i have an appointment coming up,should i ask my dr to check on the advise i get from this board?i really feel im getting good advise from this board,but will he handle it will?i think doctors are like any profesional they dont like to be told what to do.should i mention i am a member with healthboard.com? i mean i dont want him to ask who is the doctor here question? or should i stand by and see what he does then correct him.how will i know if my doctor really cares about my thyroid.can i get some advise on how to aproach my dr? thank you all for youre reply.
I was going to ask my doc to do some more tests on me. I was going to pose the question of "... have you checked blah blah blah ... I've been doing a lot of reading lately and I would really like to have those checked. From what I understand those tests are more important that the TSH test."
Just an idea. That way makes it very non-offensive.
I'm glad you realize the importance of pre-appointment strategy.
You can tell him you have some relatives with thryoid disease and they have suggested you get the TSH t3Free and T4free tested. So, you are asking just to satisfy your families concerns. Afterall, most people have family members with health problems. I wouldn't mention the internet.
I'm glad you realize the importance of pre-appointment strategy.
You can tell him you have some relatives with thryoid disease and they have suggested you get the TSH t3Free and T4free tested. So, you are asking just to satisfy your families concerns. Afterall, most people have family members with health problems. I wouldn't mention the internet.
When I told my PCP I was getting my info off the internet he was very touchy about it also. My advice is that if you are going to tell him the internet you need to be able to back up the information with the written word. A Medical journal???? or something of that calibar. Most Doc's do not have the time to read them during your appt. though so there I am at a loss. I have thought about dropping a article about testing off several days before my appt, but that might make him angry also. So.....I think that it is sad for us that we do not feel comfortable enough around our Doc's to be able to just talk plainly to them and what is so bad is that it is not usually our fault. My goal for this year is to find a PCP that I can talk to like I would talk to a friend, and hopefully he/she will listen. Sorry I can't be of more help. I am in the same boat as you so, remember you are not alone.
Be assertive but in a kind way. If your doctor just wants to do TSH, you could tell him/her "I know of people who have had their TSH tested and it was within normal range but the free #'s were very low. Could you please test my free t3 and free t4 just to ease my mind?" This way you're telling the doc what you want without making it look like you think he's an idiot.
Edited to add: Whatever you do, don't tell him you got the information from the internet. This is a wonderful site but there are sites out there that could contain false or misleading information. This is why most docs don't like internet resorses.
Barb
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Last edited by LuvMyLilDoggie; 01-27-2005 at 09:18 AM.
I'm just straight up about it. The first time my old doc did my thyroid test, I just asked "Are you checking Free T3 & Free T4"... when he said no, I just asked him to humor me because I just felt "off". After a while, he got used to it and just tested me for it everytime. It didn't make a difference though - he didn't look at those numbers. You can really tell a lot about a doctors attitude when it comes to how he interacts with a knowledgeable patient. I used to have a doctor that was very proud of the fact that I did research on my own because it took some of the burden of explanation off of him and he called me a "responsible patient". Too bad he couldn't move with me
well what you do is let them think there incharge let them have there say then its your turn lol once you have a little knowledge and understand what there talking about you can throw your theories in too! My doc is one of them who just talks nonstop over you so l did it back lol you can but try you have nothing to loose good luck
i have an appointment coming up,should i ask my dr to check on the advise i get from this board?i really feel im getting good advise from this board,but will he handle it will?i think doctors are like any profesional they dont like to be told what to do.should i mention i am a member with healthboard.com? i mean i dont want him to ask who is the doctor here question? or should i stand by and see what he does then correct him.how will i know if my doctor really cares about my thyroid.can i get some advise on how to aproach my dr? thank you all for youre reply.
