A blown opportunity with a knowledgeable neurologist.

I think it took several days to realize what really went wrong with the neurology appointment. My expectations were that a transfer appointment within a practice would deal primarily with treatment...after all migraine was diagnosed by multiple docs already, and yet almost the entire appointment was taken up by re-visiting old symptoms and a final anticlimactic diagnosis of migraine. I get why any physician wants to make his or her own diagnosis... but I needed the focus of the appointment to be prophylactic treatment alternatives and pain management. I blew the appointment by not staying focussed. Flowerchild

I've found that if I write my questions and concerns down and take my list to my appointment I get much better care. I can't rely on my memory anymore so writing things down is vital for me to stay on track.

Alli

I do the same as Alli. I keep a MS Word file in my computer and collect my questions in that form from one visit to the next. The day of my appointment, I print out two copies--one for me and one for the doctor--then I can write notes on my copy as to what his answers are/were. When I get home, I type the answers in the form so I can refer back to them (my memory is extremely poor, and I can't remember things I did just this morning).

I've had one doctor accuse me of being OCD because I keep these records, but it's just that my memory is so bad I can't remember anything.

Hope that helps. Hope your next appointment goes better for you, flowerchild.

Take care,
Becky

Alli and Becky, Thanks for the good advice. Having a list for the doctor as well as myself is a new thought for me. Mine one and only was in my back pocket but I felt so steamrolled I didn't take it out. Had I handed one to the doc at the beginning of the appointment he would have covered the issues with me. I got a note of encouragement and understanding from the clinic today. The nurse feels that the doctor obtained a good evaluation of my headache problem from the interview as well as previous history and he will make knowledgeable and expert recommendations to my local docs. I wish this had been explained to me before I got in the difficult situation of being in a room with 2 new doctors talking to each other about me. Thankfully I have a good relationship with my local docs. Going for a walk in the snow and feeling that I made a small step forward. I have never used a forum before and boy was this helpful. Flowerchild