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Being Prepared to See the Doctor

July 8th, 2008

I’m a proponent of doctor/patient partnership.  When I see a new doctor, I am listening and looking to determine if this doctor is going to be a partner with me in my health care.  I can’t thank Teri Robert enough for all the guidance in her excellent book Living Well with Migraine Disease and Headaches on how to be a partner with your doctor and get the health care you need and deserve.  It’s easy to see when you are not getting it - a little example is the neurologist I saw in February, who:

1. spent less than 10 minutes with me on a first appointment;
2. glanced at my detailed migraine diary and health history for about 45 seconds and handed it back to me;
3. was visibly impatient as I ran down my list of questions;
4. told me I should contact him between appointments only “if there’s a problem,” not for questions; and
5. clearly fixed on one point - that I have had allergic reactions to some medications - and would not even consider a trial of preventive medications.

With 20-20 hindsight and lots more preparation I am off to a new Migraine specialist today.  I found out ahead of time that he spends a full hour with a new patient, and that his practice is restricted to treating migraines and headaches.  Two big points in his favor.  It’s easy, though, to fix on how we want the doctor to behave.  I want to explore what it takes for the patient to be a partner, as well.

I spent most of yesterday morning preparing for this appointment.  I have:

1. a bulleted list of my current conditions;
2. a description of my typical Migraine symptoms, severity, and frequency, before, during and after the headache phase;
3. a list of all my current medications and supplements, with dosages;
4. a detailed year-by-year health history, starting in childhood, and describing illnesses, injuries, when various chronic conditions began, etc;
5. a list of my questions with space to write down answers; and
6. a print-out of the past seven months of my Migraine and Wellness calendar (monthly) and daily diary.

Thanks again to Teri Robert for all the preparation advice on her site and on My Migraine Connection (Working with Doctors), and to MJ of Rhymes with Migraine for her excellent post “Communication” where she lists her preparation steps (mine are nearly identical with hers).

Beyond checklists, though, I think my biggest job is to be sure I have fully expressed all my concerns, to be sure I understand what the doctor tells me, and not to leave with any questions un-addressed.  Cross your fingers for me; I’ll let you know how it goes!

- Megan
Here’s to great health care for all of us!

Handshake image courtesy of Aidan Jones; checklists image courtesy of Viv Evans

Tags: health care, migraine diary, migraine specialist
Posted in Advocacy, Medicine | Comments (3)

3 Responses to “Being Prepared to See the Doctor”

1. Eileen Says:
   July 8th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

   Good luck girl! I can’t wait to hear how great your appointment was!

2. MaxJerz Says:
   July 11th, 2008 at 10:04 pm

   Thanks for the shout-out, Megs! And glad that your appointment went well.

   Be well,
   MJ

3. Free My Brain From Migraine Pain » Blog Archive » Update on my Headache Specialist Visit Says:
   December 10th, 2008 at 7:52 am

   [...] you’ve been wondering, I do think all the preparation I did paid off.  I met with my new headache specialist for over an hour on Tuesday, and I liked him.  [...]

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