This is the English version of the post published on Con P de Párkinson.
We spoke with Dr. Álvaro Sánchez-Ferro, neurologist and researcher at the Hospital 12 de Octubre (Madrid) for one of our Onda PK programs. He specialized in neurology at the same hospital and was trained specifically in Parkinson's disease at the Carlos III Research Institute. He has also received training in neurodegenerative diseases in Tübingen (Germany) and Harvard University. In addition, he received a grant from a program of the region of Madrid and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, USA) to take part in a program on biomedical innovation, where he developed new methods for the objective quantification of the signs of Parkinson's disease.
In the program, Dr. Sanchez-Ferro and Sabela role-played a visit to the neurologist to see how we can prepare ourselves to get the most out of it. They then chatted for a while with Jessica Bravo and Paqui Ruiz and commented on the experience. Here are the suggestions they talked about to have a useful visit with your doctor.
BEFORE
You should prepare for the visit, for example, a journal where you take notes about the medication, to see if there are any changes, and the side effects, if any, appear or worsen. It is also important to record your mood - don't forget non-motor symptoms.
It is also helpful to prepare a list of questions you want to ask, in order of importance.
DURING
If possible, don’t go to see your doctor by yourself; it can help your doctor to have a better, or more complete, understanding of your case.
It is important to be frank and speak clearly. In our case, the relationship with the neurologist can last many years and it is essential that we can communicate well and that there is trust between us.
Explain in your own words how you feel, what has happened to you so far, if there have been any changes in symptoms, both motor and non-motor, or in the effects of medication. You can make a video of something specific that you want to show the specialist but don't know how to explain.
When reviewing medication, indicate if you take any other medications prescribed by other specialists, or if you take multivitamins or any over-the-counter medications. There can be interactions which, in some cases, could potentially be dangerous.
If there are any changes in medication, make sure the instructions are clear, what it is for, when to take it and how much, what the possible side effects are and what to do if they appear.
Ask questions, repeat back what the neurologist has said in your own words, make sure you have understood everything well.
Be sure to ask who to go to if questions arise after the visit.
Never leave the doctor’s office without knowing when your next appointment will be.