Get More From a Doctor's Visit

There's nothing more frustrating than finally getting to see your doctor, only for the whole thing to be over with in 10 minutes. You walk out with more questions than when you went in, feeling like your pain was dismissed, and no progress has been made to get you better. There's a reason for this.

Communication

Unless you're a healthcare practitioner too, you and your doctor don't actually speak the same language. It may seem like you do, but you don't. Here's an example:

Jill's Dr: Tell me about your pain.

Jill: It hurts.

Jill's Dr: Where?

Jill: Everywhere

You can see how doctors get frustrated. It's an invitation for them to think that your pain is not real because you're symptoms have not been quantified. And they really need your symptoms to be quantified in order to work their magic.  At the same time, anyone who's in pain for any length of time has likely lost cognitive function. Meaning, your brain can't quantify your experiences, let alone form the words with specificity. Add the emotional strain of your experiences and the 10-minute time limit and you've got a recipe for disaster.

Before the Visit

The American Chronic Pain Association's website has a whole bunch of communication tools to help you with that. Days before your appointment print all of them out, even if they don't seem to pertain to you, and fill them out. Doing so will help you start to gather the words healthcare practitioners need to be able to understand what you're going through. Bring those forms with you to the appointment. Even if it seems like the practitioner is dismissing you, very often they are so busy, they don't have time to go over the paperwork with you during the appointment. But they will afterwards when they make their report to your medical file. Those forms will also become part of your medical record, which can help you not get lost in the system.

After the Visit

You'll see pain and functionality diaries as part of those communication tools. They're a terrific way to mark progress when it feels like you aren't having any. Fill those out between visits; it'll make it easier the next time you go in. They're also a good way to show you how to help yourself from a holistic standpoint. Mood, activity level, diet, sleep patterns, they all contribute to improving your condition. Do anything to address any of them, and you will find results in your overall functionality. All these forms are also very good tools to help you explain your condition to friends and family. Loved ones often feel helpless when they see you suffer but don't know what to do about it. Ask them to help you fill those forms out. It'll show them how they can help you.

Questions

Finally, a word about questions. Since your practitioner both has the necessary expertise and is pressed for time, be very judicious with your questions.  Try to prioritize them.  Consider if you had the answer to this question, would you need to ask that one? Also, find out if there's a staff person who can answer those questions instead of the practitioner. Is email a more comfortable venue for the practitioner to answer questions? Ideally, each clinic has a well-developed patient education program, but this is often not the case. Pressing the receptionist about this will often help create one.

@JillGambaro is the author of The Truth About Carpal Tunnel Syndrome . She advocates healthy playing for musicians through her Blog, Facebook and Twitter. Look for her upcoming documentary Icky Fingers.