14 GIFs That Show What It's Like to Prepare for a Doctor Appointment
Preparing for a doctor appointment can be stressful – especially if you haven’t been feeling well. Between planning out our questions and making sure we are taken seriously during the appointment, there is a lot we may worry about ahead of time.
Check out these 14 GIFs that show what it’s like to prepare for your anticipated doctor appointment.
1. You dread planning out your questions.
We get you, Lisa Simpson. Writing out our questions before a doctor appointment is not among our favorite things to do. Maybe it’s because we’re worried the question sounds silly, or it won’t be taken seriously, or that our doctor won’t have an answer, or that our questions are just going to get rushed through. On the other hand, it might just remind us a little too much of writing a science report.
Whatever the case, it’s still our number one to-do before an appointment. Writing out questions or new symptoms to share with your doctor before the appointment ensures that you have a plan. Plus it helps set the tone for the visit.
2. You worry about your reaction to your doctor’s questions.
It’s difficult to plan for the unknowable. In this case, the unknowable is how your doctor is going to respond. Maybe they think your new stomach problems are caused by the coconut water you’ve been guzzling for the last year.
Some of the doctor’s theories may sound ridiculous and implausible, but you’ve got to be able to make your case with tact.
3. You carefully prepare your updated medication list.
You do an inventory of your meds ahead of your appointment like Collette Reardon with her personal travel pack of prescription honeys. Don’t forget to add all those vitamins and supplements to your list as well.
4. You fast in anticipation.
You know you’re not going into surgery, right? And it’s not in preparation for the latest holy day. Your fast serves one purpose: to get your trip to the doctor’s office done in one visit.
You’re in full beast mode if you know that fasting before the appointment will make it possible for the doctor to run any necessary blood tests right then and there.
5. You’re holding it.
Once you found out there was going to be a urine test you started drinking water nonstop.
Now you’re holding it way too long.
You’ll be ready when it’s time to go. Then after you leave the doctor’s office you’ll be going every 20 minutes because you drank way too much water. You did, however, get out of the doctor’s office in record time.
6. You cleared your schedule.
You never know how long the wait will be at the doctor’s office so you’ve got to clear at least a half day spot off your calendar.
Chores have to get done, and deadlines still have to get made though, so you’re working overtime to make up the difference.
7. You’re ready to brave the doctor’s office sans makeup.
You haven’t felt good for the last three weeks, but this was the first doctor appointment available. Makeup is usually part of your routine, but this doctor needs to know how you really feel, right?
You know that if you walk in there looking like you’re ready to do a photo shoot the doc will not see the bags under your eyes or less than healthy glow. Or maybe you’re just too tired to bother with the foundation anyways.
8. You’ve dressed in layers.
Between your mild fever that’s been leaving you with chills, and the extra cold office you know you’re going to be sitting in for a while, you decided it would be a good idea to dress in more layers than Joey from “Friends.”
9. You’ve brought a supportive friend.
Your bestie has “volunteered” to be a tribute, sacrifice or offering in case you need reinforcements. Unfortunately, the doctor may be more likely to listen if there is another person present to confirm the seriousness of your condition.
10. You’re prepared for the waiting room.
You’re not germaphobic usually. However, today you’ll be keeping your distance and packing your antibacterial hand gel, spray and face mask. Who wants to leave the doctor’s office feeling worse?
11. You’re ready to get attention.
If you’ve been waiting in the exam room upwards of 20 or 30 minutes, you are ready to make sure you haven’t been forgotten. You’re willing to risk your pride roaming the halls in your hospital gown to get some help.
12. You’re serious.
You may look young, but you know when there’s something seriously wrong. You can tell if you’re being brushed off. You’re ready to be assertive and repeat yourself if necessary. You only have one body. It’s not like you can rent another in the meantime.
13. You still get surprised.
Whether you’ve been sick for only a few months or for more than a few years, you’re still surprised when your blood test results come back normal.
How could you feel like this and have the same blood results as a healthy person?
14. You’re ready to go home.
No matter how well the doctor appointment goes, it’s bound to be draining. Once you get home you’re ready to crash.
In the comments below, tell us what you worry about most before a doctor appointment.
If preparing for an appointment makes you stressed or anxious, you’re not alone. Check out the following stories from our Mighty community for tips and advice about navigating doctor appointments:
I'm a writer and educator that has regained her health after a bout of chronic illness in her 20s. In college after some mysterious and painful symptoms, a little research, and a trip up the coast, I received a Lyme Disease diagnosis. To recover my health I have researched the everything from the odd and holistic to the mainstream. I hold a B.A. in Journalism and a M.A. in Education: Best Practices. Read my blogs or enjoy my photography at: www.thistlecovephotography.com
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