Getting the Most out of a Doctor Visit
July 20, 2007
Kevin, MD links us to instructions on how to describe your symptoms to your doctor. This seems like a fine enough idea, but one commenter points out that this is very doctor-centric: “Present our questions in the same format they learned in medical school? Why not just make us go to medical school and then we can answer all our own questions?”
4 Comments
leave one →
One of the best decisions I ever made was about 15 years ago when I decided that, from then on, all my doctors and dentists would be females, if at all possible.
It was a change immediately for the better, as great as the difference between night and day. Not to say that all female doctors are competent.
Donna,
I deliberately choose women for gyn-related things, and joke that I don’t take the Honda to the Ford dealer. I have a female women’s health NP for that, and a female NP for my primary care. I have found that nurse practitioners take my concerns more seriously on these matters, spend more time with me, and treat me as a whole person, not a part. I also have a female endocrinologist. I must say, though, that my experience with male docs has varied widely – my 1st endocrinologist was male, and told me that my being so tired was no big deal, all his nurses were tired. My 2nd endocrinologist, the one who finally diagnosed and got things fixed, was also male, and I must say he was fantastic – because he treated me as a whole person and really understood how my symptoms were affecting my whole life. The new female endocrinologist I have was on his referral. I don’t know if it has so much been for me that the women are just better, but that they seem to take me more seriously and treat me like a person, not a diagnosis, as did that male endocrinologist who basically saved my life.
I’ve had the female nurse practitioners with good result and actually prefer them most of the time, but I encourage women to insist on being examined by the doctor sometimes. The doctor will catch things that the nurse practitioner will not.
If you go to a walk-in clinic and know you have a serious problem/symptom, insist on seeing a doctor.
I began to choose female dentists because their hands are smaller. I have a small mouth. Makes a big difference and can save you some damage.
I hadn’t thought about the smaller hands! That’s a great idea. I should clarify that my NPs are all part of a major academic medical center with a huge emphasis on staying up-to-date and evidence-based medicine, and where if something bizarre is going on, a specialist is a couple of doors down. YMMV in rural or independent clinics.