7 Things To Tell Your Doctor …

7 Things To Tell Your Doctor …

When it comes to your health, you can never be too careful. After all, we only have one body, so it’s very important to take care of it and make sure it’s always functioning the way it’s supposed to! Most people think it’s okay to stretch the truth or leave out certain symptoms when they talk to their doctor for the sake of embarrassment. However, that’s not the case! Things to tell your doctor could save you from discomfort, pain, maybe even your life! Most doctors make their diagnosis within the first sixty-seconds they see you, so it’s important to make those seconds count! Here’s my list of 7 things to tell your doctor right up front.

1. Which Symptoms Bother You The Most

If you go to the doctor with severe headaches, it’s most likely that you won’t forget to mention that fact to your doc! Point out your main symptoms to help him diagnose you-but don’t forget the little ones! Sometimes patients forget to mention the “little” signs, such as bloating, cramps or itchiness and doctors can miss key details that inform a diagnosis. Don’t let this happen to you. One doctors visit is more than enough!

2. When Your Symptoms First Started

If you are like me, you probably put off going to the doctor if you think it’s something that you can remedy yourself, such as a cold or a sore throat. Sometimes that’s okay! With all the over-the-counter meds available to our disposal these days, we don’t always need a doctor. But there are times when it’s necessary. So be honest with the doc, if you put off coming in for two weeks thinking it would get better, don’t tell him your symptoms started yesterday! The tests he gives you may depend on whether this is a new condition or a flare up of a past problem you may have had.

3. How Long Your Symptoms Last

It can be embarrassing or uncomfortable to talk about certain problems you may be experiencing, like gas, diarrhea or vomiting. However, don’t let this deter you from speaking up! He or she is a doctor and surely have come across these symptoms before. Doctors will be discreet so as to ease your embarrassment. Do your symptoms come and go or are they constant? Tell your doctor because a short, sharp chest pain for example, is more likely to be a muscle or digestive problem; heavy pressure suggests heart trouble.

4. What Seems To Make Your Symptoms Better Or Worse

Do your symptoms seem to worsen with rest, activity, meals, heat, cold or pain killers? Or does any one of these items make them better? Be sure and tell your doctor so he can diagnose you correctly. Triggers that relieve or irritate your symptoms can help your doc figure out which organ systems are involved, thus bringing you one step closer to solving your problems!

5. Do These Symptoms Run In Your Family

Genetic disorders are nothing to smirk at. In fact, if your mother or father suffer from diabetes, arthritis or any other health dysfunctions, you have a 50/50 chance of dealing with it yourself. Tell your doctor right up front if you know of anything that runs in your family. He can check to see if you portray symptoms yourself and see what can be done to lower your risks.

6. Have You Dealt With This Issue In The Past

Does it seem like you are continuously dealing with cramps and bloating? Do you feel like nothing you do seems to fix it? Well, this is one important thing to tell your doctor. Any issue that seems to be rearing its head over and over again could be a signal that something in your body is not functioning the way it should be. Tell your doctor so he can look into the possibilities.

7. Your Fears Of What It Could Be

If your brother’s friend died of stomach cancer and you have unexplained pains in your stomach, you may be wondering subconsciously if you have stomach cancer as well. It could simply be digestive issues but there’s no harm in bringing your concerns and fears to the doctor. I guarantee you will leave feeling much better if you at least voice your worries and have them soothed away!

Don’t make the mistake of googling your symptoms and giving the doctor YOUR diagnosis. Google is a wonderful source of information these days, but it is after all, only a computer. And anybody could be telling it what to tell you! So let your doctor make the call. He is after all a trained professional and ready to answer your questions with some real answers And with these 7 things to tell your doctor, you will be on your way in no time!! Are you more confident to share important things with your doctor at your next visit?

Read More

8 Reasons Grief Is Good …

8 Reasons Grief Is Good …

People try to avoid grief when they can, because no one likes to be sad. The stages of grief – denial; anger; bargaining; depression; and acceptance – are so hard to get through, and trying to rush or avoid the process will ultimately make things worse. Besides, sometimes grief is a good thing, a healthy thing. It may be hard to deal with, but perhaps understanding the reasons grief is good will help you significantly.

1. Letting You Let Go

One of the most important reasons grief is good is because it allows you to ultimately let go. If you don’t grieve, you may never let go of what hurts. The feelings will fester and hurt, but they will never quite go away. When you grieve, however, you are able to begin letting go of that pain, so that only the good memories will remain.

2. Providing a Release

Grief also provides a much needed release. It won’t come right away, but by allowing yourself to grieve in the first place, you encourage that eventual release. If you hold onto your grief and don’t allow it to release you, then in a way, your feelings will be stagnant. They will freeze in one place, numbing you to everything, not just the pain.

3. Creating Closure

Closure is incredibly important when you are grieving, whether it is because of a failed relationship or the loss of someone you love. Without closure, you can never really get over the past, let alone make peace with it. If you don’t fully allow yourself to grieve, then the past will stay with you. Once you do allow it, however, you can move much more easily into the future.

4. Avoiding Confusion

When a tragedy happens, it is often confusion. You try and try to find sense in what is senseless, and when you can’t, you can feel helpless, angry, and overwhelmed. This is another reason grief is good, because it helps you to avoid confusion. You don’t need to make sense of what is happening; there will never be a good enough reason for this kind of pain. You don’t need to understand it right now; let yourself grieve first, and things will be clearer.

5. Healing

A lot of people say that sleep heals, and time as well. Both of those things are true, but nothing heals quite like grief. Even though you are sad and wracked with pain, grieving heals you by helping you to release your hold on a painful past. You have to get the hurt and the anger out before you can move on, and grieving in a healthy manner is the best way to do that.

6. Teaching a Lesson

One of the many reasons grief is good is because it is also a teacher. Grief can help you learn about yourself like nothing else can. For instance, you can see firsthand how you really react to changes, even when they are bad or undesirable. By learning about that, you will be better able to cope with future changes, no matter what they bring with them. Pain and grieving help you to evolve. You may not want to because of what you are feeling, but later you will realize that, though bittersweet, it is a good thing.

7. Making Connections

In times of heartache and trouble, we as humans actively seek connections to other people. Grief can help you make those connections, because people are naturally drawn together when they grieve. As a result, you are given a support system, you can connect with people who feel the same way you do. This creates the best coping aids you can imagine.

8. Allowing Acceptance

Last but most certainly not least, grief ultimately allows you to accept. Not only do you accept your grief itself, but you also learn to accept the things you cannot change. You feel the way you feel, and you will soon accept that. You also learn to accept the fact that you can’t change some things, you simply have to meet them head on and face them with all your strength.

There are many, many reasons grief is good. You need it, you need to go through the grieving process, in order to move on with your life and greet the future. Do you have any recommendations for handling tragedies and heartbreaks?

Read More