Questions for Your Doctor

Over the last few months, as the world starts opening back up again, I have been able to take back ownership of my health and wellness.

During these stressful times of the pandemic, my health and doctors’ visits were the last thing on my mind.

Getting back to prioritizing my health

I have heard from friends and my own community that their health was not their main focus due to having to worry about other issues like loss of a job, loss of wages, or a loss of a family member due to COVID-19.

I am still human, and so I did lose sight of checking in with my doctor for a while because I was nervous to go into a doctor’s office.

Now that I am vaccinated, I am ensuring that I am checking in with my doctor regularly. Now, I would like to express some important questions to ask your doctor during your routine visits.

3 questions to ask my doctor

Viral load

One thing I make sure to always bring up at my routine doctor’s visit is my viral load. I make sure to ask my doctor if I am still undetectable because that is what’s most important to me.

Ensuring that I am still at an undetectable viral load shows me that I have been taking my regimen daily and have been on top of it. It also means that the medication that I am currently taking is still working for my body.

This question has been very helpful when I am engaging in my care because it gives me peace of mind knowing that I am continuing to stay healthy.

Short and long-term effects of medication

Another question that is good to ask your doctor is about the possible short-term and long-term effects of the medication you are currently taking.

Since my diagnosis about 8 years ago, I have changed my medication twice due to the fact that the medication I was taking was not working with my body correctly. I would not have known about the long-term effects of the medication unless I asked my doctor and actually sat down with him to see other options available for me.

Once I realized some of the long-term effects, both my doctor and I made the decision to try another medication.

I have been on the new medication for over two years now and it is working well with my body and keeping me undetectable.

"How are you?"

The last question I make sure to ask my doctor is about how they are doing.

My reason for asking this is because it opens up the door for conversation and shows your doctor that you are comfortable enough to speak with them. This tends to make it an easier check-in or visit.

I notice that it leaves room for more conversation and time to get to know one another. The more comfortable I got with my doctor, the easier it was for me to express personal or sexual-related questions or issues I may have.

Once I got familiar with my doctor, they started remembering things like that I was in school or would ask about how my job was going. It made me feel confident about the services and care that I was getting.

At the end of the day, your overall health and wellness start with you so make sure you are asking the right questions about things that are important to you.