#doctors appointment

[professionalspoonie]

Doctor's Appointment Guide

Dealing with chronic illness and doctor's appointments can be a tough combo. So, how do we make it a bit easier?

For many, appointments can be triggering, so consider doing something that brings you joy before heading in—talk to a friend, play a video game, or grab your favorite breakfast if time allows.

Ever find yourself in the doctor's office with a foggy brain, struggling to remember what you wanted to discuss? Note-taking is a life saver! Jot down your points, bring your notes to the appointment, and voila—no more leaving feeling like you wasted a trip.

And let's talk preparation. Bring a list of your meds and symptoms—those lists can get long, and it's easy to forget. Prep beforehand to avoid the frustration of trying to recall that one nausea med you forgot the name of.

Consider bringing someone close to you —a family member or friend. They can offer emotional support, help you advocate for yourself, and be that extra set of ears to catch what the doctor says.

Dressing for a doctor's appointment is also important. Comfort is key, layers are your friends. Offices can get chilly, and having a tank top underneath makes life easier if they need access—especially if blood needs to be drawn.

Speaking up for yourself can be tough, trust me I get it. If it's a struggle, practice with friends or family. Maybe have them tag along so you feel more comfortable speaking up for yourself.

Post-appointment, wind down and digest the info your doctor gave you. Write down tasks like picking up meds, scheduling follow-ups, or arranging referrals and tests.

These tips work for me—may not all fit all of your needs, but hey, sharing is caring. If you have anything that helps you personally feel free to share and help someone out! Hope all your appointments go well :)

#chronic fatigue #chronically ill #disabilties #disability #fibromyalgia #fibro problems #chronic illness #chronic pain #doctors appointment #invisible disability

[sickpunk-selfshipper]

Imagine your F/O accompanying you to the eye doctor

You would have walked, you knew you would get eye drops and wouldn’t be allowed to drive,

But your F/O insisted to drive and/ or accompany you to your appointment

They gently poke fun at your vision being worse than usual, due to the eye drops

You demand they buy you take-out on the way home

“Sure”, your F/O is still grinning. Their teasing tone can barely overplay their affection.

You remind them it’s not like you asked them to come along, after all it’s a scheduled check-up

They remind you they love you and wanted to make sure you’re getting home safely, knowing about the eye drops

You’re stumped for a reply

They shrug like it’s nothing, nudging you that you still need to decide where to get that take-out you insist they pay for

You try to hide your smile, conceding that, okay, maybe you should buy them a meal

Your F/O ruffles your hair, “Next time. Just let me treat you today, okay?”

antis DNI! This post isn’t for you!

#eye doctor #f/o comfort #f/o positivity #fictooriented #fictoplatonic #fictoromantic #fictional other #fictofamilial #imagine your f/o #proship safe #proship self ship #f/o imagines #familial f/o #f/o prompts #platonic f/o #proship selfship #pro ship self ship #doctor appointment #doctors appointment #I refuse to tag this tsundere btw

[trash-inu]

ap·point·ment

full on my twitter

#my art #fanart #moicy #moira o'deorain #mercy #angela ziegler #doctors appointment #betetr get a check up sometime

[my-autism-adhd-blog]

I have a neurology appointment today. Wish me luck.

#doctors appointment #neurology #epilepsy sucks #i’ll post it when it’s done #take care

[stillfuckingtired]

LOVE paying a bunch of money I don’t have to have a doctor tell me my labs came back normal. Never gets old.

#chronic illness #chronic pain #chronic fatigue #disabled #disability #fibromyalgia #young and disabled #diagnostic process #labs normal #diagnoses #doctors appointment #tired of this #undiagnosed

[mandana-the-service-pup]

I had my GI appointment today.

He doesn’t think the throbbing aching chest/upper abdominal pain that flares up with activity is GI related. Neither do I but doctors love to make gastroparesis the scapegoat.

He also doesn’t think my nausea is GI related which really surprised me. He said you would expect GI related nausea to be more episodic and flare up with food related events. Not the constant state of nausea that I’m in that flares up with even the slightest movement or activity. He wasn’t willing to say what could be causing it if not GI but there are plenty of things like severe pain, cardiac problems, dysautonomia, medication side effects etc that could cause nausea. So idk but it’s new info to work with so that’s good.

