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My head and my jaw pain have been the focus of my doctor appointments (and blog posts) lately but they are not the only problem. I've had some nerve pain in my arms for several years, but I was taking lots of vitamin E and feeling like it wasn't a big issue. In the last several months the pain has gotten much worse. Now both arms/hands hurt pretty much all the time. When I'm sleeping my entire body tenses and curls. My fists and jaw are clenching, my wrists, elbows, neck, knees, hips and ankles are all bent and tight against my body. I don't know if this is my brain or my muscles that are attacking me like this in my sleep, but the longer this goes on, the more pain my joints are nerves are experiencing.
The trouble is I only have so much time with my doctor during our visits. Even though I think very highly of the way she practices and feel quite comfortable with her now I still find myself out of time before I'm able to address the nerve pain. I want to be respectful of her time - and all the patients waiting for their appointments. I've just been struggling with how to bring this to the forefront without letting the migraines and jaw stuff move the background.
My issues have become more complicated during the past year and I'm need to adjust how my time with the doctor plays out. With my next appointment just 6 days away I've come up with one idea; I want to take a step back and make a list of everything that's going on with me right now. There are some "small" things that may not be so small and could help to paint a more comprehensive picture of what is going on. That sort of thing can only help in treatment, right? Then I could give it to her during my upcoming appointment and so she can either review it then, or look it over before our following appointment. I think this would be better than trying to bring it up on my own...I tend to be wordy in my verbal communications plus my migraine fog slows the process down.
The trouble is I only have so much time with my doctor during our visits. Even though I think very highly of the way she practices and feel quite comfortable with her now I still find myself out of time before I'm able to address the nerve pain. I want to be respectful of her time - and all the patients waiting for their appointments. I've just been struggling with how to bring this to the forefront without letting the migraines and jaw stuff move the background.
My issues have become more complicated during the past year and I'm need to adjust how my time with the doctor plays out. With my next appointment just 6 days away I've come up with one idea; I want to take a step back and make a list of everything that's going on with me right now. There are some "small" things that may not be so small and could help to paint a more comprehensive picture of what is going on. That sort of thing can only help in treatment, right? Then I could give it to her during my upcoming appointment and so she can either review it then, or look it over before our following appointment. I think this would be better than trying to bring it up on my own...I tend to be wordy in my verbal communications plus my migraine fog slows the process down.
I'm pleased with this idea for the most part. Of course during this upcoming appointment the first order of business will be the results of my MRI. If she wants to recommend surgery I don't know that I'll think to present my list. We'll see...
That is a great idea. Partly because it is important for your doctor to have a whole picture of you, so she can look at the patterns and check everything that needs checking.
ReplyDeleteI know how hard it is to write a comprehensive list without writing ten pages! Good luck!
Brief is a challenge for sure :) Thanks Joy!
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