Budget - 4. Discussing results with your doctor
You’ve put in the hours and you’re ready to take action. And well done you! You’re taking steps toward meaningfully impacting your healthspan, and take it from us - we’re proud!
Through the work you’ve completed with the family health history and the Siteman Cancer Center web tool, you are in a position of empowerment on your health journey.
You’ve also demonstrated one of the most important aspects of a longevity mindset by being proactive. Disease does not have to be your destiny, and you are laying the foundations of a longevity strategy which will help you live your longest, healthiest life.
Expert input required: Speak with your doctor
While you’ve done your best to outline your top risks, and you may feel strong conviction that you are ready to move ahead by taking action to manage your longevity risk, it is our position that the next step for you is to book in with your Primary Care Physician or General Practitioner (different terms are used around the world for the same type of health professional).
When you make this appointment, we recommend you book in for an extended appointment, because there will be a lot to discuss and you don’t want your doctor to feel rushed. This type of proactive health planning is not common, and it will take some time for them to wrap their head around what you are communicating.
It is natural to feel some resistance to taking this action. You’re going to have to spend some money for the appointment, you’re going to need to take time out of your schedule to make the trip. But don’t forget these are the resources (time, energy, money) you’ve chosen to invest into your longevity.
Preparing for the discussion: What to do before your visit
DO: Bring along your family health history document, printed off with your notes and findings
DO: Bring along the results from the Siteman Cancer Center web tool.
DON’T: Bring your risk assessment document. Leave this one behind, it is likely only to confuse your doctor and distract from the conversation.
DO: Rehearse a short script or take some notes about what you want to accomplish in the appointment.
“I am interested in staying healthy for as long as possible. I’ve done some homework on my family health history and used a high quality online resource from Washington University to find out my top health risks. I am here today to discuss what I have found with you. I would like you to help me understand my risk for developing the following age-related diseases:”
Now, share the top risks you identified.
DON’T: Google search for all manner of supplements, health screenings, treatments, etc for these disease
DO: Come with some basic understanding of the lifestyle factors you may need to change in order to reduce your risk and be ready to share and acknowledge these (e.g. I know I need to lose some weight, I know I need to exercise more).
DON’T: Write off the role of pharmaceutical interventions. There are many powerful tools available to your doctor to help you
DO: Come to your doctor with an open mind, and be prepared for them to really want to help you. In most cases, doctors are impressed by proactive patients and will be willing to help you
But what if my doctor laughs at me or turns me away?
Far too often the ‘medical establishment’ is represented very poorly in social media, in books, on many websites.
The common narrative of doctors existing to profit off of you getting sick.
The greed and poor behaviour of pharmaceutical companies is often referenced.
The ‘broken system’ should be called ‘sickcare’ instead of ‘healthcare’.
Regardless of where you land on these points, it is important that you go to your doctor with the right attitude. To be open to them wanting to help you. Sure, you’re not sick right now, but you’ve shown up with evidence that you are likely to become sick in the future, haven’t you?
It is extremely unlikely that your doctor will respond poorly to your proactive stance.
However, it does happen.
Your doctor may react in a confused way and not be sure how to help you.
In rare circumstances they could be having a bad day and give you a hard time or even say something discouraging.
The worst case scenario really only leads to one conclusion: it is time to find yourself another doctor!
Don’t let the fear of this outcome stop you from taking action. You’ll just end up with a more supportive and caring doctor anyway!
Take your doctor’s input and begin to take action
Once you’ve visited with your doctor, you should emerge with some clarity on your top 2-3x risks. They may have changed from your conversation, or perhaps they have been reinforced by their input.
You want to make sure that you leave this appointment with clarity on the following:
your top 2-3 longevity risks that you are going to start to focus on
some first steps you can take to lower your risk
additional health screening options to monitor your risk (e.g. getting a mammogram, getting some blood tests)
when you should come back to your doctor for any follow-up
From here, you get to advance to the exciting next step - which is working to manage your longevity risk. Knowledge is power, but putting that knowledge into practice takes new skills. We’re going to help you turn your longevity risk in a longevity strategy so that you can put your limited resources into the lifestyle changes and the longevity technologies which will have the biggest impact on your long term health!
