Do you answer or ask when on the exam table?
As vocal as I am known to be in writing, or in the midst of heated debate, there is something about sitting in a paper robe on a roll of wax paper and feeling like a human chicken breast. It can basically muzzle the most prolific of us. But in regards to health issues, it is what we should never allow to happen.
Up until now, the extent of my medical issues have been asthma, a broken ankle, and a couple of thyroid issues here and there. With the asthma, they give me a breathing treatment, a new inhaler, I say thank you, and then I go home. Not much conversation is necessary. In fact, by the time the doc has come in and said the obvious, they tend to put me back into the hands of the medical assistants and I don’t even see them anymore. With the broken ankle, there was the six hours in the E.R., a couple of x-rays, a cast and then out the door. Everything was pretty self-explanatory. But as for reproductive medical issues, and other such internal affairs, playing the ailing afflicted is not the way to go.
I have watched myself become more medically aggressive, though I take baby steps, and I suggest that anyone who wants to take charge of their reproductive health should do the same. So here is my little orientation:
- Relax – For some reason, in situations where we have to show how little we know about things, (libraries, doctor’s offices, etc.), we tend to get uptight. We hate that we don’t know what everything means, and we hate being vulnerable to the person who is serving us. Relax, your doctor (or your librarian – shameless plug), can’t fully diagnose what you need or want if you aren’t open about everything going on with you. Calm down, the goal is not to embarrass you, or to make you feel stupid, but to help you.
- Ask Stupid Questions and Tell It All – No matter how dumb you think you sound, you wouldn’t believe how that stupid thought could trigger a very un-stupid diagnosis from your doctor. Tell about the weird tummy tremors, ask why your hooha has been excreting whatever, ask and tell it all. Expecting a proper medical record when you aren’t disclosing everything, is like asking someone to put together a puzzle and not showing them the picture on the box. It can get done, but it will take longer and lead to more mistakes.
- Take Notes When Necessary – If you have a nosy family like me, or if you like to be able to go home and look things up in private, you need to write things down. It is much better to appear to look like a nerdy jerk, and have copious notes, than to get home and be angry that you can’t remember if they said micrograms, milligrams, etc.
- Slow them down – Doctors have a habit of talking really fast sometimes. Remember, they’ve likely given this same information to more than a handful of other patients and this can make them brisk and abrupt. The time that they are in the exam room with you, is YOUR time. If they are talking too fast, or using words that you can’t comprehend, raise your hand and stop the conversation. refer to #2, and then continue.
- Have a game plan – If you’re like me and it is easier for you to write your thoughts than speak them, take some time before your appointment (even if its in the waiting room), to write down things you want to know. You only have about thirty minutes with your doc, if that long, and in those few minutes, you want to ask everything you need to hold you over until your next appointment.
Believe me, there is no weepier feeling than the walk to your car after having wasted the opportunity to ask questions. You feel like a chump, and all the things you wanted to know start to rush your brain. Save yourself an unnecessary pity party and take heed of my little tips. They’re helping me, and hopefully they’ll help you too.