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Is it just me? Seemingly an amnesiac at the dr's office (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Whenever I go to the doctor's office and they ask about something that happened unrelated to that day's visit, I can't seem to remember.

Examples:

At one appt, "So have you had any more troubles from your sinus infection that we saw you for 9 months ago?" Oh yeah...I had a sinus infection.

At a different appt, "You had your eye surgery in a different network. Let's update your record in our network. Who was the surgeon and when was it?" Um, it was a guy...and it was, I think, three years ago. (I looked up the surgeon's name online based on where I remember the surgery center to be and called and the surgery was a hair over a year ago.) That sounds like an extreme example because the surgery was a big deal, but yeah.

Often I can't seem to recall any of the original symptoms that led me to taking a medicine.

It's like medical amnesia. They have everything in their notes, but I've got zilch. It's really frustrating.

I've considered writing everything down, but once I'm out the door, that idea seems to vanish.

I've learned to take in a very full description of what's currently going on because I know I'll draw a blank when the doc asks of the specifics on why I'm in that time. I feel like a weirdo with a printout. If only I could remember to hang onto that printout for future reference. Ugh.

I'm not dumb and I'm not like this with other things. It's weird and I'm wondering if it's just me.

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[–] towerful 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel like a weirdo with a printout

I can promise you that they are appreciative of such a well thought out appointment.
It's not going to be a session of "oh yeh, and...", you are going to be confident talking/asking about everything on that list, because it's premeditated. Nerves aren't going to make you forget something you are concerned about.

They ask you about the sinus infection, and you go "huh? Oh yeh, eh... It's fine I guess" whilst having a list of things you are concerned about will show that the sinus infection resolved successfully and is no longer an issue.

It's probably worth taking a notebook in with you and asking if you can take notes.
Alternatively, ask if you can record it so you can transcribe it later.
The doctor may even be able to give you their notes from the session.
Healthcare is complicated and can be very stressful. Doctors are there to help you through it, so they should be able to help!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

That was very thoughtful. Thank you.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I have issues with this a lot as well. Got a new doctor recently and mentioned I'd had a reduction in the past plus a revision. She asked when and I could not for the life of me tell her when the surgeries had happened. Happens a lot when asked about what symptoms occurred, when, when certain events happened, who was involved, what order events occurred in, etc. My working memory is one of the worst things I have to deal with regarding my adhd.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

I think it's normal to not remember! It's been MONTHS! My dental assistant said that she takes notes of things we talk about even if they're unrelated, so that she has something to monologue about, or ask me in order to build rapport. Would it help to just reframe their questions as them doing their job, including tracking that stuff for you? If you don't remember complications from the sinus infection, it probably wasn't that big a deal.

Idea: I do have a file in my Notes app that's just all the questions I want to ask my doc. Since I don't delete the old notes, I have some level of breadcrumbs.