Dealing With Headaches

Going to any doctor is no fun, contrary to what certain represenatives in Congress might think. You have to struggle to get the appontment, struggle to get time off of work to go to the appointment, then struggle to find the doctor’s office, find a parking spot or ticket system (rememeber to get your ticket stamped!), sit in the office, fill out forms, wait forever and that’s just before you get to actually see the doctor. By then, all you want to do is go home, pull the blankets over your head and whimper. But you need to try and make the most from your doctor’s appointments – otherwise, you’ll have to go through this happy dance all over again next year (ideally, sooner, but who has the money for that?)

Write Questions Down Ahead of Time

You’ve got a lot of questions and not a lot of time with your doctor, nuerologist or whatever. Don’t trust your memory. You’ll be so frazzled by the experience of getting to the doctor’s appointment that all of your questions will fly out of your head at just the crucial time. Write them down before hand and bring the list with you.

Note When The Problem Started

You will be asked when your chronic pain started, so know the answer before your doctor’s apponintment.

Bring a List of All Medications, Vitamins and Herbal Supplements You Are Taking

The doctor will ask you that, too, so you better have the list ready in advance. Vitamins and herbal supplements and any altenative treatments can mix badly with certain prescription medications. This is why you need to let your doctor know what you are taking.

Try Not To Take The Doctor’s Attitude Personally

All medical professionals are severely overworked for one reson or another. Sometimes, the emotional strain of feeling a person’s pain leads them to seem very cold. You will often be referred to as a set of symptoms rather than your name. Don’t take it personally. They are doing the best they can.

If The Doctor Recommends A New Treatment

Remember to ask if there are any adverse reactions you should know about and when you should expect positive results.

Doctors Are Your Servants, Not The Other Way Around

You don’t like them, tell them that point blank and ask for a recommendation for another doctor. They have to tell you. You don’t owe a doctor anything except the current bill. You do not owe them loyalty. The doctor will most likely be just as relived as you are to have you under the care of someone else. There’s no need to be rude or threatening to a doctor, but it is best to be honest.

Use your common sense, though. If you are stuck with one doctor becuase of insurance or Medicaid, then ask them, “What can I say or do to get through to you what it’s like to have my pain?” I’ve even asked a doctor, “You don’t believe I have migraines, do you?” and he confessed that he had been lied to before by patients and couldn’t trust anyone claiming to have a migraine. This helps clear the air and relieve stress, if nothing else (but with headaches, sometimes less stress is a great pain reliever).

Hope this helps.