Tips on Getting Your Healthcare Needs Met
Take Careful Notes
Keep a list of your symptoms, what doctors you’ve seen and dates you saw them and why.
Member Experience' From F.
F. was in a great deal of pain. Her doctor gave her new medication and was told she would know if the medication was the right one within two weeks. Time went by, M. was in more and more pain. She thought it might have been two weeks ago that she began the medication. She looked in her records and saw that four weeks had gone by!
F went through two extra weeks of more and more intense pain, to the point where she could no longer walk without crutches. ** ** Our minds aren’t as clear when we’re in pain or feeling miserable. Take notes!
****How to Talk to Healthcare Providers
Before you go to the doctor, write down the issues that are bringing you to each visit or call, and why it is you’re taking each medication.
We get so used to our symptoms we often forget they are symptoms.If you get a headache every weekend you’ll think this is normal and not a symptom. To other people, having two headaches might send them to the ER!
Write down EVERY symptom, no matter how seemingly trivial, insignificant or irrelevant. Remember, you’re not the specialist! You might know what is impacting your life the most, but you might not know what symptom will lead to the actual diagnosis.
Medical practitioners need to know the whole story, all the symptoms, so that they can best put the pieces of the puzzle together . How to Talk to Doctors has more hints.
Member Experience From J.T.
I went to the doc because my joints were hurting so much. I knew I had arthritis. The doctor asked me if I had a rash. Months ago I did have a rash. It went away, I didn’t really think twice about it. But it was the rash that led us to my lyme diagnosis! By dealing with the lyme I was able to get rid of most of the arthritis.
Remember, the doctor is putting pieces of a puzzle together. Give her as much information as you can. You don’t want to keep searching for months! Nothing is irrelevant in the work of finding out what is going on, give her all the information.
Member Experience From M.O. I learned, this past summer, not to assume anything where communication is concerned. I had been experiencing severe pain for many days and expected my home health aide to arrive Monday morning to drive me to Urgent Care. I ended up having to drive myself (after researching when to call an ambulance and learning that, in Covid times, one should do so only in life-threatening situations.) My aide had called out sick (yet again) and the agency promised (as usual) to find a substitute. They never called back (again, as usual.) Upon returning home from both Urgent Care and subsequently the ER, the pain had returned in full swing. I again called the care agency and they promised to find a sub. Again, I waited all day for a return phone call. I gave up on day three, crawled into bed and could not stop bawling. On day five, the pain produced anger instead of despair and I called the agency again. When they heard me trying to speak through sobs, they exclaimed, "Are you STILL in pain??" I then realized that my former pleas had been put on a shelf simply because I had not continued to phone, begging for help. I ended up having to hire a private aide and pay out-of-pocket. I (hopefully) will never again assume that any agency is "working on it.'' I will phone them at least twice a day to update them on my urgent needs. ****
