Tips for Talking to Your Doctor:

Taking an active role in your health care can help you get the best care possible from your doctor. One way to do this is to improve your relationship with your doctor. The following are some tips to help you and your doctor improve your health care together.

Talk to your doctor

Be sure to tell your doctor about any current and past health care issues or concerns. It's important to share any information you can, even if you're embarrassed. Give your doctor the following information during the exam:

• Any symptoms you are having.
• Your health history. You can create a "health journal" for yourself on paper or in a notebook, and bring it to your appointments.
• Personal information, including whether you are stressed or if your life is changing.
• Any medicines you are currently taking. Bring them with you or create a list of all your medicines. Include information about when and how often you take the medicine. You should also write down the strength of the medicine (for example, do you take 150 mg or 200 mg?).
• Any side effects you have from your medicine(s), especially if it makes you feel sick or if you think you may be allergic to it.
• Any vitamins or supplements you take.
• Any X-rays, tests results or medical records you have can be brought with you to the appointment.

Ask questions

Don't be afraid to speak up. It's important for you to let your doctor know if you don't understand something. If you don't ask questions, your doctor will think you understand everything he or she has told you. The following are some tips on asking your doctor questions during the exam:

• Ask every time you don't understand something.
• If you have questions before the appointment, just write them down and ask them during the exam. Be sure to write down the most important questions first to make sure they get answered.
• Tell your doctor when you need more time to talk about something. If the doctor isn't available to help, you should be able to talk to a physician assistant or a nurse. If no one else is available, see if you can schedule another appointment to continue your talk.

Take information home with you

Taking written or recorded information home with you can help you remember information and instructions any time you need to. Your doctor is a good source of accurate information you can trust. The following are types of information you can take home with you:

• Notes that you have taken during the appointment. It's ok for you to write down the information your doctor gives you. Sometimes it helps to bring a friend or family member with you. They can help write down the answers to your questions.
• Written instructions from your doctor.
• A tape recording. Ask your doctor if it's okay to bring a tape recorder to the appointment.
• Brochures or other educational materials. If there aren't any available, ask where you can find some.

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Follow up with your doctor

Make sure to follow any instructions your doctor gave you during the appointment, like taking medicine, scheduling a test or scheduling an appointment with a specialist. If you're confused or if you've forgotten some information, it's ok to contact your doctor. The following are some common reasons you may need to call your doctor:

• If you have any questions after the appointment. Ask to leave a message with the doctor or speak with a nurse.
• If you start to feel worse or have problems with your medicine.
• If you had tests and haven't got the results.

If you need surgery, consider the following tips, information, and guidelines in order to obtain the best care possible for your condition.

• Be your own advocate. It is wise to do your homework about your diagnosis and make sure ALL your options are explained to you. Take notes during your consultation with your doctor, and write down your diagnosis. If your doctor does not discuss laparoscopy as an option, ask him or her about minimally invasive surgery as an option. More than ever before, in this era of managed care and HMOs, patients need to be well informed and ready to ask questions. It is especially important to ask questions and obtain as much information as possible when surgery is needed to take care of a gynecologic problem. One of the responsibilities of any patient who must undergo surgery is to determine the exact reason for the surgical procedure, how the surgery will be performed, what the recovery will be, and what specialist can perform the surgery with the least possible complications. In recent years, patients have become better at being their own advocates – they are asking questions and obtaining second opinions when faced with major surgery. Unfortunately, they are not doing nearly enough to find out all the facts. As a health care provider and surgeon, I see too many patients that have undergone open abdominal procedures resulting in increased pain and complications, long hospitalizations, and extended recovery times. Open procedures require a large abdominal incision, and most patients with large uterine fibroids, ovarian masses, extensive endometriosis, and gynecologic malignancy undergo open procedures for treatment. Patients that had these procedures did not know that an alternative was available, or assumed that this was the only way they could be treated because their doctor did not discuss any alternatives. These patients could have undergone minimally invasive surgery – or laparoscopy – with far better results. Patients undergoing laparoscopic surgery have much less pain than with open surgery, and also can be discharged from the hospital the same day or the following day. Laparoscopy allows patients to go back to work and to resume normal activities within days compared to six or eight weeks for comparable procedures performed through large incisions.

• Ask questions. Please don't be shy or be afraid to ask your doctor pointed and direct questions about his or her experience with minimally invasive surgery. Remember, the difference in recovery is dramatic with laparoscopy compared to open surgery, and you owe it to yourself to obtain all the facts.

• Questions to Ask Your Doctor Before Surgery:

  • Can the procedure be performed laparoscopically.
  • How often does he or she perform this type of surgery?
  • How many procedures does he or she perform per year?
  • What is his or her success rate at completing the procedure laparoscopically?
  • Is your doctor board certified and does he or she have operating privileges to perform laparoscopic surgery?

• If your doctor does not offer laparoscopy as an alternative, ask him or her if the surgery can be completed that way. If your doctor tells you that the surgery cannot be performed through a minimally invasive technique, ALWAYS seek a second opinion to confirm. Be sure that the second opinion is from an experienced laparoscopic surgeon. If a second opinion is necessary, obtain copies of your medical records. Ask for copies of medical records and test results, which are always available to you. If you need to, pay the small fee ahead of time in order to have your medical records copied and transferred for second opinion. You can provide the name and address of the physician from which you will seek a second opinion later.

• Finally, make sure you get all the facts before proceeding with surgery. Understand why surgery is necessary and how the procedure will be performed. Don't be afraid to ask questions of your doctor, seek a second opinion, or temporarily postpone the surgery if necessary to ensure you receive the best operation possible from a physician who can ensure you a good success rate with a laparoscopic approach.

In the last few years, major advances have been made in gynecologic surgery and laparoscopy. The use of advanced laparoscopic techniques has introduced new surgical options for patients that previously could only undergo open surgery. Most GYN problems can now be treated laparoscopically with much less pain, reduced down time, little scarring, and faster recovery. Keep in mind that the surgery is being performed is to help fix a problem. If the problem can be fixed with the smallest incision possible, that is the way it should be done.

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