Good morning, Debbie

I'm laughing. Or at least smiling – smiling in sympathy! First, I would never bring my "famous" binder with me. Imaging myself doing that is part of why I'm smiling. The other part – the sympathy part – is how I sometimes fail to tell or ask my doctors all that I had hoped to tell or ask. What I'll do (similar to what you do) is have my tells and asks scribbled on a slip of paper or index card, tucked quietly like a bookmarker into whatever book I'd brought with me to fill the time waiting – waiting in the Waiting Room (which usually isn't that long), and waiting in the exam room after the person who's taken your vitals says (as they always do) "The doctor will be right with you (which he never is). When the doctor comes in, I'll leave my info slip or card in my book for ready-reference. Eventually, I'll take it out. My primary doc is great about my "being prepared" with notes; she'll listen attentively, often entering things I say into my medical record right then & there. If I hand her an Excel doc with my recent blood pressure numbers, she'll thank me and tell me the numbers will also be entered into my record. But my other doctors? Some will seem appreciative of my "being prepared, others though – you can almost see them cringe as I begin to read from my little info slip (my "patient's crib sheet"). Usually, I'll continue speaking about the items I want to tell the doctors (new symptoms, how that new med is working or not working, etc.) and asking the questions I want to ask. Sometimes I'll get through the whole list, but other times I won't. I'll get that "Time's up!" feeling (as I guess you do, too) about 20 minutes in, reminiscent of a high school test proctor saying (sharply), "Pencil's down!" It's a battle, isn't it? That's why your post got me smiling!

Ray