The secrets to working better with your doctor

Doctors don't answer their own phones for a reason: Scheduling isn't their expertise. Physicians don't typically discuss your choice of drugstore or high heels, either. It's nurses, pharmacists, and nonmedical professionals who deal with some of our biggest, or most irritating, health concerns everyday. And they've got the inside scoop on getting the best care, in or out of the doctor's office.

Dealing with doctors:

1. Cut your hold time.

Gotta see the doctor? Unless it's an emergency, avoid Mondays.

"Everyone who has gotten sick over the weekend is trying to squeeze in; the phones are ringing off the hook," says Ashley Sittner, a pediatrician's receptionist in Germantown, Md. And always call midmorning or midafternoon: "At 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., we're checking the voice mails left overnight or during lunch."

2. Help kids get the best care.

Keep an observation diary.

"I once had a student who'd developed a tic disorder," says Abbe Keane, a nurse for several schools in the California Bay Area. "The mother saw it; the teacher saw it. But the child didn't tic in front of the doctor."

What finally helped? Mom described, in detail, what others had noticed. Because kids can have trouble explaining symptoms, talk to teachers, grandparents, and neighbors -- and write down exactly what they saw and when.

3. ID your mysterious condition.

If your doctors haven't been able to treat a stubborn problem, ask if your case can be presented at the monthly grand rounds at a nearby teaching hospital, suggests Pat Carroll, author of "What Nurses Know and Doctors Don't Have Time to Tell You." You may not even have to attend; symptoms and failed treatments are thoroughly described to several physicians, who then brainstorm for possible solutions.

4. Learn "doctor speak" for pain.

Use words like pulsating, shooting, throbbing, squeezing, burning, crushing, pressing, piercing, dull, or sharp, says Jeanne Kiefner, an adjunct professor for Rowan University's Certified School Nursing Program. "Doctors don't always ask specific questions about what patients are feeling -- but descriptive, precise language can help him or her figure out what's going on."

5. Make tests more accurate.

Do you know what a "fasting test" really means? For procedures such as glucose and lipid screenings, you should have only water and medication for 12 hours beforehand. "Some people have their morning coffee or diet soda before they come in; others show up thirsty because they didn't even drink water," says Rosie Fussell, laboratory compliance coordinator at Florida Hospital in Orlando.

6. Reduce lab errors.

"Be sure the technician asks your name and, after testing, labels your blood sample -- in your presence," says Fussell. "Insist on this." More than 160,000 mistakes occur every year in the United States because specimens like blood samples and biopsies are improperly identified.

7. Make blood draw a breeze.

Giving blood can be quicker and less painful if you drink 16 ounces of water about an hour beforehand. And bundle up in a sweatshirt, suggests Kelli Rosenthal, president and CEO of ResourceNurse Continuing Education Inc. Raising body temperature and staying hydrated enlarge vessels, making it easier to find a vein.

8. Get your doctor to call you back.

Don't be shy with the receptionist. "People seem to think that the word private comes across as urgent and important, and their physician might call back sooner," says Sittner. "But a lot of doctors won't even return a call if they don't have an idea of what it's about."

Minding your meds:

1. Partner with a pharmacist.

"I wish physicians would tell patients that it's better to stay with one pharmacy than to float between several," says Douglas Samojedny, retail pharmacy manager at St. John Health in Michigan. "We're not just drumming up business. Pharmacists who know their patients can tell when something is wrong -- whether it's catching a reaction between drugs prescribed by different doctors, or reminding a patient to pick up this month's medications."

2. Stay slim during treatment.

Watch for weight gain as a side effect of new medication, says Samojedny. More than 50 common drugs are suspected to pack on pounds -- up to 10 in 1 month -- including steroids, antidepressants, and diabetes and blood pressure pills. But with dosage adjustments, replacement meds, or lifestyle changes, you may be able to lose the weight.

3. Ask for a cheaper Rx.

"When I was an ER nurse, I'd regularly get phone calls from patients, almost in tears, saying, 'I'm at the pharmacy and I can't afford $72 for this prescription!' " says Carroll. "Then I'd have to go to the doctor and ask if there was a reasonable alternative -- and not once did a doctor tell me that the higher-priced one was essential." Ask up front about price and let your doctor know that it matters greatly to you.

4. Eat right for your Rx.

You might know that grapefruit can interfere with some meds, but ask if there's anything else to avoid: "Dairy products, antacids, and calcium supplements can prevent certain antibiotics from being absorbed for about 2 hours after you eat them," says Angela R. Vinti, an assistant professor of clinical pharmacy at the University of the Sciences. "And some drugs for high blood pressure and heart conditions increase potassium in the body -- so you shouldn't eat a lot of bananas, tomatoes, or peanut butter, to avoid irregular heart rhythms."

5. Know what you're taking.

"When you get a prescription from your doctor, ask him to write what it's for on the prescription slip, so it will go onto the typed label," says Carroll. "If your doctor writes Take one pill in am for pain, the pharmacist won't confuse similar-sounding medications such as Celexa (for depression) and Celebrex (arthritis). A bonus: With so many drugs prescribed off-label for multiple conditions, having a "why" on the bottle can determine care in an emergency.

6. Keep pills potent.

Pharmacist Janet Engle never stores drugs in her kitchen or medicine cabinet. "They're often the hottest, most humid places in the home," says the clinical professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy. Medications lose their potency in hot or moist spaces, and testing strips can become inaccurate. Engle keeps hers in a linen closet. "A cool, dark place -- where pets and kids can't reach -- will keep them good through their expiration date."