Hi there, welcome back! In the last episode, I talked about something that really affects women's ability to advocate for their health. And that’s vulnerability. Because when healthcare conversations involve parts of the body that feel private or exposed, it becomes much harder to speak clearly. And that emotional barrier is real. But there's something else that often gets in the way of advocacy. And that's the pace of the appointment itself.
Healthcare moves quickly, very quickly. Which means the moment you walk into the room, you're already playing against the clock. Most medical appointments last somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. And also, doctors have a lot of patients. They may not remember you personally, or remember your illnesses. Also, patient portals or charts aren't always updated. So, when you walk into an appointment, a doctor has to greet you, understand why you're there, gather information, evaluate symptoms, consider possible diagnoses, make decisions, document notes, and sometimes order or review tests or treatments. And that's a lot happening in a very short period of time. And when you're walking into that environment, while you're nervous or uncomfortable or trying to explain symptoms, it can be incredibly easy to forget details or leave out information that that could be very relevant to the care you need. Because the truth is, is your memory is not a medical record. So, this is why structure and a tiny bit of preparation can make all the difference.
One of the simplest advocacy tools I've ever used is something very basic. It's literally one sheet of paper. It's not a complicated binder, it's not an entire medical journal, and look, sometimes you have to have all that information. Perhaps you're going to a new specialist and you need a full medical history. For me, that would be pages of information. And I'll talk about that later in the season, what that kind of preparation looks like, But for follow-up appointments or family doctor appointments, just one structured page with organized information can make the appointments run so much easier, both for you and the doctor.
On this sheet of paper, which will be available for you to print out, there is some basic but very important information. And I suggest the following. Your current medications and dosages, including supplements, conditions and diagnoses that you have, especially new ones, any allergies, especially to medications, recent tests or procedures, and more importantly, make sure to bring these results with you. And if you haven't received them, then follow up to get them. This sheet can also be a great reminder to get those results to take with you. And the best one is saved for last. These are your primary concerns or questions for the appointment. Because look, you are in front of the doctor, this is your time, and it may be brief, but the more organized your information is, the more clearly you can communicate and walk out with a plan.
Now here's the thing. Filling out this sheet takes a bit of preparation. It's honestly not much, but it does matter. And I know women are busy, we have little time for ourselves, and it's really hard to put ourselves first, because many of us are never taught to do that. But we deserve it, and especially when it comes to our health. So I recommend looking at this sheet as preparation for your appointment, so that you can make it more efficient, more clear, and to move the needle forward in your healthcare. Because I promise you, you'll waste more time walking into an appointment unprepared than you will filling out this one piece of paper.
Advocacy doesn't always require these big dramatic moments. Sometimes it's really as simple as arriving to an appointment with your updated information organized. This structure lowers the cognitive load, and it helps you remember what matters. And importantly, what matters to you, and how the physician can help you. This one page won't solve your medical problems, but it will change the quality of these conversations you have around them.
The cheat sheet that I've just described is available as a free download linked in the show notes. It's also available on my website, [www.thehairychin.com](http://thehairychin.com/). And it's the first of several practical tools that I'll be sharing with you throughout this series.
Because advocacy is clarity and vulnerability and structure and so many more things that we will learn about and build skills around over time. I'm going to talk about something that can make or break an appointment once the conversation actually begins. And that's how to communicate clearly with your doctor so you can feel heard and seen and understood. you can follow the show or subscribe to the YouTube channel and set your notifications to alert you when new episodes release. Thanks for sharing your time with me today. If something in this episode resonated with you, don't just sit with it. Take action. Share the podcast with someone who needs it, leave a review so more women can find this conversations or sign up for The Hairy Chin newsletter to stay up to date on everything we're building. If there's a free cheat sheet connected to this episode, visit the [www.thehairychin.com](http://www.thehairychin.com/) to download. Life takes a village. Thanks for being a part of ours. See you soon.
