Medical Advice: How to Talk with Your Doctor about Embarrassing Medical Problems

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Medical Advice: How to Talk with Your Doctor about Embarrassing Medical Problems

Article Description:

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The realization hit like a ton of bricks. Her mother,

Joann, had literally died of embarrassment! Joann had noticed

blood in her stool almost a year before she was diagnosed with

colon cancer. At first she told herself it must have been those

beets she ate. Then she thought it was most likely her

hemorrhoids, although she had not had a flair-up of hemorrhoids

since 's birth 52 years earlier. The truth was that Joann

was embarrassed to talk with her doctor about private topics such

as her bowel habits.

Additional Article Information:

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809 Words; formatted to 65 Characters per Line

Distribution Date and Time: 2006-08-23 11:36:00

Written By: Vicki Rackner MD

Copyright: 2006

Contact Email: mailto:dr.vicki.rackner@...

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Medical Advice: How to Talk with Your Doctor about Embarrassing Medical Problems

Copyright © 2006 Vicki Rackner MD

The Personal Health Journal

http://www.drvicki.org/drvicki-store-health-journal.html

The realization hit like a ton of bricks. Her mother,

Joann, had literally died of embarrassment! Joann had noticed

blood in her stool almost a year before she was diagnosed with

colon cancer. At first she told herself it must have been those

beets she ate. Then she thought it was most likely her

hemorrhoids, although she had not had a flair-up of hemorrhoids

since 's birth 52 years earlier.

The truth was that Joann was embarrassed to talk with her doctor

about private topics such as her bowel habits. She didn't raise

the concern with her doctor until she had bloating, cramping and

abdominal pain. This led to the diagnosis of colon cancer that

ultimately took her life. 's brother-in-law, who was a

nurse, wondered whether Joann would still be alive if she had

told her doctor about the blood in her stool when she first

noticed it.

Let's face it; certain topics are embarrassing to talk about

with your doctor. I call them the 5 P's:

1. Peeing

2. Pooping

3. Paying

4. Procreating

5. Psychic moaning

Although at first blush the challenge of talking with your doctor

about embarrassing medical topics seems simple enough, for some

people, it can cause significant suffering.

Hillary, for example, had what's now called a shy bladder. She

had not used a public restroom in over 20 years. She was too

embarrassed to talk with her doctor about this; instead, she

remained a prisoner to her bladder.

Ed was laid off from work and could no longer afford his asthma

medications. Instead of talking with his doctor about it, he

decided to do without He wound up in the emergency room with an

asthma attack that could have been avoided with regular

medication.

Tom had some sexual side effects from his blood pressure

medicine. Instead of talking with his doctor and getting a

different medicine, he just stopped taking it. The doctors

wonder if this might have contributed to his heart attack.

Jerry noticed his loss of appetite and sleeping problems as his

caregiver responsibilities for his aging father mounted. He

wondered if he might be depressed, but dismissed the thought

because real men don't get depressed.

Imagine how each of these stories might have been different if

these individuals who suffered in silence could have talked with

their doctors.

Here are 6 tips that can help you talk with your doctor about

embarrassing medical topics:

1. Own the embarrassment.

Say to your doctor, " This is a taboo topic in our family, so

it's hard for me to ask. Is it normal to have a funny smell

coming from your belly button? "

2. Find the words.

Your doctor speaks a specialized language acquired through years

of training. Sometimes patients are embarrassed because they

don't know the " right words " or have a hard time describing the

problem.

Remember that your job is to communicate. You don't need to

know the fancy words to do that. If a patient said to me, " Dad

had an operation on the dingle-ball thing at the back of his

throat " , I would know just what he meant. And, the patient would

seem relieved when I said, " Oh, you mean the uvula. "

The best way to make sure you and your doctor understand each

other is to use anatomically correct words. Get a basic anatomy

atlas. Use anatomically correct words with your children.

3. Practice saying the words.

Sometimes embarrassing words can be hard to get out of your

mouth. Gertrude, a 90-year-old patient said to me, " You

youngsters don't understand how much things have changed. When

I got breast cancer in the 1962, the words 'breast' and

'cancer' were not uttered in polite company. " Some words are

still embarrassing to say. Practice saying these words out loud

when you're alone! That will make it easier to say them at the

doctor's office

4. Find the right person to ask.

You may have an easy rapport with the nurse or physician's

assistant at your doctor's office. You can bring up the

sensitive topic with them. Say, " Trish, could you please give

the doctor a heads up. I want to know why I should say no to

those steroids my buddies at the gym are offering me. I would

love to look like they do. "

5. Find the right way to ask.

Maybe it's easier for you to drop a note or a cartoon to your

doctor rather than ask in person. Find the style that works best

for you.

6. Remember that your doctor is there to help you, not to judge

you.

Your doctor has heard it all before. I promise! Your doctor

will not think less of you for asking an embarrassing medical

question; in fact, your doctor with think more of you for

overcoming your fear and helping you take charge of your

health.

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Dr. Vicki Rackner is a board-certified surgeon who left the

operating room to help families take the most direct path

from illness to optimal health. Her book, " The Personal

Health Journal " , can save your life today by helping you

understand your health story. Empower yourself with the

tips and tools that will help you direct your story and

partner with your doctor more effectively at:

http://www.drvicki.org/drvicki-store-health-journal.html