Talking With Your Doctor
Talking with your doctor about arthritis can ensure you are getting the best treatment.
Everyone has a different experience with arthritis, so honest and thorough communication with your doctor is essential to ensuring that you’re getting the right treatment. The better you are at communicating with your doctor, the better your chances are at getting back to feeling like you again.
When you visit your doctor, you need be ready to explain how you are feeling physically. But you should also be ready to talk about how arthritis is affecting you on a deeper, emotional level. In order to manage your treatment effectively, your doctor needs to know things like:
- How your arthritis is impacting your daily life
- How your arthritis is affecting your personal relationships
- How well you’re managing the medicines you’re taking
- The personal goals you’ve set for yourself
- The health or life obstacles that are preventing you from achieving your goals
- What you’ve done, or plan on doing, to overcome any obstacles
To help improve the way you communicate with your doctor, there are a number of things you can do before and during each visit. And they all start with being prepared.
Stay in the Know. Live in the Yes.
Get involved with the arthritis community. Tell us a little about yourself and, based on your interests, you’ll receive emails packed with the latest information and resources to live your best life and connect with others.