and prescribing other medications.
dosages of any medications you might be taking
(handing your doctor a written list is great), any
allergies you might have to medications, food or
environmental factors, and the name and address
of your previous caregiver.
in a long time, with a list of twenty problems to
be addressed, none of them can be addressed
completely. Focus on one problem at a time.
Recognize that it may take a few appointments
to get to the bottom of your list: if you go to a
contractor with twelve things that need to be
fixed on your house, she may feel that it's more
important to fix the leaky roof right away than
to cover up that terrible pink paint in your living
room, even if the pink paint is driving you nuts.
The problem that bothers you most may not be
the problem that your doctor focuses on: "I know
you are very upset about the appearance of your
toenails, especially since your partner gets off on
sucking your toes but the shortness of breath,
sweating, chest pressure, and numbness down
your left arm every time you take a brisk walk is
more important to address right now." The patient
who has dangerously high blood pressure, and
who never calls for refills on his blood pressure