Primary care: it's about prevention!

 Have you had your annual physical yet? If not, please do so as soon as possible! If you wait until you feel sick, your disease or illness has progressed too far. Lots of common chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure (hypertension), diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or sleep apnea can be silent for many years. Meanwhile your organs are being damaged.!

Here are some helpful tips to get the most out of your primary care visit.

My medical school graduation day!

1.Be on time. Being on time actually means getting there 15 minutes early. Most doctors offices have a 15 minute grace period, but if you can imagine if most patients show up 15 minutes late, this pushes back every other patient of the day. So if you happen to be one of the last patients, your appointment will be getting pushed way back. If your appointment is at 9:00, you should aim to arrive at the office at 8:45. Between finding a parking space, getting to the clinic, registration, and the medical assistant, taking your blood pressure, at least 15-20 minutes can go by! I hated running behind because I know that my patients have places to be. 

2. Write it down! What questions or concerns do you have for your doctor? Patients may feel flustered when they have their doctor in front of them, making it easy to forget things. But at the same time, understand that your doctor might not get to address every single item on your list. Chronic medical conditions need to be addressed almost at every visit. And unfortunately, the way our healthcare system works, most patients only get 15 minutes per visit. But keep your list and make a follow-up appointment so you can get the rest of your concerns addressed. 

3. Bring your medication bottles or at least a current list of everything you're taking. You wouldn't believe how many times I figured out some of my elderly patients were missing an important medication that they weren't even aware of because it had fallen behind a dresser. (I worked in an under-served community where some patients could not read). Sometimes it's easy to believe you don't need to tell your doctor about your supplements because they're "natural", however even natural supplements may have interactions with other medications.

4. Be proactive about your health. I love family medicine because it embraces prevention as well as treating illnesses. You may only see your doctor once a year (if you're healthy) or every 3 months (if you have uncontrolled diabetes), the time in between these visits is up to you to take control of your health. Perfection is the enemy of progress. Start with small steps. If you do not regularly get 8 hrs of sleep a night, start going to bed earlier. If you drink a lot of Coca-Cola, start replacing 1 can with a glass of water. Small steps add up to great improvement in the future. I wish we had all the answers/treatments to all of the ailments, but the truth is we don't. A lot of common health related concerns (such as back pain, muscle cramps, acid reflux) can be prevented by taking steps at home. As a doctor, I always tell my patients to eat as many fruits/veggies as possible, get 7-9 hrs of sleep every night, move your body for at least 30 mins daily, and practice any stress-reducing activities they enjoy doing. Also, find ways to challenge your brain by reading, or taking up a new skill/hobby.

Here are some links for good sources to begin learning about these common symptoms:

Good back pain resource

Acid reflux info

Muscle cramps info

In a future post, I will discuss the latest preventative tests you need to have done according to your age. Exciting new recently: one of these tests is now recommended much earlier than it was in the past.

What are some things you've wondered about your primary care doctor or your visits?