If you’ve been struggling with overwhelming pain, a Tulsa pain management doctor can help you feel more comfortable while you navigate the underlying causes. These specialists train for years and use a combination of treatment methods to address both acute and chronic pain.

Relief is within reach, and it all starts with your first pain management appointment. Here are some tips on how to prepare for a pain management appointment, get the most out of your session, and begin a successful pain management journey.

What To Do Before a Pain Management Appointment

Pain management specialists can be very helpful, but it’s important to give them as much information as you possibly can during this first appointment. This way, your doctor will know exactly what kind of tests will help them diagnose the root cause of your pain. Overall, being prepared can help you get a diagnosis and treatment plan more quickly.

Make a Pain Diary

Many of the questions your doctor asks will likely be about what makes your pain better or worse and other patterns like that. To have enough information to share with your pain management doctor, start a pain diary two or three weeks before your appointment.

Your diary can include information like where your pain falls on a scale from one to ten, things you’ve tried to relieve the pain, activities that have made it worse, and foods eaten. You can also include other symptoms that you experience along with the pain, medications and vitamins you take, and how often you take them.

Make a List of Questions

How to prepare for a pain management appointment is likely not your only question. You’ll likely have a lot of questions leading up to the appointment, but it’s easy to forget these questions when you’re busy answering your doctor’s questions and doing physical pain assessments. One way to remember your questions is by writing them down.

Start a running list of any questions that cross your mind before your appointment. These can include the following:

• What are some at-home pain management solutions I can try?

• What should I do between appointments?

• Are there any alternative therapies you might recommend to help with the pain?

You can also write down a list of possible underlying conditions that you run into as you think about your symptoms. Sharing your thoughts on these conditions can guide your doctor toward asking more detailed questions and ultimately help them get to the root cause of your pain.

Pack Your Bag

Make sure you don’t forget anything important by packing your bags the evening before the appointment. This can also help minimize stress on the day of your appointment, which can help you be more present and ask productive questions.

Check that your bag includes things like braces you may currently be wearing, a map of the hospital or facility you’ll be visiting, paperwork for your appointment, insurance information, and your pain diary. You’ll also need to bring any medications, supplements, herbs, and home remedies you are currently taking.

Gather Paperwork

If you’ve done any testing to determine the root cause of your pain, bring copies of your test results. These could include things like bloodwork, stool samples, and genetic testing.

You’ll also want to bring scans from any diagnostic tests you’ve had done, such as X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans. Finally, ask the other doctors you’ve been seeing for copies of previous visit notes. All of this can help ensure your pain management specialist doesn’t order duplicate tests and can help them come to a diagnosis much more quickly.

Bring a Friend

It’s always important to advocate for yourself in a medical setting. This can include asking clarifying questions, requesting additional diagnostic testing, or asking for referrals to other specialists.

If you’re suffering from acute or chronic pain, you may be distracted and unable to advocate for yourself. In this case, you may want to bring a friend or loved one who can help advocate for you and mention any important information you might forget at the appointment.

What To Do During Your Appointment

Once you’re at the appointment, all of your preparation should pay off. However, it’s all too easy to get flustered and leave with unanswered questions. Here are a few things you can do in your appointment to set both you and your Bartlesville pain management doctor up for success.

Give Them the Whole Picture

It’s generally better to over-communicate than under-communicate, especially during an appointment with a medical specialist. Make sure your provider has all of the information they need by sharing as many details of your pain as possible.

Share all the ways your pain affects your daily life, as this information will play a big role in the pain management methods your doctor recommends. Include details about how your pain affects your sleep, mental health, work performance, social life, physical activity, household duties, relationships, and hobbies.

Answer Questions

Your pain management provider will likely have a list of questions they’ll ask to gather as much information as possible. These questions will ultimately help them learn more about the nature of your pain and narrow down potential causes.

Questions your doctor may ask can include the following:

• How would you rate your pain on a scale of one to 10?

• What does your pain feel like?

• Do you feel pain anywhere else?

• Does anything make your pain better or worse?

• When did your pain start?

• What were you doing when your pain began?

• Have you recently undergone any medical procedures or started a new medication?

• Do you have any health conditions?

Ask for Clarification

As you talk with your doctor, ask any clarifying questions you need to ensure you fully understand the information they’re providing. If they present a treatment plan or diagnosis, ask additional questions to help you make informed choices about your pain management care.

For instance, if your doctor recommends medication or surgical intervention, ask about side effects and potential long-term effects. If your doctor makes a formal diagnosis as to the cause of your pain, ask about potential complications and how to avoid them. Before your appointment, you can also call or contact your doctor’s office. You can ask if they have any tips on how to prepare for a pain management appointment or what to bring with you.

Take Notes

For many people, big doctor’s appointments can pass like a blur. This is especially true for patients managing overwhelming pain. To remember all of the information your doctor shares with you, bring a notebook and a pen and take notes as you go.

Later, you can consult these notes for information or use them to form questions for your next appointment. You can also use them as a guide to help you communicate the details of your pain and health conditions with other medical providers and members of your care team. As you go over tips on how to prepare for a pain management appointment, you can ask your support system for anything they’ve noticed about your pain.

What To Do After Your Appointment

After your appointment is over, the hard part is done. The details of what you do after your appointment will likely depend on what advice your doctor gave you, whether they want additional testing done, and whether they’d like to involve any complementary therapies in your treatment plan.

If your pain management specialist gave you a formal diagnosis for the cause of your pain, then they may have already created a treatment plan for you. This plan could involve lifestyle changes, medications, at-home pain management techniques, and complementary therapies.

If you don’t yet have a diagnosis, your doctor may still have given you some information on how you can manage your pain at home. They may also have prescribed a medication to use until they know the root cause of your pain. Follow these instructions and try to do any diagnostic tests that your provider has requested.

Schedule a follow-up appointment with the pain management doctor and schedule appointments with any other health professionals they recommend. These may include acupuncturists, massage therapists, or physical therapists.

Until you reach your next appointment, keep adding to your pain diary. This can help you identify which treatments work and which ones don’t and can help your doctor adjust your care plan until they find what works for you.

Wrap-Up: How To Prepare for Pain Management Appointments

Seeing a pain management specialist can feel like finally reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s the first step toward relief, and for many people, a pain management care plan can help them get back to the life they enjoy living.

To make the most out of your pain appointment, prepare ahead of time, share as much information as possible, and take notes. Contact us today at Oklahoma Interventional Spine & Pain to schedule your first appointment. You can see a Stillwater pain management doctor with us or a doctor at one of our Tulsa or Bartlesville offices.

Sources:

10 Ways to Be Your Own Advocate at the Doctor’s Office | Healthline

Chronic Pain and Mental Health | Mental Health America

Chronic Pain: What It Is, Symptoms, Treatment & Management | Cleveland Clinic

Home Remedies: Self-care approaches to treating pain | Mayo Clinic News Network