Patient Tips for LC Care Providers:

When a #LongCovid patient says "X makes my long covid symptoms worse,"

DO NOT SAY "What symptoms?"

If we're struggling enough to seek care that won't exacerbate our symptoms, we're carrying lists of 60+ symptoms, one of which is likely to be a combination of cognitive dysfunction and inability to respond to stress.

Asking "What symptoms?" triggers us to (a) forget to mention the important ones like PEM and cognitive impairment and (b) only mention the 3 that come to mind first, missing at least 5 symptoms that are relevant to whatever course of treatment you're about to recommend.

Instead, work through the body, asking what symptoms worsen overall and in each system.

@longcovid
#PatientTips #CareProviders #PASC

Physicians learn to write a history that supports their clinical conclusion. A med student history is complex and confounding because it’s real, a practitioner history makes the conclusion obvious. (Because it assumes the conclusion.)

In retirement managing my own health issues and those of family I write my own history and hand it to my caregiver. It guides the process to my diagnosis and plan and speeds up the visit so much that we actually have time to talk and plan.

#medicine #patienttips