You probably have a long list of things you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather do than see your doctor. We feel you; doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointments can be incredibly stressful. But here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing: They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
One way to make your annual checkup or urgent care visit go more smoothly is to clearly communicate your questions and concerns, but how much talking should you really do\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand what, if anything, is off-limits? We talked to some top doctors to find out which phrases they don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> want you to utter\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand what you should say instead.<\/p>\n
(Want to pick up some healthier habits? Sign up to get daily healthy living tips delivered straight to your inbox!)<\/p>\n
DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sure it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/b><\/p>\n
We all love Dr. Google. But most doctors cringe when they hear you say, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I looked up my symptoms online, and\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d said Dr. Elizabeth Lyster, a California-based OB-GYN. Not only could you freak yourself out by reading all the super-scary things that might be wrong with you, but you might actually make your doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job harder, said cardiologist Suzanne Steinbaum, DO, director of women\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heart health at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City and Go Red for Women physician spokesperson.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Whatever you researched online, keep it to yourself,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Steinbaum said.<\/p>\n
Doctors have a certain protocol they go through in order to determine a diagnosis\u00e2\u20ac\u201dthey consider your symptoms, family history, any medications you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re on\u00e2\u20ac\u201dand sharing your self-diagnosis could muddy the waters.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00c2\u00a0<\/b>7 Ways Doctors Pre-Judge You\u00e2\u20ac\u201dAnd How It Hurts Your Treatment<\/p>\n
DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s probably just stress.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
Sure, stress can make you sick, but if you downplay your symptoms, your doc is less likely to take them seriously. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll also want to avoid phrases like \u00e2\u20ac\u0153but it might just be in my head,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d advised Steinbaum.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI have headaches, but I might be anxious\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcit might be stress,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 all the doctor hears is that you have headaches caused by stress,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Steinbaum said.<\/p>\n
MORE:\u00c2\u00a0<\/b>Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s How to Beat Cold and Flu Season<\/p>\n
DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry I wasted your time.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s your doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s job to take care of you, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s nothing wrong with leaving a checkup\u00e2\u20ac\u201dor even the emergency room\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwith a relatively clean bill of health. If something doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel right, get it checked out. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s better to go to the ER with chest pain (or just a feeling that something isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t right)\u00c2\u00a0and come out with heartburn meds than to stay home and have a heart attack, Steinbaum said.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Surely you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve heard of\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d\u00c2\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n
It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s totally fine to come to your appointment armed with questions about that arthritis medication you saw advertised on TV or a new study you read about, but don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t assume your doctor is as looped in as you are.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153Sadly, doctors aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always the most up-to-date on things because they just don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have the time,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lyster said.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you want to discuss an article you read, take a moment to print it out and bring it to your appointment. Heard about a new drug that just hit the market? Bring along a one-page write-up about it (copy and paste from the Internet\u00e2\u20ac\u201dyou don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to write it yourself).<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got to have a way to get the information to a doctor in a quick fashion,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lyster said.<\/p>\n
DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T say: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you the expert?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/b><\/p>\n
News flash: Doctors are human, too. Yes, they went to medical school and treat patients every single day, but putting all of your faith in one person can be dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a tricky balance between respecting the doctor and not thinking that they have all the answers on earth,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Lyster said.<\/p>\n
And while we hope your doctor is competent, you still need to take an active role in your health. If she suggests a regimen you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never realistically stick with or a medication you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re allergic to, speak up ASAP. Medical professionals deserve your respect\u00e2\u20ac\u201dbut they should respect your input as well.<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153If you don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t feel like you can talk to your doctor, you need to get another doctor,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Steinbaum said.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared on Prevention.com.<\/i><\/p>\n
<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
You probably have a long list of things you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d rather do than see your doctor. We feel you; doctor\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s appointments can be incredibly stressful. But here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the thing: They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have to be.\u00c2\u00a0 One way to make your annual checkup or urgent care visit go more smoothly is to clearly communicate your questions and concerns, Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70380\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/healthmedicinet.com\/i\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}