VA Disability Advocate - How to Talk to Your Doctor
In the past, the patient‐doctor relationship was one‐directional, the doctor typically took the lead and the patient followed. Today, the relationship is a partnership. Taking an active role in your health care can help you get the best care possible from your doctor.
Experiencing a physical injury can be challenging for anyone. Whether you were wounded in combat, injured in a training exercise, or hurt while going about your daily life, dealing with pain and disability is difficult and can sometimes be traumatic. There are many types of physical injuries that can result from combat or service-related incidents. Common physical issues include hearing loss, vision loss, burns, back and joint pain or traumatic brain injury.
Any kind of physical injury can make it harder to cope. You may have to stop doing hobbies or sports or learn to do them in different ways. These challenges can affect you emotionally, too. If you believe your condition was caused as a result of your service, you must tell your Dr. that it happen on active duty, if you do not, the VA has no way of knowing what happened to you on active duty, If you do not, don't expect the VA to consider rating your condition.
The VA, "Government" has no crystal ball, secrete redacted records of secret operation, or medical experiments used to monitor your medical and military career; they are clueless to what medical conditions you believe were caused by your service. Unless you enroll in the VA medical system or submit private medical records to the VA, they have no obligation to monitor your healthcare. If you're that Veteran, expect your claim to stall for years to come!
Veterans that are actively involved in their healthcare have a greater chance of approval, as an active member of your healthcare team, you should:
- Take full advantage of your appointment, before an appointment! write down your question and medical concerns, this will help assure that you and your Dr. are on the same page. Make a practice of this!
- If you don’t understand something, ask your doctor to explain it again, your doctor may use technical terms and not realize they are unfamiliar or confusing to you unless you say something.
- Tell your doctor if something is bothering you, such as a pain, stress, and other symptoms. Don’t just wait to see if it goes away.
- Or, let your doctor know if you’re unsure about that surgery and want to hear about other treatment options.
- Be sure to tell your doctor about any current and past healthcare issues or concerns. It's important to share any information you can; personal information including whether you are stressed or if your life is changing…..even if you're embarrassed. You can create a “health journal” for yourself on paper or in a notebook, and bring it to your appointments.
- Don't be afraid to speak up. It's important for you to let your doctor know if you don’t understand something. If you don’t ask questions, your doctor will think you understand everything he or she has told you.
- Tell your doctor when you need more time to talk about something. If the doctor isn’t available to help, you should be able to talk to a physician assistant or a nurse. If no one else is available, see if you can schedule another appointment to continue your talk.
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