While it is your doctor's job to diagnose and treat you, you play a role in this, too. The better you're able to collaborate and work with your doctor, the better they'll be able to figure out what's wrong and receive the right treatment recommendations. Most people do not intentionally do a poor job of collaborating with their doctors, but they might unknowingly make a few mistakes that make their doctor's job harder. Keep reading to learn what those mistakes are so you can avoid them.
Not being clear about the problem when you make your appointment.
When you call to make your appointment, be as clear and thorough as possible when describing your issue to the receptionist. This way, they will be better able to set aside the right amount of time for the doctor to treat you. For example, if you were just to say that you were having headaches, the doctor may not set aside as much time as if you were to say that the daily headaches are accompanied by vision loss. This information also gets passed on to the doctor, so the more you share, the more your doctor will know going into the appointment. This way, you won't have to spend quite as much time re-describing your problems.
Not sharing all of your symptoms.
Patients don't typically leave out symptoms on purpose, but they do tend to forget to mention them. Your doctor may arrive at a completely different diagnosis if you forget to mention you've been having diarrhea, versus only telling them you've had abdominal cramping, for instance. To make sure you do not forget certain symptoms, make a list of them prior to your appointment. Look over it a few times to make sure it's complete, and bring it with you to the appointment.
Leaving your real problems to the end of the appointment.
It's understandable that you might feel a little embarrassed to talk to your doctor about certain issues. But don't make the mistake of side-stepping them and only being honest toward the end of the appointment. If you don't share everything, your doctor won't be able to adequately address those concerns. Instead, remember that your doctor's job is to care for you, and not to judge. You're not going to tell them anything they have not heard before, so be honest and thorough, regardless of what the issue is.
If you are able to avoid the common mistakes above, you will find that you get more out of your doctor's appointments and are able to find solutions to what ails you much faster. Contact a doctor's office for more information.
Is your knee stiff and painful every morning when you get out of bed? Perhaps, you sometimes feel a grinding sensation in your knee. If you can relate to this frustrating situation, you might be suffering from osteoarthritis. Thankfully, several treatments are available for this joint condition. Sometimes, physicians recommend patients battling osteoarthritis of the knee take a prescription painkiller. Doctors also often encourage patients to lose weight and start a low-impact exercise program. Swimming and walking are both great forms of low-impact exercise. On this blog, I hope you will discover how to effectively and quickly relieve the painful symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee. Enjoy!