When your child is sick, you need to be organized in many ways.
Going to the doctor or specialist is a regular part of my life.
I would like to offer some personal advice and great ideas that have worked for our family with regards to doctor's appointments.
1.
Before the doctor's appointment, write down your child's symptoms.
List things like fevers (how high); how many days your child has been feeling sick; if he/she has been eating and drinking regularly; and if bowel movements have been consistent.
Any contact with other sick kids should be written down.
This is information that is important and that the medical staff will ask you.
2.
Keep a medical diary and record everything.
Be ready to write down what nurse practitioner/ doctor/ medical staff is telling you.
By writing things down, you won't forget any important information.
3.
Bring your medical diary to the appointment.
Many people use a tape recorder to record the appointment.
A friend can help you by being in charge of the appointment.
This is a good idea if you are stressed and having a hard time adjusting to the amount of information coming at you.
Time is precious at appointments, so prepare ahead of time with questions and raise the most important issue first.
4.
Ask lots of questions.
How will this medication affect my child's body? What should happen next? What treatment do you recommend? Are there any alternatives? There are no stupid questions! 5.
If you are choosing a doctor, look for someone who communicates well with your child and cares about the whole family.
Also look for a doctor who listens to you and to your child.
Get a phone number or email address to contact the doctor directly.
Sometimes, you remember a question later on or the next day.
It is often difficult to locate your specialist, and having a direct line can be very reassuring for parents.
6.
One family I know took photographs of their doctor, nurses, receptionist, physical therapist and any other medical personal and placed the photos in an album.
This helped their child become more comfortable with the medical team by looking at their faces.
The child felt that the pictures made the doctors look less like strangers and more like friends.
7.
Tell your doctor about any family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, etc.
Your focus should be to get as much information as possible to your doctor because you never know what part of the information ends up being important.
Typing up your family history/ your child's immunization and other relevant information is something that helped me early on in our daughter's diagnosis.
Putting this information in a sheet protector can reduce the risk of it getting lost or destroyed.
You can use the information every time you are filling out a form at the doctor's office.
8.
Pack a 'doctor's bag' (drink, snack, kid and adult book, notebook and pen for questions, etc).
If your child is very young, you will need to include diapers, toys, and other things that will distract them.