For Providers >
Gina Case
Gina
Gina is 38 and recently moved to a new city. Periodically, Gina felt a burning sensation in her throat and stomach after eating. Hoping to stop taking medication for high blood pressure, Gina was trying lifestyle changes and wanted to check in about that. She made an appointment with her new primary care physician.
The day of her appointment, Gina chatted with the nurse, who took her history and vitals. She then waited in the examining room for about 15 minutes before the doctor arrived. This was always the worst time for her. No matter what she is seeing the doctor for, Gina always gets nervous.
The doctor came in. "Hi, Gina. I'm Dr. Phillips. I understand you've been having some burning in your throat and stomach." The doctor had a friendly demeanor.
"That's right," Gina responded, "Especially after I eat."
"Are you taking any other medications?" In her anxiety, Gina's mind blanked. She couldn't think of the name of her blood pressure medication and completely forgot to tell the doctor about the vitamins and supplements she has been taking. Since the doctor was asking about medications, Gina thought it would be a good time to bring up her desire to manage her blood pressure with lifestyle changes and discontinue her medication use.
They spent some time trying to figure out which medication Gina was on and what the dosage was, but Gina just couldn't remember. Next the doctor started a general exam and when she looked at Gina throat, she frowned, which Gina interpreted as a very bad sign. When the doctor asked her about any other concerns she had about her health, Gina briefly mentioned that once in awhile her stomach and throat felt a little sore. She didn't want to make it seem like a big deal because she was worried about the frown and she knew the appointment was almost over.
The doctor didn't follow it up and told Gina to make an appointment in six months to see if she could be taken off her blood pressure medication.
Advocacy Tips for Patients:
- Before your appointment, make a list of your current medications (including over-the-counter medications and supplements). Indicate how often you take them and what the dosage of each is. After your first appointment, the doctor will have a record of this, but you will need to inform them of any changes in your medication.
- If the doctor makes a sound, comment, or facial expression that causes you concern, ask about it. Don't assume that it is in response to something associated with you.
- If you are seeing your doctor for more than one concern, start with the most important one and bring it up at the start of your appointment. In this case, Gina waited to mention her throat/stomach concerns until her appointment was nearly over and as a result the concerns didn't get the attention they warranted.
- Be as accurate and detailed as possible when describing your symptoms (e.g. severity, duration). Try not to downplay your symptoms in an effort to be stoic or out of fear of what they mean. In this scenario, Gina's description of her throat/stomach symptoms made light of them. As a consequence, these concerns didn't get addressed and Gina risks delaying treatment of a serious condition at worst or suffering necessarily at best.
