Make Doctor's Appointments Easier

As a chronically ill person, I spend a lot of time at doctor's appointments, and, as a chronically ill, autistic, and mentally ill person, I find them overwhelming and draining. I want to talk about some of the things I do to make them easier for myself.

1. Use mobility aids- If you use mobility aids, and your doctor is understanding about it, they can make the trip a lot easier. One mobility aid I use is forearm crutches.
    
2. Make visit notes ahead-of-time- I try to make my notes complete enough that I can hand them to the doctor if I'm having trouble with verbal communication. I take notes in my planner.
    
3. Present accommodation needs in writing- Carry a printed report of your accommodation needs to each appointment, and present one to each doctor's office to have on file. Discuss it with your doctor.
4. Use an AAC program- Personal Favorites are Talk for Me for laptop and tablet and Speech Assistant for mobile. These are good if you prefer text-based AAC. I use Let Me Talk for image-based AAC. 
5. Bring a trusted friend- and fill the friend in on what needs discussed, in case you get flustered. They can help advocate and get the conversation back on track, if they're willing. 
6. Block out extra sound- The tv in the waiting room, the sound of other patients, and other office sounds make a big difference to my stress level. I use noise cancelling headphones or Ear Peace earplugs to block them out.
    
7. Block out extra smells- I've heard good things about VogMask and have ordered one myself.
     
8. Block out extra light- Wear sunglasses or a ball cap to combat fluorescent lights and large windows. 

Hopefully, these tips help some other people like they've helped me. A quick disclaimer that I am an Amazon affiliate and get rewarded if you click on the ads in this blog, but I only linked products I use myself.