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Hi,
I am sorry this is really late. A bunch
of things came up today.
Anyway, the other day I was talking to someone who
works for me about Michele who works for me.
Michele has a list BEFORE she goes to
the doctor.
Lt’s talk about the list. This is
something I think everyone should
do, and I talk about it in some of my
courses and systems, since I think it
really helps when you have to see
your doctor:
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You know how sometimes when you
have to see your doctor, and he/she
asks you how you’ve been, or what’s
wrong, why you’re there, how long
you’ve been feeling like this, etc.?
And you freeze up, or just can’t
remember dates, or whatever?
And then you get embarrassed, and
the doctor is looking at you for t his
information, and he can’t really treat
you without this information, because
he really does need to know how long
this condition has been going on, but
you can’t remember… and now you’re
really stressing out…
Well, you know what I’m talking
About, don’t you?
It’s awful! And it happens to a lot
of us, bipolar or not.
Well, Michele came up with this
Idea for a list.
You make up this list before you
have to see the doctor. Actually,
she starts hers way before she
sees the doctor – she starts it and
starts tracking things as soon as
her problem or condition starts
happening.
She told me I could say this, even
though it’s embarrassing, but an
example of this is that she has
problems with constipation. She
said it was ok for me to say this
because it’s a common problem
with people who are taking
medication for their bipolar
disorder.
And sometimes it is really,
really bad, and goes on for
days at a time. And sometimes
it gets so bad that you have to go
to the doctor for it. And the first
thing the doctor is going to ask is
when the problem started.
And you can never remember
when. So she always writes down
the day it started, so she can tell her
doctor. She writes down everything
she tried on her own to help stop
the constipation, and the day she
tried those remedies as well, so she
can tell the doctor that.
And all this goes on her list, and she
can just show it to the doctor, so
she doesn’t get so embarrassed
having to tell the doctor all this
information and having to try
to remember all the dates and
everything, especially because
constipation itself is such an
embarrassing condition (but so
common for people who have
bipolar disorder).
Anything else that is important
for her to tell her doctor, Michele
also puts on her list. This way,
her attitude when she sees her
doctor is more confident.
Everything her doctor will want
to know, like a list of the
medications she is currently on,
with names of the medications,
dosages, and when she takes them.
Also, any other problems or
conditions you are concerned
about would go on this list. Any
questions you might have about
anything, especially things you might
forget before you get to your
appointment.
This way, you just hand your doctor
your list and he/she can go down
your list and address all your
concerns.
This is also how you can tell a good
Doctor from a bad doctor. A good
doctor will be willing to go over your
list with you and will appreciate the
fact that you even have a list.
A bad doctor will act as if you are
bothering him/her and taking up
their time, as they have more
patients to see and this will take up
too much of their time.
But try Michele’s method –
it works for her, see if it works
for you! Then let me know what
happens.
Your Friend,
Dave
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Dave – Tell Michele it’s NOT such an uncommon malady! I went to the DR about a month ago with intense abdominal pain. He felt my belly, took X-rays, and said I had really TERRIBLE constipation! But I had been “going” fairly regularly, and couldn’t understand the diagnosis. He told me to take a liquid laxative and follow a “sippy” diet for a couple days, and it would go away.
Because I couldn’t see him for another two weeks – he was on vacation in Argentina for that long – I started taking Ex-Lax every night until he returned. I am now “regular.” Unfortunately, I still have the pain, so he’s referring me to a gastroenterologist in two weeks to find out if I need a colonoscopy – it’s been 3 or 4 years since I’ve had one – to find out the root problem of my excruciating pain. “Solving” my physical complaints has ALWAYS been a problem for my PCP; he’d rather send me to a specialist when it comes to my “ailments,” as they ALWAYS seem to turn out to be something “dire.”
I admire the “list”-thing Michele does; I try to do it, but problems always seem to come in “3s” and keeping track of them becomes a bit of a problem. Usually, my psychiatrist sends me to my therapist to “talk out” the various financial, emotional, physical AND spiritual aspects of how/why I’m feeling “overwhelmed.” My shrink just takes 20 min. to see if my meds need adjusting!
Just a note to you, Dave – take better care of yourself. You’re always at the gym – which is GREAT to stay in prime physical and mental condition; and body building is NOT a bad way to go. But you seem to get all twisted out of shape when people “get on your case” or tell “myths” in group. I suggest you take at least a 3-day vacation – go to the Caribbean and sit by the ocean – and “chill!” My very best to you and the hard work you do for all of us bipolar survivors; I have learned SO much from your daily emails, and I appreciate the opportunity to post on your blog – it is my “journal” and I get help – and give help, in the only way I know how. God bless you real good.