By Sue Hilberg

Director, Bonney Lake Senior Center

When visiting the doctor it is important to give your complete health history and current concerns. Yet we all wait until we are sitting in the waiting room 15 minutes late for our appointment to get ourselves ready to see the nurse and/or doctor.

On top of trying to think of all the things we want to talk about, we are usually trying to fill out the five pages of information (half of which we can’t remember the answers to) the receptionist needs.

Follow these tips to help you during your next visit:

• Start a Medication Diary – A day or two before your next visit to the doctor’s office sit down and start a medication diary. Write out all of the medications you are currently taking. List the name of all over the counter medications, vitamins and prescription drugs, along with the dosage, why you take it and, if you are no longer taking it, why. List any side effects you may have had while taking a particular drug. Be open with your health care provider. Certain unregulated health-related products like herbal supplements can interact with prescription drugs or affect the way they’re metabolized. These products should be entered in your medication diary. The more involved you are with your care the better care you may receive.

• Ask Questions – When getting a new prescription, ask questions. Ask why the doctor is prescribing the new drug, what side effects to expect and how long you will be taking the medication. Questions like these keep you informed and involved in your own care. If you aren’t comfortable taking a new medication, tell your doctor. You are in charge of your body and your doctor needs to know how you feel. If you are on any high-risk medications ask your doctor for a 24-hour emergency phone number. He/she should be willing to give you this information if they feel it is necessary to put you on such medications. This should save you from unnecessary office visits in the future to follow-up on medication issues.

• Genetics Are Powerful – Write down anything and everything you can remember about your family’s health, past and present. As trivial as it may seem to you it may be the answer to your problem when your doctor puts the pieces together.

Follow these tips whether you are seeing a doctor for the first time or going to see your family doctor that you’ve known for 25 years.

Remember, knowledge is power and nowhere is that more true then when it comes to your health.