A couple of things - health care people do tend to be focused, task centered, busy people. And the other thing is ... by the time we get in to the exam room, we can be anxious, tired and brain fogged. I've had visits where I probably wouldn't remember every thing, in the right order.
So I prepare ahead of time. I write up an outline and just give it to the Dr. to read. If this is a first visit - make up a timeline of your symptoms and meds. And I make up an outline of what is going on. Symptoms, how you are handling stress ... that kind of stuff. It doesn't have to be some kind of polished essay.
Like:
Activity level - can do a 10 min walk every day on flat ground
Sleep - I can sleep 6 1/2 to 7 1/2 hours a night with sleep aid, 4 hours or so without
Anxiety - not handling stress well
You get the idea. Put the stuff down that you want to the Dr. to know. One of the problems we can have is getting side tracked on things that aren't that important. The outline helps prevent that.
And at the end, I put down
Things I'd like talk about:
Dealing with chronic illness and treatments.
etc.
Just put down the stuff you want the doc to know. In pain? - then maybe rate it: 7 out of 10
So just tell him/ her all the information about yourself. Let him draw the conclusions. Pain meds aren't working? He won't know unless you tell him.
Hope this helps in some small way. My ARNP is just a wonderful person. But last visit I was so overwhelmed - I was anxious and emotional. My outline was a quick way to update her with all the stuff she needed to know.