He thinks my handfuls of ibuprofen three times a day is probably causing my stomach aches. Which…like…duh. I already know that but that’s why we’re going the methotrexate route instead. I’m scheduled for an endoscopy to check for ulcers the day after I’m scheduled for my chest CT + calcium score. If there’s damage he’s going to give me a Rx that’s supposed to help protect against the damage associated with NSAIDs

TMI warning. He thinks my lack of appetite is being exacerbated by my chronic pain and constipation but he agrees that most laxatives would make me more sick. He wants me to try a specific OTC medication called Docusate.

He was kind and understanding. He accepted that I have bad brain fog and gave me as much time as I needed to work through the conversation. He acknowledged that I probably knew a lot of this stuff already and that my medical issues are complicated. He understood how frustrating it was that everyone keeps pushing the GI route when it’s so obviously not the cause. He answered all my questions, sometimes multiple times and never labeled me as an anxious patient for being concerned about my health. I really appreciated having a good experience with a doctor. It’s been a while.

#health update #doctors appointment #gastroenterology #disabled community #chronic illness community #health flare #bad health day #gastroparesis #hashimoto thyroiditis #fructose malabsorption #dysautonomia #postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome #ehlers danlos syndrome #inflammatory polyarthritis

[marciaaaaa]

dude🥰🥹 so I am five months pregnant, literally haven’t even told anyone 🤷🏽‍♀️

#pregnant #me #pregnancy #golden pothos #doctors appointment

[thisisdore]

29/01/24

Another long day. The morning started really slowly which was much needed, but then this afternoon I had a blood test, and a separate doctors appointment, and then I headed into town with my sister, which was a bit disappointing as no where had anything that I was looking for, even with that I still had a lovely time. Once back home it was a little hectic, but now I’m curled up in bed, doing some journaling, and some reading.

#ThisIsDore #daily post #busy day #doctors appointment #coffee shop

[oddestishottest]

#exhausted #doctors appointment #smoking #cigarettes #music #getting through it #chronic pain #showing up #cute #me #long hair #nose piercing #selfie

[hazeltail]

At the doctor's office again

hazeltailxo on ig

#me #mine #doctors appointment #medical #no makeup selfie #no makeup #girls with glasses #girl with glasses #glasses #hazeltail #hazeltailxo #hazeltail official #hazeltailofficial

[tea-and-spoons]

Spoonie Life Tip #1

Always schedule the appointment, even if you’re not sure you need it.  It’s much easier to cancel something later than it is to get in on short notice.

#teaandspoons #chronic illness advice #disability #chronic illness #spoonie #disability advice #doctors appointment

[consider-your-potatoes-mashed]

Y’all, what’s the benefit of getting a hEDS diagnosis? Every Doc I’ve seen has brought up that I probably have it but none will actually evaluate me for it (based on the criteria to my understanding I definitely fit it) and I keep getting told there’s no point in actually getting the diagnosis so they don’t want to do the evaluation. They’ve offered genetic testing which is nice but that shits expensive and I know technically necessary for the diagnosis but if they won’t even do the in office evaluation what’s the point of it (I mean unless I have one of the other types)

Can I claim it for myself? I understand if not since I’m not formally diagnosed but I’m just curious.

#disabled #chronic pain #disability #actually disabled #chronic illness #physical disability #hypermobility #hEDS #heds tag #probably heds #ehlers danlos life #ehlers danlos awareness #ehlers danlos syndrome #hypermobile ehlers danlos #ehlers danlos problems #doctors #doctors appointment #medical #medicine #hEDS diagnosis

[sonny-ray-of-goth]

I had a doctors appointment today and for the first time ever she gave me the review sheet instead of my mom. And I was looking over the review of systems. And the doctor didn’t ask me about any of them. But she denied allllllll of them. Despite my previous claims of cold intolerance, joint pain, muscle weakness ( I was wearing on if my braces for goodness sakes), fatigue and just general other symptoms I have that she KNOWS about. Denied all of them. Oh! And apparently I’ve progressed so far into hashimotos that I now have Hypothyroidism. And she didn’t mention that either. Was a wonderful day /src

#hypothyroidism #hashimotos disease #hashimotosthyroiditis #joint pain #chronic pain #chronic fatigue #autoimmune #autoimmine disease #chronic illness #Doctors kinda suck #doctors appointment

[suckmyskinnyballsmia]

I hate this.

Why did they call my mom, I’m over 18. And I know my mom was trying to help but come on.

I was supposed to have a doctors appointment today at 11 but yesterday they called my mom and canceled it. They did not call me. They called my mom.

She tried to help, so she rescheduled the appointment for tomorrow at 1, but I already have an appointment tomorrow at 1

I actually hate this! And by the way I didn’t sign a HIPAA form for her so they shouldn’t be calling her anyway.

