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Making the Most of Your Appointment
A visit to the physician can be stressful, especially when you are not feeling well to begin with (why else would you be going to the doctor?) or you are worried or anxious. A doctor’s time is limited, so you need to make the most of the time you have together. How can you maximize your visit to get out of it what you really need and come away with the answers you seek? Here are a few tips to make the most of your appointment:
• Make a list- Many people forget some of the things they wanted to talk about. In order to make the most of your time and your doctor’s, write down your symptoms, when they began, what makes them better or worse and anything you can think of that might be pertinent to your situation. In doing this, you will be sure not to forget any important points. Also make a list of questions you may have and refer to the list before you leave to be sure you are not missing anything.
• Bring a friend- You may be overwhelmed by your situation or by the information you receive. Bringing a friend or a loved one with you to your appointment can provide you with an extra “ear” who can rehash the appointment with you at a later time, or help you to remember questions you wanted to ask. They might also take notes for you.
• Stick to the issue at hand- Your doctor will not have time to address multiple issues, so stick to one or two problems that you would like to have addressed. If you have several problems happening at the same time, make another appointment to talk about the items of lesser importance. Many doctors actually have a policy of only addressing one or two problems in a single visit.
In following these simple tips, you and your doctor will both be happy- you will get the information you need and your doctor will have a clearer understanding of your problem.
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Fibromyalgia is a prevalent condition that affects many people in the United States. Approximately 3.7 million Americans have Fibromyalgia. That is 1 in every 73 people.
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Excellant advice. I would
Excellant advice. I would like to share my situation in the hope that somebody in my position will benefit from my mistake. I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia two years ago, I was told there is no cure and that I will have to live out the rest of my life with this condition. I was told there is really no treatment for the disease, that we can only treat the symptoms. This turned out to be Narcotics. I was unable to work because of the pain and fatigue as a result, I lost my job, I was then released from my pain management clinic because I was no longer able to pay. I applied and got denied state health insurance. I was then forced to transfer my care to the county clinic. I was seen by a Nurse Practioner. After the first couple of appointments I stopped complaining about my pain and symptoms, I would just go to my appointments to get my new script for pain meds. Unable to work, I filed for Social Security Disability, which is a whole other topic. After being denied and appealing I was finally able to see a Judge. The decision was, "partially favorable"which suprised me because I did'nt even know that was an option. The Judge agreed that I was disabled. But, as I stated earlier, I would go to my appointments to get a new script, because in my mind it would'nt change anything if I complained about my symptoms and side effects. So I wouldnt complain. Because I stopped complaining the judge was able to decide that my condition improved and I was no longer disabled. This is my point, make sure you tell your provider about your pain and other symptoms every visit. The Social Security Disability organization will look for any reason to deny you. If it's not in the medical record then it did'nt happen. So now I have to keep fighting the government to get the income that I desperately need. I worked for 30 years and paid into the Social Security fund and now I have to fight a long grueling battle, in my condition, to try to get money I feel I deserve to live on. This is just the tip of the iceberg of my story, much much more to tell but I really just want to make the point of how important it is to tell your doctor how Fibromyalgia is affecting you, every visit. Because someday you might need those records (or lack of, in my case)to get disability. I hope my rambling can help at least one person. Thank you for listening.
Anthony Davais
That is really good Info to
That is really good Info to have Anthony. I'm sorry you had to go through that but thank you for putting out the word. I was diagnosed over 15 years ago and got to the point of "whats the point of compaining", it doesn't get you anywhere, when you complain you get looked at with pity or judged, so its easier to get the meds you need and get on. So to skip all that, I might take a list of current sypmtoms to leave with my doctor that he can attatch to my medical records.