Communicate with Your Neurologist About Your Multiple Sclerosis

Once you are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, your relationship with your neurologist is a huge factor. I think it is helpful to think of my doctor as someone I've hired, and someone who can be fired. Just as it's hard to find good employees, it is helpful to recognize when you have a good doctor and when you have someone who should be fired.

"Bedside manner" is something that is nice to have. When you take into perspective, however, that a doctor is a scientist as well as a care provider, it helps to realize that not all of them will be strong in that area. A doctor may seem cold or unfeeling because they are trained to think scientifically. It is that type of thinking that helps them to cure you, so they might not be able to offer as much hand-holding as you'd like.

Talk to others with multiple sclerosis to see which neurologists they like. You can learn a lot about who to seek out or who to avoid. A good place to find others to talk to is at support groups. Some doctors specialize in researching and treating the disease and are great resources for this reason.

Before your doctor appointment, write down a list of questions and topics you want to discuss. It is so easy to see your doctor fly out the door at the end of your appointment and realize you forgot to ask something crucial.

Bringing someone else with is really helpful because they will remember things the doctor said that you might have missed or not heard clearly. When you are hanging on their every word and thinking of new questions while they speak it's hard to retain everything.

Condescension or lack of caring from your neurologist are firing offenses. Again, here is where it's good to talk to others about which doctors they like. You might think it's just you, when in fact others dislike the doctor as well.

Always be polite to the nurses and acknowledge how busy they are. They are probably busier than the doctors and receive more patient complaints. They are the glue that holds the doctor's office together, and being on their good side comes in handy when it comes to things like doctors receiving messages quickly or returning phone calls.

When you find the right doctor, you'll know. Staying healthy and managing your illness is a challenge, and a good doctor makes a world of difference.