Doctor, Doctor

Yesterday, I had a doctor’s appointment, and if I’ve never mentioned it before, my doctor is really hot. I love my doctor. I can talk to him about anything, and there is never any judgment. He’s also a really nice guy. I usually have to wait 30 minutes or so after my actual appointment time before I see him, but I really don’t mind. I know he’s the type of doctor who spends as much time with a patient as they need him to, and I know he’ll do the same for me. I have had doctors in the past who were in a race to see how fast they could get patients out of their office. I always felt they were not actually listening to their patients. I know my doctor listens to everything I say to him.

One of the things I always enjoy about seeing my doctor is reading his appointment notes and the visit summary. If your doctor uses MyChart, you might know what I’m talking about. I think electronic medical records are a great addition to healthcare. I remember when my mother was still working as a nurse, one of her major duties was making sure the EMR system got off the ground and was working correctly. She was the “quality assurance nurse,” so she made sure that all of the doctors and nurses were filling out their charts correctly.

Anyway, I enjoy reading my doctor’s notes on my visit. It always tickles me at some of the stuff he puts in there. Some of it is personal life stuff, like that I am happy after my recent move or that I’m exceptionally busy at work. I had to laugh when I was reading them last night because one of the things he wrote was, “He has a pond nearby.” I had mentioned that I like my new apartment and the peace and quiet out where I am now living. In addition, I mentioned there was a pond next to my building that I could see from my bedroom window. Thankfully, he didn’t also mention how much I said Isabella likes watching the birds.

I was talking to Susan last night about this and I read her one of the things that he wrote under my psych evaluation, “Thought content without hallucinations or suicidal/homicidal ideations.” He also said I was: “Well-groomed. Good eye contact.” Two things about this: 1) I used to work in medical transcription, so I know there are standard phrases and shortcuts doctors use to fill in all the necessary information, and 2) He pays attention to the psych evaluation because I have a history of depression and anxiety. While I know it is probably standard for him, it always makes me feel nice that I’m “well-groomed.”

While I know that some of the “notes” are just standard medical jargon, there is a lot more personal stuff in there as well. It makes me feel like I am being listened to. Even when he has given me bad news, I always leave his office feeling hopeful. Most of the time lately, I leave feeling happy and good about myself. My A1C is under control, and if it stays with the current levels (under 6.0), he’ll take me off my diabetes medication and declare me a “diet-controlled diabetic.” While my weight has been up a few pounds, I’m still doing good. My cholesterol and blood pressure are great. My headaches have been improving with the new treatment, and my trigeminal neuralgia seems to be getting better. All in all, I’m in pretty decent health. He is happy with the progress that I’ve made, and so am I.