Preparing For A New Doctor?

[Racer]

Hoping to get some advice on how to prepare to see a new doctor?

I switched to a new general physician, to discuses my recent "autonomic dysfunction" dx and the issues I am experiencing. The appointment is next week. This will be the first time I discuss dysautonomia with a doctor. What sort of questions do I ask? what should I bring up? any tips?

One of my main goals is to get a referral to see a neurologist. I think I want to focus on the most bothersome of my issues to start. The midodrine greatly helps me during the day, but I am still having major issues with sleep and mornings. Even with the midodrine to perk me up, I get extremely nauseated in the morning. I cant eat anything for about 4-5 hours after waking. If I eat to soon after waking, I vomit it back up. I dont eat anything 4 hours before bed, so by the time I eat lunch the next day, I am extremely hungry and really feeling the effects. After lunch, the food combined with the midodrine makes me feel great!

I understand most general physicians are not able to work miracles, I am just looking to make life a bit better! Not sure what sort of help or referrals I am looking for, but I don't want to mess up this appointment!

[trice125]

I would bring any test results with you along with a list of medications you have tried in the past for it and how they affected you. Other than that I don't have any other suggestions since I don't really know what questions to ask either. I believe the biggest thing is to make sure this primary care doctor will actually listen to and support you. I don't like change at all but I finally changed PCPs almost 2 years ago after being with my previous one for 14 years and you wouldn't believe the difference. I wish I had switched years ago now. I'm sorry if this isn't much help but let me know how it goes.

[blueskies]

I think it's really important to find a gp who deals with people with chronic illnesses. I finally found one and although this meant changing my gp 3 times in 5 years about midway through last year I did so because I found a doc that does deal with chronic illnesses and will spend up to an hour with a patient if needed.

I didn't overwhelm him with info the first appointment. Just my most pressing problems at the time. Slowly he is getting to know me and this complex illness.

The only problem with seeing him is that he doesn't take appointments -- he doesn't know how long he is going to need to spend with any one patient -- so I sometimes have to wait a long time to see him. Which is, as you'd know, a problem with pots. I take something to drink, and something light to eat (I can't miss meals as it's a trigger for migraine) and semi recline on the couches he has in his waiting room. I try not to sit up straight with my feet down as doing so for a while will make my OI go nuts.

He is in the same area as the clinic and hospital most of my specialists work in and knows of them all. Some of them seem to know him too, so that is helpful.

blue.