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Pulmonologists are doctors who specialize in lung conditions. Often called lung doctors or chest doctors, these specialists work with your primary care doctor and others to diagnose and treat respiratory system conditions.
You may see a pulmonologist for asthma, bronchiectasis, lung cancer, or other diseases of the respiratory system, which include your lungs, nose and throat.
When seeing a pulmonologist, or any doctor, its important to ask questions about your health. Before your next appointment with your pulmonologist, grab a notebook and make a list of questions to ask. Its a great idea to have a dedicated notebook for doctor appointments that way you can see notes for all past and future appointments in the same place.
Make it a practice to use your notebook to write down questions before your appointment so you don't forget what you want to know once you are at the doctors office something that is common with the excitement and anxiety that comes along with doctor appointments. Then pack your list (and a pen or pencil) as well as any other important paperwork to bring to your pulmonologist appointment.
Here's what to ask to get the most out of your next appointment with your pulmonologist:
Discuss any new and immediate concerns.
At the top of your list, write down any new and immediate concerns. If you only have a short amount of time with your pulmonologist, ask these questions of highest priority first.
If your health condition recently emerged, you're seeing a new doctor, or you think your condition may have worsened, be sure to note any new information your pulmonologist should know before your appointment. Be specific in your notes including any dates and details you can recall so you can share as much information with your pulmonologist as possible. For example, have you noticed that your asthma feels worse lately? On which dates did you feel that way, and were there potential triggers?
Make sure you understand your recent test results and/or upcoming tests.
Next on your list, make note of which test results you are expecting your pulmonologist to discuss with you at your next appointment. Then when you visit, you can make sure that the doctor does, in fact, discuss those results with you, and remember to take notes as the doctor explains. Case in point, bronchiectasisis common in adults over age 75. Diagnostic tests include chest X-rays or CT scans, lung function tests, blood tests, sputum cultures, bronchoscopies, or a combination of these things. Having a list of the tests you took in front of you can help you feel less overwhelmed during your appointment. Check off the discussion points as you speak with your doctor.
Additionally, if your pulmonologist tells you that you'll need new or additional tests, ask for the names of the tests and what your pulmonologist hopes to learn from their results. This will help you prepare for the tests, and be helpful to reference at your follow-up appointment.
Ask about treatments and medications.
Finally, the condition you're seeing your pulmonologist for might be complex and may require a combination of treatments and medication. For instance, there are different types and stages of lung cancer, which may require different types of treatment. Ask your pulmonologist about your current treatment plan, and how and why they feel it is or is not working for you (and share how you feel about your current treatment, too). Are there new treatments or medications your doctor wants you to switch to, or are they happy with how you are doing on your current plan? How do you feel about these things? Be sure to also ask about how diet and exercise impact your condition. Does your pulmonologist have suggested changes?
Make it a goal to leave your next pulmonologist appointment understanding more about your health, and what is ahead for maintaining your wellness. Visiting with your list of questions is a great step in reaching this goal and continuing to feel your best.
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Sometimes it feels as if your bereavement will never end. You feel as if youd give anything to have the pain go away; to have the long lonely hours between nightfall and dawn pass without heartache. You are not the only grieving person who has longed for some measure of relief.In the novel, My Sisters Keeper, author Jodi Picoult wrote, There should be a statute of limitations on grief. A rule book that says it is all right to wake up crying, but only for a month. That after 42 days you will no longer turn with your heart racing, certain you have heard her call out your name.No such rule book exists. Grief counselors and therapists tell us that the length of time it takes anyone to grieve the loss of someone they held dear to them is dependent on the situation, how attached you were to the deceased, how they died, your age and gender. So many variables exist and theres absolutely no way to predict how long it will take for you to adapt to your loss.The Difference Between Normal and Complicated GriefResearch findings have led experts to come up with many differing categories of grief experience ranging from normal to complicated. Normal (or uncomplicated) grief has no timeline and encompasses a range of feelings and behaviors common after loss such as bodily distress, guilt, hostility, preoccupation with the image of the deceased, and the inability to function as one had before the loss. All are normal and present us with profound, and seemingly endless, challenges. Yet, Katherine Walsh says, Over the course of time, with average social supportmost individuals will gradually experience a diminishment of these feelings, behaviors, and sensations. So, how can you know if your bereavement is no longer within the range of normal? Ms. Walsh goes on to say, While there is no definitive time period by which this happens, if an individual or members of a family continue to experience distress intensely or for a prolonged periodor even unexpectedly years after a lossthey may benefit from treatment for complicated grief.A Useful Model for Assessment: Wordens Four Tasks of MourningThere are certain tasks that, when achieved during your bereavement, can successfully allow you to emerge on the other side of loss as a better, stronger, and more resilient individual. James Worden proposed these four tasks: To accept the reality of the loss To process the pain of grief To adjust to a world without the deceased To find an enduring connection with the deceased in the midst of embarking on a new life Instead of focusing on your bodily discomforts, feelings, and common behaviors, this model allows you to better see where you may be stuck or stalled in the adaptive process. Fortunately, Worden also gives us a list of indicators advising that "any one of these clues in and of itself may not be sufficient" for a diagnosis of complicated grief. "However," he continues, "any of theseshould be taken seriously, and the diagnosis of complicated grief should be considered when they appear."12 Clues... 12 InsightsWhile grief educators and theorists tell us that a diagnosis of complicated grief should not even be attempted until after the first anniversary of the death, if any one of the following symptomatic clues exists for longer than six months, you may want to consider grief counseling or grief therapy: You cannot speak of the deceased without experiencing intense and fresh grief long after the loss. A relatively minor event triggers an intense grief reaction. Your conversations with others are littered with references to loss. In other words, loss is an ever-present motif in your world view. You have issues related to your loved one's possessions. Keeping everything the same as before their death could indicate trouble just as tossing out everything right away can also be a clue to disordered mourning. (You also need to factor in your cultural and religious background) You have developed physical symptoms similar to those of the deceased before their death. Sometimes these symptoms recur annually, on the anniversary of the death, or on holidays. An increased susceptibility to illness or the development of a chronic physical complaint can also be an indicator. If you have made radical changes to your lifestyle, or excluded friends, family members, or even activities associated with the deceased, it may indicate unresolved grief. A long history of depression, often marked by guilt or low self-esteem, can reveal disordered mourning. The opposite is also true: a person experiencing a false sense of happiness or elation could be experiencing unresolved grief. A compulsion to imitate the deceased, in personality or behavior, can be a sign of complicated mourning. Having self-destructive impulses or exhibiting self-destructive behaviors can be significant. These can range from substance abuse, engaging in self-harm, developing eating disorders and suicidal tendencies. A sense of unexplained sadness occurring at a certain time each year (holidays, anniversaries, or birthdays) can also be a clue to unresolved grief. Developing a strong fear about dying, especially when it relates to the illness that took the life of your loved one, is an important clue. If you have avoided visiting your loved one's grave or if you are still unwilling to discuss the circumstances of their death, this could indicate complications in your bereavement. There are many types of complicated grief; it can be delayed, masked, exaggerated, or chronic. Self-diagnosis is without purpose. A year after the death, if you feel your grief symptoms worsening, we advise that you seek a referral from your family physician for professional grief counseling or therapy.Sources: Walsh, Katherine, Grief and Loss: Theories and Skills for the Helping Professions, 2nd Edition, 2012 Worden, James, Grief Counseling & Grief Therapy: A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner, 4th Edition, 2009