Dealin' with Doctors

Give yourself an emergency field promotion

It’s all in our minds…what we expect is what we get.  We’ve been trained to be submissive in medical settings.  It’s time to challenge that…You are now CEO…Chief Operating Officer…of the body that is yours.  You employ specialists to head up various organization divisions and departments, but they are your employees.  You set out your expectations, require a high degree of competence, give critical feedback when needed, and terminate employment if performance is not satisfactory.

First day of school

If you’ve read about my earliest experiences with doctors, you can imagine that anticipating a first appointment with a new doctor is always stressful.  But there is no way to avoid those “new” introductions if you want to find energetic, passionate and compassionate medical partners. 

Seek and you shall find.  If a doctor just doesn’t “feel” like a good fit, he or she probably isn’t.  Trust your response and keep looking for another.  If their information seems odd or incomprehensible and questions don’t resolve your concerns…keep looking for another provider.  If they seem to dismiss your symptoms or just laugh it off to “yeah…aging sucks," keep looking for another provider.  Just keep looking.

Come prepared with written information

Medical documentation is crazy and it seems like half of all appointments are just robotically repeating all of your medications, allergies, and other histories.  It’s a great idea to write down that information and print a copy to bring to every single appointment- saves filling in the same form over and over again and sometimes reduces silly duplicative questions.

Clarify your goals

As soon as you walk into a medical office it’s all about the provider’s “agenda”…from you being shuttled from scale to blood pressure cuff to the lab, to an examining room table…you must jump through their obstacles and hurdles to see someone.  As soon as the provider enters they are under pressure to assess, document, treat, document, and then document a little more.  If you aren’t clear about your RIGHT to want something from the appointment you will leave “empty handed” and pretty darn dis-empowered.  But if you want to understand a specific issue that keeps coming up with regard to a medicine, or symptom, etc., you better write it down and carry it in with you….and be sure to bring it up.

Create your own personal bill of rights

It may feel silly, but write down a few sentences about your rights in medical appointments.  Make the sentences BIG, print the sheet of paper and bring it with you to appointments.  Read it…even if you just read it silently to yourself.

Buy yourself a present

Each time you schedule and keep an appointment with a medical provider, you get a treat of some kind.  Maybe it’s a simple stroll into the dollar store for a couple of impulse buys…or a paperback novel, or a special coffee…whatever feels like you’re rewarding yourself for doing a great job!   And yes…each and every visit.  You deserve it.