Good doctor-patient relationship key to successfully managing PD

Every visit to my neurologist begins with my asking, “Have you found a cure for me yet?”

“No pressure,” she responds with a laugh. “That’s what I like about you.”

I always come bearing a list of questions and a ream of articles printed from the Internet… just in case she missed some news I consider important. She jokes that she prepares for my visits by pulling “all nighters” with her colleagues, anticipating my questions and memorizing the answers.

We’ve been doing this same dance for a decade, yet the cure for Parkinson’s remains elusive.

“When the cure is found, I am certain I will hear it from you first,” Dr. Comella tells me.

I am fortunate to have found a doctor with whom I have such rapport.

Studies show that the patients most likely to obtain optimal results from treatment are those who have good relationships with their doctors and take an active role in their own care. This means:

• Coming to each visit with a written list of your health concerns, including symptoms, and when and how they started.
• Making sure your doctor has a current list of all the medicines you take, including over-the-counter drugs and supplements.

• Citing specific examples (e.g. “I buy milk in quarts, because I can’t lift gallons.”) to explain how PD affects your daily life.
• Learning all you can about PD so you can ask appropriate questions and partner with your doctor to make informed treatment decisions.
• Accepting the fact that determining the best treatment for you requires trial and error, persistence, and patience. As PD progresses, symptoms come and go, dosages need to be modified and medications changed or combined to maintain efficacy.
• Be honest about your personal life as this can affect PD.
  Not leaving your doctor's office until all your questions have been answered in terms you understand.
• Seeking alternative ways of communicating (email, phone, fax) concerns that do not require an office visit.
• Accepting that Parkinson’s can be managed, but not cured.
• Never giving up hope.

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Adapted from Women's Health Advisor, December 2006 and Charting the doctor-patient relationship by Barbara Seaman