Most of us when we become sick enough to need medical care are more worried about what is hurting or making us sick than we are about the important role we ourselves play in our medical care and recovery. The following steps can help you be in charge of your medical care and can also save you time and money!1. As soon as you start feeling bad, write down the ways you feel bad, the time it began, whether the discomfort or illness is getting progressively worse, etc. If possible, take your temperature and record what you get. If you have a blood-pressure cuff, record your BP as well.
2. Telephone your family practice physician or GP and make an appointment for that day if possible. If the receptionist tells you, there isn't a free spot for several weeks, be firm and explain the degree of sickness you feel and your need to be worked in that day or referred to another physician who can see you that day.
3. Any time you have a doctor appointment, take with you to the appointment all of the prescriptions you are currently on. Chances are you won't be able accurately to remember the name of each prescription, its dosage, its purpose, or its mg amount without bringing the prescriptions with you. This information is very helpful to your doctor, as many of us see specialists as well as family practice physicians. Doctors do not always know which prescriptions have been given to you by other doctors.
4. If you get nervous in doctor's offices and often forget to tell him or her everything that's relevant to your illness, take someone with you to serve as a second voice and set of ears. You need an advocate, someone who isn't sick, to support you. It's OK to include a third person; just tell the medical office assistant, nurse, or M.D. why that person is with you.
5. You or your companion should write down everything important the doctor says to you. What is the diagnosis? What prescriptions will you be on? What is the purpose of each? How long will you need to take it/them? Is there a generic version you might substitute that will be less expensive?
6. Use your doctor visit time wisely. Write out questions ahead of time, have your symptoms written out as well, and bring prescriptions along. Usually, physicians are under a time crunch. The better prepared you are, the more effective health exchange you'll have.
7. Don't assume your doctor can look at you and immediately diagnose your illness. He or she is not a mind reader. You are the ultimate expert on your body. You know how you feel physically and emotionally. You know whether you are sleeping adequately, eating properly, etc. Tell them everything you can so they can be as helpful and accurate in your treatment as possible.
8. If you don't understand something the doctor says to you, say so. You are not supposed to be a medical expert. It's OK to ask for a layperson's definition and translation from medical speak.
9. Keep a medical diary of your own. Anytime you feel dizzy, short of breath, nauseous, etc., record those details. It may be related to the side effect of some prescription. It may be a repetition of a pattern that will have significance once reported to the doctor. It's so easy to forget what you felt and wondered about five days ago, so it's best to write things down as they occur so you and the doctor can discuss them when you have an appointment.
10. Be compliant. If you are told to get more exercise, eat more sensibly, find ways to reduce stress in your life, take better care of yourself, give up smoking, stop drinking alcohol, quit using drugs, whatever-do it. The more good sense and good care you apply to your own body and person, the healthier you will be and the less you will need expensive medical procedures and prescriptions.
