IC Disease

How many times have you went to the doctor for your “invisible” chronic illness or pain and you left feeling no further ahead than when you arrived?  It has taken me years to learn how to deal with doctors and to learn how to make the most of my doctor’s appointments.  If you ask chronic illness and chronic pain patients one thing they hate the most about their illness, they will probably tell you going to the doctor is high on the list.  I found some great tips on making the most of your medical visits from the American Pain Foundation and on how you can improve communications with your physicians. I hope this list is of great help to you!

Source:  American Pain Foundation

1. Identify your top concerns, questions, and symptoms. Write them down in order of importance and don’t expect to get through the entire list at each visit. Even if all of your concerns aren’t fully addressed during that visit, they will spur additional appointments and/or treatment options.
    
2. Manage expectations; most pain issues will not be resolved in a single visit. Be patient. Use a pain scale; write down your definition of what each level on the pain scale means to you in terms of symptoms, severity, sensations, emotions, functional ability.
    
3. Keep follow up appointments. Your provider may suggest coming back if you’re not feeling better or to discuss how new treatments are or aren’t working. Be sure to keep these visits to get through your list of concerns and report new symptoms and side effects.
    
4. Schedule your appointment at the end of the morning or the end of the day. If you have the last appointment, your provider may not feel as rushed to get through your visit in order to get to the next patient. You may have to wait a while, but he or she may give you extra time to make up for the tardiness. Of course, be sure your appointment is around the time of the day when your energy level is high.
    
5. Bring a list of all the medications - prescription, over-the-counter, and herbal - that you take. Include information about medications you’ve used in the past, what has not worked, side effects and allergies. This will cut down on the time spent getting him or her up to speed.
    
6. Take a minute to remind your provider of important things in your medical history or your life. If your medical history is complicated, bring your medical records with you to save time; he/she may not remember all aspects of your condition. Life stressors and anxiety can worsen pain symptoms, so be sure to tell your provider if you feel depressed or unusually anxious.
    
7. Doctors, nurses and physician assistants are people, too. Be respectful and mindful, and take the time to acknowledge that your pain must be very frustrating for your provider. As you know, finding the right treatment plan may mean multiple, perhaps unsuccessful efforts. Give him/her a chance; don’t go in with an expectation that he/she will not be helpful.
    

8. Opioid management has become more difficult and can seem risky to some providers. Despite your success with taking opioids responsibly and the knowledge that you do not have problems with abuse or addiction, providers are increasingly under pressure to be cautious to guard against contributing to  the prescription drug abuse problem in our society. You can play a key role by:

   • Not requesting early refills or increasing your dose of medication without discussing it with your provider first;
   • Understanding that improved function is the best outcome. Keep a list of what you are able to do because you are on the opioid; this will be reassuring to the provider;
   • Knowing how the opioid is affecting your pain level and intensity;

   • Protecting your prescriptions. Lost or stolen opioid medications are a red flag for possible abuse or diversion:

   • Protect your supply as you would guard other valuables; keeping your pain medications in the bathroom medicine cabinet is the worse location - most medications lose their effectiveness in warm, moist areas and it’s probably the first place thieves will look.

   • Keep them away from teenagers or visiting guests (friends and family members have also been known to steal prescription drugs).
   • Do not carry your full month’s supply out of the home.
   • Do not open the container over the sink or toilet.

   • Keep them out of reach of children and pets.

   • Being mindful that if you are asked to sign an opioid agreement, undergo routine drug testing or perform pill counts during your visit, that this process is used to safeguard the provider and the practice; this is not reflective of distrust.

    

9. If you are unclear about what your provider has told you, double check by repeating what you think you heard. Clarify by asking, “I think what I heard you say is… Is that what you meant?”
    

10. Take notes during the visit or consider asking a trusted friend or family member to accompany you. There’s a lot of information to absorb about your pain care, and you may be distracted. Bringing someone to take notes or ask questions can be helpful.

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