Know your symptoms & how long they have been present. When you go to a doctor tell them everything and be specific, no stoicism here. Doing a little research about your symptoms, using a reputable medical source, can help you learn to differentiate between symptoms and better describe them to your doctor. Write your symptoms down and take the list with you so you don't forget to mention all of them to your doctor. Keeping a symptom diary, with descriptions of symptoms and times you experience them, leading up to your doctor's appointment can help your doctor recognize patterns and more accurately diagnose your illness.
Keep your relationship with your doctors professional. Don't be afraid to ask your doctors why they think you have a particular illness, and what tests they ordered to confirm the diagnosis. Sometimes this discussion will remind you of something that a doctor needs to be aware of that may be very important to your diagnosis. By asking questions you naturally spend more time with your doctor, and, during that time, he or she may learn something that can help diagnose you.
Make sure you give, and your doctors office records, an accurate medical history (if you've been sick recently, what over-the-counter or other prescription medicines you are taking, etc.). Make sure your doctors do a physical exam. If you've researched your symptoms you will have an idea of which tests to expect. If a doctor tries to diagnose you without doing any medical tests, ask why they are not doing the tests, and if you don't like their answer, ask them to do a test to either confirm or rule out your illness.
Don't assume that the on-call doctor and your doctor will communicate. If you talk to the on-call doctor, call your regular doctor to discuss the treatment or ask the on-call doctor to notify your regular doctor that you called and have them call you back. Continuous care is extremely important, and on-call doctors sometimes fail to communicate with other doctors about the calls they receive. If your doctor says to call if you get worse, ask him if he will be on-call and if not ask who will be. Ask him if the on-call doctor will be aware of your illness, what potential complications may happen, when it is appropriate to go to the emergency room, etc. If there is ever a question about whether or not to go to the ER, get in the car and head to the emergency room and call the on-call doctor from the car. They will then notify the ER that you are on the way so they can be ready for you and you won't have to wait as long as a walk-in. It is better to be safe than sorry, and the more time the ER has to deal with your problem, the better chance they have to help you.
If it looks like you are not getting the appropriate attention go outside and call 911 from the parking lot of the ER and have an ambulance take you into the hospital. Ambulance arrivals are treated differently than walk-ins there are regimented procedures in place for ambulance arrivals that are care-based, as opposed to paperwork-based.
Just because something is common and you don't hear about people dying from a common illness doesn't mean it can't happen. The reason the statistics are low is because good doctors recognize the symptoms, do the proper tests to confirm or rule out their beliefs, and treat the illness properly. The chances of dying from mono (infectious mononucleosis) are 0.1 to 0.5% because most doctors are able to easily diagnose the illness and properly treat it (including proper warnings about potentially fatal outcomes). Most of the reported cases of patients dying from mono (most commonly as a result of splenic rupture) are a result of the patient being mis-diagnosed or un-diagnosed. The key to preventing these VERY preventable deaths is attaining the proper diagnosis so the appropriate treatment is administered.
Beware of the doctor who uses the shot-gun approach with antibiotics (ie. prescribes antibiotics every time you are sick hoping that they will solve the problem or that if it is a virus that it will run its course while you are taking the antibiotics). Antibiotics increase your white blood cell count, which also increases the pressure in your veins and enlarges some of your organs.
IF YOU ARE TAKING ANTIBIOTICS, AND YOU HAVE STOMACH PAINS OR NASEAU, GO TO THE EMERGENCY ROOM.
Don't let your doctor switch your medicine sight-unseen. Your body is trying to tell you that it doesn't like the medicine and something is wrong. If a doctor ever gives you options and one of them is to go to the ER, don’t take a chance, GO! The inconvenience and cost of an unnecessary visit are nothing compared to the inconvenience and cost of your death or some other serious injury.
Steroids (often given by shot) will temporarily make you feel better, but don't be mistaken and think you are actually better. Continue to take it easy and make sure you are fully well before resuming normal activities. If you still feel sick after the treatment is complete and the doctors cannot figure out what it is, get a 2nd opinion. Don’t let your busy life get in the way of your health.
