I don’t know about you, but it seems every time I have a doctor’s appointment, I think about all of the things that I need to tell them and questions I need to ask. Those little things that I’ve been thinking about for the past few months. Then, I get into the room, the doctor asks me how I’ve been doing, I smile and tell them I’ve been doing fine. The appointment ends, I leave, and then I’m left wondering how I could have forgotten everything I was going to tell them!
The other day, I was observing audiologist Dr. Angela Schenk in the Crystal River office of Gardner Audiology for a USF class requirement. Mr. LJ, an experienced hearing aid user, came in to be fitted with a new set of hearing aids. At the end of the appointment, Dr. Schenk asked Mr. LJ if he had any questions. Many of us would have said no and left with a couple of thoughts tumbling around in our heads. Mr. LJ, however, pulled out an index card with a few great questions he wanted to ask about his new hearing aids. What a fabulous idea! After Dr. Schenk answered his questions, Mr. LJ left Gardner Audiology knowing he received the answers he wanted instead of wondering, “Why didn’t I ask those questions?”
I learned a valuable lesson that day. If you have questions or comments, write them down! Put them on an index card, in your calendar, on your phone or tablet. Be prepared for your appointment because the best way to get your questions answered…is to ask them!
