5 Tips for Getting the Most Out of Your Doctors Appointments

Hi All,
This is a follow on post from the one last month that looked at making sure you are listened too during your doctors appointments. The popularity of that post has left many questions about how you can make the most of each hospital visit, as they are so few and far between - well in the case of the NHS they can be. Sorry for the little rant at the NHS there, but as with many of us, I have to wait 3 months between appointments, during which time I always get worse, develop new symptoms or have questions.

There are many things we can do too make sure that we do get the most from our appointments, whatever they may be for, because most of the time we don't remember everything and if you are anything like me, I used to be too afraid to mention everything - silly I know but when you are told it's in your head you start to believe it is. So here are some tips I have developed over the past few years.
1. Write down everything you have to ask well in advance
I know I have said this before, but I cannot stress the importance of it. For me there are several times in between visits that some form of question pops up that I simply don't have the answer for. This could be a new symptom, treatment questions, side effects and the list goes on and on. The art of forming a list for the doctors comes down to making sure that you only ask the most important of questions - firstly I know we should be given time to ask everything that we need too, but unfortunately this isn't the case as we all need to be given the same time which is a good thing.
I create my lists or questions through the in between period and then wait until a couple of days before to go through them and look for the desperately needed answers and those that are not so urgent or have been resolved by themselves. In total I like to have 5-10 questions prepared that I will ask at my appointment. Anymore than this and I will probably run out of time.
2. Arrive at your appointment 15 minutes earlier than your given time.

Before I head into see my rheumatologist I always get taken to the dreaded side room for weight, height and BP checks. Then it is often straight in to see the doctor. If I arrive bang on time I am flustered, rushed and more likely not to remember what I have to talk about whilst I am there. If I arrive as early as I possibly can, I know I can get my general checks out of the way well in advance of my appointment, leaving me time to clear my head, have a cup of tea, read a magazine and prepare myself.
It is down to this that I can now be level headed enough to get the most out of the appointment and this is no different if there is a wait to get into the doctors. I need to time to relax.
3. Speak slowly and clearly - I know that is obvious but it really helps..
I am the kind of person that when I am frightened, stressed out or feeling rushed I begin to speak at warp speed...like a cartoon character. It is not limited to just my speech either, it is like my brain goes into hyper-drive! I can't process what is being said to me because I am already formulating my next question - it is ridiculous, frustrating and 90% of the time I leave the doctors none the wiser to what just happened.
Not only does this annoy me, but I know it annoys my doctor also. Mainly because when I get like this I am hard to stop and I know it may come across as rude sometimes. So I have taken the conscious decision to stop, take a breath before I say anything or listen to an answer, even when I know it maybe bad news that is being given to me. I make sure that I get my brain into a slower gear, leaving me speaking slower, processing my thoughts at a natural speed and getting all the information that I need.
4. Wear clothing that is easy to remove if needed

This is obvious to me, but it wasn't at my very first rheumatology appointment. I don't know why, but I hadn't connected the fact that they were going to check my joints, skin and finger nails. I was wearing utterly ridiculous clothing, boots that took forever to get on and off and I had nail varnish on, meaning they couldn't look at my nail beds until my next appointment - needless to say I was utterly embarrassed.
Nowadays I have a clear set o rules for dressing for a rheumatologist appointment. I will wear leggings as a rule as they are easy to take on and off. A loose fitting top/dress where the sleeves easily roll up and it is not bothersome to take off if needs be. I will take off all my jewelry before hand in case they need to do X-rays and finally remove my nail varnish. It is surprising ow much your nails can tell your doctor about your immune system.
5. Don't be afraid to tell your doctor about your mental state of mind
Possibly the most important tip on this list and one that I ignored for a very long time. I used to believe that my doctor was just there to look at my blood work, check my medications and my joints. I kept other mental health symptoms quiet, such as my battle with brain fog and even that the disease was causing me severe stress. I didn't want to bother them with my problems and I didn't want to look like I couldn't handle it. The fact is though, that they are my specialist and if the disease is affecting my quality of life then they need to know.
When I did finally mention that I was struggling emotionally, I didn't get the answer i wanted 100%, but it did set in motion further conversations with my GP that needed to be had. I was originally just offered yet more drugs - not something I wanted, but even though my specialist couldn't offer me the emotional support, she did help to give me more information, reading, websites and knowledge about support groups. The main thing though, is that by not hiding anything it helped them to reach a diagnosis quickly, even if you think it's inconsequential - never stay quiet!