5 Tips to Help Food Allergy Patients at Any Doctor Appointment
As a food allergy sufferer, how do you set yourself up for success when you go to the doctor?
Being a patient with food allergies means putting a lot of trust into your doctors and even allergy testing. But, how do you know when things are going right...or going wrong? Luckily for you, I’ve got a few tips that will help you figure things out!
Before we begin, you may be wondering - who are you to tell me about how to manage doctor-patient relationships? Well, there’s something you may not know about me. Something about my former life and who I was before becoming a health coach. I used to be an lawyer. Specifically, a medical malpractice lawyer.
This means I spent my career working with doctors as experts, reading medical records and deposing doctors. I had to learn to speak the lingo, and I had to be a quick study when some new medical condition came my way. Little did I know that just a few years later, these skills would become vital to my success as a food allergy parent and health coach.
I love doctors. I think they are well-intentioned, smart and reliable. But, I also think that they are human and can make mistakes just like anyone at any job. It just so happens that the stakes are higher than most when it comes to the field of medicine. So, what can we do as food allergic patients to help our relationships with our doctors become a winning one?
I want to share my formula with you. Using the knowledge I’ve gained in my former attorney life, combined with my experiences as a food allergy mom and my education as a health coach, I created the following list to help you and your medical team achieve success!
Request a copy of your medical records, including any test results. By law, patients have the right to access their medical records (with very few exceptions). I suggest requesting copies of your medical records for a few reasons:
If you have questions after your appointment, you can use the records refer back and jog your memory.
They’re helpful to have to reference or guide you in a conversation if you need to call your doctor with follow-up questions or conerns.
You can bring copies to your other appointments with other doctors instead of putting the pressure on yourself to get all of the medical mumbo-jumbo right.
If you want to go for a second opinion, you don’t have to feel awkward requesting to have your medical records sent to a different doctor in the same field.
Remind your medical provider about the patient’s medical history. Doctors and nurses see a lot of patients everyday. Yes, a lot of them have amazing memories, but you don’t want to 100% depend on them remembering (or having recorded) every single detail about your treatment and condition. So why not make your visits a team effort?!
When your doctor asks you what’s been going on or how things have been going, use it as an opportunity to recap the takeaways from your last appointment and highlight anything you think they need to know. And, if they don’t start off by asking you how things are, make it a point to bring it up on your own and fill them in.
It can be intimidating to do this (especially if you feel like you’re being rushed or that the doctor wants to just get started with the appointment), but take your time to go through everything you need to say and remember this is a vital part of the appointment. It directly relates to the reason for your visit and the next steps in your care plan.
Think of it this way, even if it feels unnecessary or bothersome at the time, you are doing a service to both you and your doctor by providing your recap. Only good can come from it.
Keep a running list of questions and concerns either on a notepad or on your phone between appointments. This is a great tactic to prevent the “what did I need to tell you?” moment that can often occur during a doctor appointment. You go to see your doctor for one reason and plan to bring up a question or concern at the appointment, only to get side-tracked with all of the new information that comes up during your visit. The benefits are plentiful:
Your doctor will definitely appreciate it when you use your list to stay focused and organized while being as efficient as possible with your time as well as your doctor’s.
It helps you keep track of non-emergent questions or concerns you have between visits and allows you to ask them all at once and get definitive answers from your allergist, pediatrician or other medical provider.
Since you’re working off a written list, use it to your advantage! As you talk to your medical provider, write down the information and answers directly onto your list, and walk away with concrete information you can refer back to later. Winning!
Recap and ask for written instructions. When your appointment is wrapping up, take a quick minute or two to wrap things up. How do you do this exactly? Acknowledge that the appointment is coming to an end and then confirm that you understand the diagnosis and treatment you’re supposed to do at home:
This looks something like, “Thanks so much for your time today. I want to make sure I understand everything before I leave. So, you think that we are dealing with (insert diagnosis)? When we get home, you want us to start (insert medication or treatment discussed - include frequency of dosing and amount)? One last thing, is there anything else I need to know?” Or you can ask something along the lines of, “It feels like we went over a lot today. Can you please recap what you think are the most important things I should know before leaving this appointment?”
If you’re confused about something your doctor said, you can always ask them to explain it further: “You mentioned something about “X”. I feel like it’s really important but I didn’t understand it that well. Could you please explain it again?” As your doctor explains the information again, feel free to interject with your questions.
Other things you might want to clarify: Is there anything you should look out for or know when starting a new medication (ex., side-effects or things such as - does the medication need to be refrigerated or given with food)? Is there anything to be aware of that would indicate treatment is working, or not working for that matter? If you’re dealing a new food allergy diagnosis, you may want to ask about the results and whether you need to be concerned about cross-contact. Also, review your anaphylaxis emergency plan.
Remember, there is no wrong question when it comes to your or your child’s health, so know you’re doing the right thing when you seek more information.
Also, if you notice you’re leaving the office empty-handed, don’t be shy. Ask the office staff to make you a quick copy of the doctor’s orders or ask them for a piece of paper (or use your phone) to write them down yourself. Make things easy for yourself and get it all in writing so you know exactly what to do when you get home.
Be the middleman. This tip goes great with tip #1 (above). If you’re dealing with your child’s food allergies, chances are that you have both an allergist/immunologist and a pediatrician. It’s vital that all of your child’s doctors know what is going on with the patient’s health and treatment. Why is this important?
Typically, your doctors are not consulting each other regularly or without prompting, so one doctor is most likely unaware of any new diagnoses or prescribed medications unless they hear it directly from you.
This may come into play in a variety of circumstances. For example, if your child is undergoing OIT, he may not be able to receive a vaccine while undergoing this type of treatment (or he may need to take a few days off of food allergy treatment following getting a vaccine). Your pediatrician may not be intimately aware of oral immunotheraphy treatment protocol, so you would want to make sure it’s cleared by your allergist and that being vaccinated would not interfere or have any negative results. Some children with egg allergies may not tolerate the flu vaccine (although a lot can). Your pediatrician may want to give your child this shot, but you may want your allergist to ultimately be the one who makes the call. Additionally, some pediatrician may make dietary recommendations or handle eczema treatment, which can coincide with food allergy issues.
Make it your job to make sure everyone is on the same page before proceeding with any new treatment or recommendations. You want all of your doctors to have all of the correct and up-to-date medical information before drawing any conclusions about your (or your child’s) health.
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