10 Dumb Things you do at the Doc's Office

[Feuer Frei!]

From interviews with a gynecologist, a cardiologist, a rehabilitative medicine specialist, a fertility doctor and an internist, here are the Top 10 things patients do to mess up their own care:

1. You talk on your cell phone.
This is your health we're talking about. Other calls can wait. Turn the thing off.

2. You lie.
"I need to treat you the best way I can, so if you're gay, tell me. If you drink a bottle of tequila every night, I need to know. If you're having an affair and not using condoms, let me know," says Rankin, who blogs at "Owning Pink." "I promise I won't judge you."

3. You do a sloppy job describing your pain.
Is it stabbing or burning? Sudden or constant? Tingling or hot? The answers will help your doctor make the right diagnosis.
"You should describe the exact location, how intense the pain was, what provoked it and how long it lasted," says Dr. Nieca Goldberg, director of the New York University Women's Heart Program.
The week before your appointment, keep a diary of your pain and your other symptoms, too, advises Dr. Loren Fishman, a clinical professor of rehabilitative medicine at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. He suggests using this time to also think about the questions you want to ask your doctor and what you hope to get out of your appointment.

4. You don't state up front all the reasons for your visit.
If your ear hurts, your knee pops out when you run and you have a sty in your eye, state all three concerns at the beginning of the appointment so your doctor can plan your visit efficiently, advises Dr. Howard Beckman, an internist and clinical professor of medicine at the University of Rochester.

5. You don't state up front your expectations for your visit.
If you have certain hopes or expectations -- the doctor will pop that sty in your eye or prescribe antibiotics for your sore ear -- say so. The doctor can then explain if your expectations are realistic, and you'll be happier in the end.
"Sometimes patients are out of proportion to what the reality is, like the 44-year-old woman who hopes to get pregnant in one IVF cycle," says Dr. Jamie Grifo, program director of the New York University Fertility Center. "If they don't communicate patients' expectations, then I can't address them."

6. You don't know what medications you're taking.
"Patients should bring a list of medications they're actually taking, not what they believe they are supposed to be taking, or what they think I want them to take," Beckman advises.
If you take supplements, Rankin suggests you bring them in, since supplements aren't standardized like prescription drugs, and your doctor will want to see all the ingredients.

7. You leave with unspoken questions and concerns.
If a question's in your head, ask it, even if you think the doctor is rushed. If you're worried your headache might be a brain tumor, say it even if you think you sound like a hypochondriac.

8. You don't bring your medical records or images with you.
Yes, even in this day and age, many doctors rely on the fax machine to send medical records to and fro. Faxes goof up, so unless you absolutely, positively know your doctor has your records and images from another office, bring them with you, doctors advise.

9. You're too scared to disagree with your doctor.
If your doctor suggests you need an antidepressant and you don't want to take it, say so instead of nodding your head, taking the prescription and throwing it away the minute you're out the door. Or if she suggests a medication you can't afford, just say so.
"I know many of you are programmed not to question your doctor, but we can't read your mind, so we need you to communicate," Rankin says. "If the treatment plan I suggest doesn't resonate with the intuitive wisdom of your Inner Healer, please tell me, instead of ignoring what I suggest."

10. You don't comply with the treatment plan.
For doctors, this is the granddaddy of them all. If you've followed all the advice above, you should have a treatment plan that makes sense to you and one you're able to execute.

SOURCE

[Platapus]

I carry in my wallet a list of my meds printing on business card stock. I keep it right behind my driver's license. If I am unconscious, when the police remove my driver's license to check my ID, there it is. It is also tough to remember the dosages when sitting in the ER at 0200.

I have tried to get The Frau to do it but she refuses.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by Platapus

I carry in my wallet a list of my meds printing on business card stock. I keep it right behind my driver's license. If I am unconscious, when the police remove my driver's license to check my ID, there it is. It is also tough to remember the dosages when sitting in the ER at 0200.

I have tried to get The Frau to do it but she refuses.

That works fine as long as there is someone to check wallet. I found hard way that this doesn't always happen. About 5 years ago I had medical emergency which left me paralyzed into a train.

I boarded a train in Helsinki, got medical emergency after passing Tikkurila (about 15 mins journey, after ticket inspection), missed meeting three hours later and was picked up by ambulance in Suonenjoki five hours after leaving Helsinki. Nobody noticed anything unusual. Propably thinked that I'm sleeping very well.

Now I have my medical information inside metal wristband in hopes that someone counts 1+1 if this happens again.

[papa_smurf]

3. You do a sloppy job describing your pain.

Yup, that's me. Every time I go and see the doctors I always make a complete hash of describing symptoms.

[AdeptCharge]

Originally Posted by Feuer Frei!

here are the Top 10 things patients do to mess up their own care:

" NUTS "

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by papa_smurf

Yup, that's me. Every time I go and see the doctors I always make a complete hash of describing symptoms.

Me too....thank God I'm seldom there, it's almost impossible to get beyond the surgeries practice nurse whilst phoning for an appointment anyway.

[AdeptCharge]

Originally Posted by papa_smurf

Yup, that's me. Every time I go and see the doctors I always make a complete hash of describing symptoms.

Hmmm....

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Me too....

Hmmm... Then you need to try with better accuracy, be more precise.

[Jimbuna]

There are only so many ways you can tell the doctor that your third leg is so large you are finding it hard to carry all that weight around 24/7

[Gerald]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

There are only so many ways you can tell the doctor that your third leg is so large you are finding it hard to carry all that weight around 24/7

[Jimbuna]

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

That works fine as long as there is someone to check wallet.

When I was riding the squads in Nebraska, that was standard procedure. When the patient was unconscious, the cop would pull the wallet and secure it. Probably a good idea when there are firefighters and EMTs around.

But the cop had to pull the ID so we could start the records. That's why I have it right behind my DL and not hidden away in some pocket (which the police would not go through unless they had probable cause.

[tater]

Good list.

If your specialist requires films, BTW, going without them makes the entire appointment a complete waste of time (it's on the list, just reiterating it). Happens to my wife all the time.

People are idiots.

A couple weeks ago she was checking on a patient in the ICU and saw a familiar name. It was her (retired) receptionist. The woman had had fairly straightforward—though serious—surgery, but had neglected to tell her docs she was a drunk. Waking up after the case, she was not in good shape without the quart of booze she was used to drinking.

The last one is also pretty important. People come to my wife all the time complaining that they get up at night to piss. She always asks what they drink before bed. Most say they drink a decent amount of something (doesn't matter what). She tells them to stop drinking a lot of anything before bed and they don't ever want to. Drink a bunch then go to bed, and guess what, you're gonna have to pee. Not rocket science.

People are idiots.