Compiling info for Docs

Do Doctors like it or cringe if you walk in with a spreadsheet you've compiled?

I'm curious about a disorder right now that is hereditary and I can track it in my mother, both my sons, sister and I. Some of more severe symptoms and slightly different than others and it's easier to show on a chart.

Is that helpful for the Doc or just make him think I have too much time on my hands and focus to much on health?

He's a good guy great at listening and spending time. I want to show it to Dr. W, but am not sure how to approach it.

what should be the clear answer--a doc shouldn't have a problem with you organizing your information and putting it in a presentation, chart, graph, spreadsheet, flowchart, fishbone, gant chart as long as it's accurate.

some might say (this comes more from old school docs that aren't quite up to speed maybe as much as you are) that this is a sign that you are too focused on your health.

sometimes you can intimidate a doc...those that aren't that sharp will pull out the you're a "type A" or you're nuts etc.

i make a presentation covering all points to my docs. not only does it keep everything organized, but it gives a detailed overview of what has happened since the last visit. you can cover tons of info in 5-10 minutes time with great detail. IMO, it yields a much better result.

copies of test results help out too.

i scan all my data and categorize it. anytime i need to take a copy, i just print it off. much easier to store and search.

it's a bit of a balancing act. you might want to try it out on a doc that you know well. doing this with a new doc might be tough. they do weigh credibility and do take a lot more interest in patients that know a bit--or even a lot. don't boss them, but discuss.

if you've know a doc for a long time, then you can have a much more open dialogue--about things that you think are going on, tests, medications, etc.

good luck!!
mgb

It will just be one chart. What I'm running in to is there are six different "classifications" of this disorder. It appears my youngest son and mother fit in to the vascular form. I fall in the milder form.

But, I don't know if this is possible. I wanted to list a symptom such as "uncontrolled bleeding" and have a check mark next to Mom and son but not me and other son. Some of the symptoms I don't know with my Mom, she passed away 16years ago (bled out during a routine surgery. This diagnosis would certain ky explain why). On this I could put a question mark by her name.

At this point I am anxious to find out if my son has it, and the vascular type does have a genetic test for. So I'd like to quickly show all the symptoms he similar to Moms.

This is my fourth visit and I feel very comfortable with him and will also trust him if he doesn't think the chart is important. I realize with access to so much information it easy to self diagnosis, AND easy to wwaaaaaayy off base!

If you feel confident with your doctor, then I'd say go ahead. My current headache specialist has always loved me to come in with charts or other data. I keep a list of all the drugs I have taken for my migraines on my computer and bring it in, and she is very appreciative of that. Now that Kaiser has gone to having everything computerized, that is the one problem. She can't keep a chart like that on hand to go over each time, so I just bring it in when I think it will be valuable.

But I have had at least one doctor get very intimidated by my lists and written history. I am convinced that is partly why I got such bad treatment from her later. She was too afraid to do anything remotely active for someone who clearly kept such notes; she never gave me a thing other than vistaril for pain! But she would have been fired anyway, and perhaps her reaction to my notes just helped me speed up the process of getting her out of the way before I could get her to send me to someone worthwhile. It was only after she washed her hands of me, saying she refused to treat me anymore that I even learned that Kaiser had a headache clinic, and that led me to my previous doctor, who was great, and then on to my current doctor, who is even better!

The Dr. Was very cool about it. I love him! He studied the spreadsheet carefully, typed some stuff on his computer, asked me a few more questions and then recommended a rheumatologist in his practice. He even asked to look at it again, and typed something else in the computer.

I asked him if I was way off base with my tentative diagnosis and he said "Based on this, absolutely not".

So, next month I see my neuro at 8:00 and the rheumy at 9:00.

Next time I complain about the six hours I spend on the road to see this man, kick me!!!!

cowboy boots on ready charlotte!