We haven’t started with a joke for a while, so here’s one:
The wife said to the husband, “Will you please go to the store and pick up a carton of milk? If they have eggs, get a dozen.”
The husband goes to the store and comes back with a dozen cartons of milk. The wife says, “Why did you get a dozen cartons of milk?”
The husband replies, “They had eggs.”
I can totally relate to this husband. The question becomes:
Did the husband misunderstand or were the instructions the problem?
In reality it was probably a little of both, but this can happen in any conversation and you’ve most likely experienced it during a doctor’s appointment.
Let me tell you what it’s like during a doctor appointment when you have Myasthenia Gravis. Before your appointment, you have all these questions you want to ask the doctor. When the doctor walks into the room, you can’t remember any of them. That’s why it’s good to always write them down.
The doctor asks you how you’re doing. If you’re like me, you’ll tell him/her you’re doing fine because you don’t want to sound like a complainer, but this doesn’t really help your doctor. That’s why it’s also good to write down any major symptoms you’ve been having so you can be sure to discuss them.
As they begin their examination, they’re hitting you with tons of stimulation. They’re asking questions, they’re giving instructions, they’re tapping on different parts of your body. All the time they’re doing this, you’re trying to determine the best response, not the natural response, mind you, the best response. In other words, the feedback you’re providing is often biased by how you feel you should respond as opposed to what you’re actually feeling.
Then comes the worst part. Your doctor starts giving instructions. Sometimes it’s changes to your medication. Sometimes it’s exercises he/she wants you to be doing. Sometimes it’s changes to your lifestyle that could be affecting your condition. In any event, you’re trying to listen, but your body has just gone through all that stimulation that it’s now tired and your brain is probably a little foggy; maybe even overwhelmed. Will you understand and remember your doctor’s instructions once you get home? Were the instructions clear when he gave them?
It’s so easy to misinterpret what your doctor is saying. It’s also easy for your doctor to assume you understand a subject so they don’t feel the need to go into detail when providing instructions. This can lead to a host of problems.
For me, it often looks like this: The doctor tells me some exercises I need to be doing at home. He tells me some precautions I should take to avoid injury or falls. He explains any medications he wants to change or add. He tells me the nurse will be back in to discharge me and exits the room. It was such a whirlwind that I’m now sitting in the room by myself wondering if I’m supposed to leave or wait for a nurse to come get me. It wasn’t that I wasn’t listening; I wasn’t understanding because my brain hadn’t yet caught up. When the nurse finally arrives, she hands me a piece of paper and points me to the check-out desk where my next appointment will be made.
I’m not good at doing it, but it’s not improper to write down the instructions your doctor is giving you or ask them to write the instructions down for you. In fact, it’s a really good idea. Simply explain that you want to follow the doctor’s instructions, but don’t want to forget them by the time you get home. If you have the written instructions, you can review them at home once your mind has started to relax and things become clearer.
I don’t want to come home with a dozen cartons of milk, even if that’s what I thought I heard. I’m always much better off asking for clarity on instructions and writing them down so I can make sure I follow them exactly as directed.