15 Things I Want My Doctors to Learn

1. When I’m sitting in your exam room don’t talk to another doctor or a nurse about me as if I’m not there.
2. I may not have a medical degree, but that does not mean you know more about my body than I do.
3. Listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen!
4. Ask the right questions.  Don’t say “Why is your A1c 8%?”  We both know my A1c is out of range because I have diabetes.  Instead say, “I see that your A1c is higher than we’d like it to be.  Let’s try to figure out where and why you’re having problems.”
5. If my lab reports aren’t perfect, don’t assume I’m doing something bad.
6. Understand that I come to you when I am needy, scared, or I don’t feel well.  Be gentle and kind when I am down.  Don’t add to my anxiety.
7. Don’t give me prescriptions for medications without explaining why you are choosing a particular medication and what the side effects might be.
8. Don’t send me to do tests without telling me what you’re testing for.  Be honest and straightforward with me, but don’t frighten me unnecessarily.
9. Remember that I am a person – not a bunch of numbers. 
10. Don’t dismiss my questions.  If I’m asking it’s because I don’t understand and I want to understand.
11. Be respectful if I don’t think the medication or treatment you are prescribing is right for me.  Don’t automatically get angry or annoyed.
12. If you don’t have enough time to be my doctor, don’t take me as your patient.
13.  Don’t get offended if I tell you I want a second opinion.
14. Let me get dressed before you discuss things with me.
15. Do not ever tell me to look things up online because you can’t be bothered to explain. 

This post is part of Diabetes Blog Week.  Today’s topic is about sharing with our healthcare professionals.

Jessica Apple

Jessica Apple grew up in Houston. She studied Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, and completed an MA in the same field at the Hebrew University. She began to write and publish short stories while a student, and has continued to write essays and fiction while raising her three sons (and many pets).

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Jessica Apple

Jessica Apple grew up in Houston. She studied Bible and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at the University of Michigan, and completed an MA in the same field at the Hebrew University. She began to write and publish short stories while a student, and continues to write essays and fiction while raising her three sons (and many pets). Jessica’s work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Financial Times Magazine, The Southern Review, The Bellevue Literary Review, Tablet Magazine, and elsewhere. She is the diabetes correspondent for The Faster Times. In 2009 she and her husband, both type 1 diabetics, founded A Sweet Life, where she serves as editor-in-chief. Jessica loves spending time with her sons, cooking with her husband, playing with her cats, reading, biking, drinking coffee, and whenever possible, taking a nap. Follow Jessica on Twitter (@jessapple)