Should You Be A Good Patient?

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It may be alright to be a good husband or wife, but what does it mean to be a good patient? Some think to be a good patient means to let the doctor make all the decision for you, not making any demands on your doctor and God forbid, complaining? Follow his orders even when you don't understand them? When having diabetes you and your doctor should be partners in making the decisions taken and really you are having a share in there of 75% at least. So, there has to be trust and understanding between the two of you to start with. So if you play the "good patient" you may even have to put up with rude or condescending treatment and for what I hear on the boards, this happens often. Don't be passive to keep the doctor happy, you have to actively participate in what is discussed and ask questions if you don't understand something. Your doctor is just a human being who can forget even what he called you in for. He will appreciate your help if he is any good at his work. He/She must be someone you can trust and can talk to or find another doctor. Sometimes, this could mean traveling a little bit once you find a Doctor you like. Educate yourself by reading the postings on these boards and read books and diabetes magazines. You will be better to carry out your share of your treatment plan if you understand the reasons for it. So keep records of how you feel, your blood sugar test, doctor visits in short, you give your doctor something to understand your situation better. Improving your health is a lot more important than pleasing your doctor. If he suggest something you already know doesn't work, tell him so. And while you don't want to be a pest, get a hold of him/her when you feel bad and don't let the receptionist keep you at bay. Know what tests you should be getting and what specialists you should see and tell him so. Doctors see so many patients and may just simply forget about it. Be an active participant during your appointment. Think beforehand about whether you have any questions, concerns or problems to discuss, and if so write them down. Bring a list of all your medications and blood pressure averages. Be upfront with your doctor about your fears about how things are going if needed. All this may not always be easy to achieve I know, I have been with what I would call uneducated doctors and left them as soon as I could. But finally I got somewhere, and so can you! You just learn to be proactive sometimes and never accept anything for something that you might not understand.