood pressure (BP)
Symptoms - runny nose, fatigue, headaches
Healthy habits - exercise, water intake, healthy eating, sleep
The things you track should be custom to you and your health goals. It can change over time, but having a record is, in my opinion, priceless. It also comes in clutch at doctor’s appointments. For instance if you have a high blood pressure reading while at an appointment, because you have been tracking your BP numbers you can speak to whether it’s the norm or not. This helps in deciding whether or not you need to be on medication.
Prepare for your doctor’s appointments
I might be the only one who has done this, but I would come up with questions or symptoms I wanted to ask the doctor about before the appointment. I wouldn’t write them down, but go in with them rattling around in my head. While at the appointment I would then forget most of what I’d planned to ask or talk about.
Changing my approach I created Look to the Hills, a health journal to assist women at their doctor’s appointment. It includes sections to capture personal medical history, family history, appointment details (including questions you plan to ask) and appointment notes.
Now I carry it to every appointment and it has helped me fill out those family history forms and personal history/current medicine forms. I go into my appointment and no longer feel overwhelmed by the amount of information or directions the doctor is providing. When I’m asked, do I have any questions, I don’t have to rely on recall, but just ask them straight from the journal and capture the response. I note any next steps and leave the appointment with information that isn’t provided in the after appointment notes that are sometimes provide by doctors.
Advocate for yourself
While the doctor has medical expertise, we are the subject matter experts for our bodies. We have the right to ask questions, express our concerns or ask for other options. If the doctor becomes annoyed by you having an opinion or questions then maybe it’s time to bench them and look for a doctor who listens.
Ask for copies of your lab/test results
There may be times when you have to change to another doctor or see a specialist. Depending on the network they are in, your new doctor or specialist may have access to records. Or they or you will have to arrange for copies to be sent. I find it’s easier to ask for copies of the results for my own personal records and to expedite the record transferring process when needed. For things like bloodwork they normally have normalcy ranges and I take note it in my journal if I fall out of range on one to make sure to ask the doctor if it’s not brought up at our next appointment. (Again we are our own advocates)
Maintain your peace
Stress can greatly effect your health so take time and do things that help you maintain your peace. Preparing for the appointment, prayer, taking time to for self-care, and resting are a few things that help me maintain my peace. This is another area of customization as it relates to us as individuals. Find what helps you maintain your peace and incorporate it as needed.
Trust God
Above all for me while I go through this known, unknown phase of my health journal the most important thing for me is to trust God. I remind myself that anything that is out of my hands are in his hands.
My hope for you is that you are healthy and happy. Even if you are, you should still monitor your health and take steps to maintain it. If you like to use the health journal I created it is available on Amazon. Not interested, that is perfectly fine, I just ask that you consider using a dedicated notebook or some system to prepare for your check-ups and appointments.
Let me know in the comments below how you prepare for an appointment with your doctor?