I guess I'm unusual

Call me unusual, odd ball, weird, one of a kind (in a nice way), eccentric, or whatever, but I am a rare kind in yet another way - apparently because I ask questions of my doctors. Not only that I keep lists of questions for each doctor on my computer and update them periodically and print them out and bring them with me to my appointments.

This doctor referenced a study where most patients didn't ask questions and then those who did averaged two questions. What are you waiting for? This is your appointment - here are some suggestions of what to ask:

Why are you there? What did you want to find out? What hurts, what doesn't hurt? What will this new medication do? How long do you take it? When to stop taking it? What happens if you don't feel better? How long should it take to feel better? Why am I having this test? What are they looking for? When should results be available? How will the results be given to you? What are my other options?

In addition to my list of questions, I bring a list of issues I am having (because I never have regular check ups any more - there is always something wrong). I try to document when things happen. How long they have been going on, what I am doing when they happen, etc. I've even had my doctors ask if there are any more questions on my list.

Okay, I am not the perfect patient but I do know try to treat my doctors the same way as any other professional providing a service to me for a fee and ask questions. When I bring the car into the garage, its because it makes a funny noise when I hit the brakes that I can't drown out with the car radio. And this means our poor vet must feel interrogated when I go in with the cat with his lists.