I have 3 doctors appointments today and 2 tomorrow

And now places are rescheduling and calling my mom and not me. This is so fucking confusing…

#ash’s stuff ? #french toast #i’m frustrated #doctors appointment

[honeycombhank]

4/16/24

I had a doctors appointment today, I guess it’s been over a year somehow since my last visit, my mom came along with me, even though she is suffering from her cancer and experiencing a great deal of pain, I told her I would try to go in alone if I needed to but she insisted it was fine.

I tend to do better when a safe person accompanies me, I sometimes can’t remember dates and symptoms and important info that the doctors might ask, it’s frustrating and the more lost I feel the more traumatic an experience can become, I know that sounds over exaggerated but my everyday life is that way right now and that’s just how it is.

Anyway, the appointment went well and I had the chance to talk with my doctor about several things I’ve been dealing with over the past year, she was very helpful and came up with a plan and information to help me make some choices on the changes I am going to make with medication.

Before going in to the office I felt more worried about my weight gain then I ever have before, I knew I had gained enough to feel uncomfortable in my body and wasn’t sure I wanted to face it I guess..

Yup, sure enough I had gained quite a bit..

I know I shouldn’t let it hurt me, I know that it’s doable to change this and that focusing on my goals is what I need to do to get back to a comfortable place in my body, but gosh did it make me sad, and overwhelmed and disappointed.

If anyone has any kind words or advice on feeling good in your body or experiencing something similar that you’d like to share, please feel free to, and please be kind to yourself, even when life feels yucky and overwhelming and sometimes forces you to look at things you’ve been avoiding.

Thank you for reading if you made it this far and again I’m here to listen if you have any kind words or weight related experiences you want to share.

#i’ll be okay #weight gain #honeycombhank #healing #doctor #doctors appointment #busy day #mother #my mom #painful #ughhhh #i love my mother

[mandana-the-service-pup]

How I prepare for a doctors appointment with a service dog.

Service dog checklist:

Call the office to notify them ahead of time that I will be bringing my service dog and make sure she can accompany me during the medical tests. (This is not legally required in the US but it’s good practice and makes for a smooth appointment)

Make sure her exercise & decompression needs are met in the week leading up to the appointment and use the day before to rest.

Check her over for any subtle signs of injury (especially with the paws) or sickness (especially tummy problems)

Brush thoroughly the day before or that morning to limit shedding at the hospital (We bathe once a week so she should be pretty clean already)

Prep treat allowance for the appointment (plus extra jackpots for unforeseen issues) and make sure there’s time for Mandana to have a regular meal before we leave. I personally don’t feel comfortable working her on an empty stomach.

Fill water bottles and make sure I have extra bowls in the car. It’s good to have a backup plan incase you forget to bring water (like I frequently do 😅)

Decide ahead of time what gear I’m going to use. This really depends on weather, how long the appointment will be, what tasks I expect her to do and how she is feeling. I usually use: Martingale collar, hands-free leash, HC pet boots or GripTrex, medical alert bringsel, a lightweight SD harness. If I bring my rollator then I might also bring: her travel mat, wipes, small hand towel, water bottle & bowl. Otherwise those things usually stay in the car.

Have a plan with my caretaker on what will happen after the appointment and make sure we are on the same page. I expect to be exhausted and probably starting to flare. He usually takes over but I may need to push myself extra if he won’t be home when I’m done with my appointment. I also prep frozen lick-mat or similar enrichment to help Mandana decompress after the long day (I usually expect to spend 4-5 hours out of the house per appointment)

My checklist:

Fill out paperwork, check-in online, make sure previous balances at this hospital are paid or are on a payment plan and make sure I will have my ID & Insurance card with me.

Make a reference sheet for myself: medical history timeline, current symptoms listed in order of priority and the top questions/concerns I want to address at this appointment.

Try to be as well-groomed as possible (depending on how much energy I have) Decide what clothes I’m going to wear and make sure they are clean and ready to go.

Find out exactly where the office is and how to get there. Calculate how long it will take to arrive 15 minutes early to check-in and then add 30 minutes to accommodate issues with traffic/puppy potty/etc.

Be prepared to either cancel the appointment or leave the service dog behind if something goes wrong. It’s unethical to work a sick/injured service dog and they can have bad days too.

#service dogblr #chronic illness community #disabled community #disabled isn't a bad word #doctors appointment #disability resources #medical alert service dog