Sometimes a chronic illness like MS can seem to take over your life – and often, it can be the elephant in the room when it comes to your medical care. Especially for those who’ve only recently been diagnosed, all attention can turn to treating MS and adjusting to life with MS symptoms.
But it’s important to remember that MS is only part of your overall health, and while it may be the biggest health concern you’re living with, it’s likely not the only one. It’s well known that many other illnesses and conditions can impact your MS — that might be as simple as making symptoms harder to manage, or as complicated as affecting the course of your MS more directly.
And even if you don’t have another serious health concern, routine and run-of-the-mill ailments can complicate MS. A minor injury might exacerbate MS-related muscle stiffness, a short bout of insomnia might cause MS-related fatigue to worsen… even routine things like a common cold or seasonal allergies could potentially impact things you’re already dealing with in MS.
Your neurology team should of course be well-informed about anything else impacting your health outside of their MS specialty. It can ensure they prescribe the right medications and treatments to help you best, and guard against causing additional problems for either your MS or any other conditions you may be living with.
Similarly, it’s essential that your primary care physician (PCP) and anyone else involved in your medical care knows about your MS, any prescription drugs you may be taking to treat it, and your overall MS care plan. Beyond your PCP, this information is also relevant for dieticians, urologists, physical and occupational therapists, personal trainers, mental health counselors, and anyone else involved in helping you with your overall well-being.
Here’s a list of tips you can use to help ensure your PCP knows what’s going on with your MS treatment. Many of these are also relevant for other members of your care team, as well.
Provide Consent: Make sure your neurologist’s office knows that you’d like them to share relevant information with your PCP. This most likely involves signing release forms granting permission for one medical office to share such information with another. If your MS care team and your PCP are part of the same healthcare system, this access may already be in place – just be sure that your PCP is aware of your MS and able to see the information from your MS care team.
Keep Records, and Keep them Updated: Even if your neurology team has permission to share your information, you should update your PCP about any changes in your condition, treatments, medications, and test results. If necessary, be prepared to share copies of medical reports, lab results, and treatment plans from your neurology appointments with your PCP. If possible, bring your medical records with you to all visits, even if you think some aren’t relevant to the doctor you’re seeing at a particular appointment – it’s better to have everything at your fingertips, even if you don’t end up needing it.
Schedule Regular Checkups and Communicate: Regular visits with your PCP is great advice for anyone, but particularly so when you’re living with a chronic illness that your PCP may not be familiar with. While discussing your overall health, be sure to provide any updates regarding your MS, particularly treatment progress or any changes to medications and symptoms. This ensures that all healthcare providers involved in your care are aware of any developments and can adjust treatment plans accordingly.
Ask Questions: Take an active role in your healthcare by asking questions and seeking clarification about your condition and treatments. If you have concerns or uncertainties, discuss them with both your neurologist and your PCP to ensure that everyone is on the same page.
Use Technology: Many healthcare systems today utilize online patient portals to securely communicate with both your specialist and your PCP. These portals often allow you to send messages, request prescription refills, and access medical records conveniently. It’s beneficial for you to understand how these portals work and take advantage of the information they can provide for both you and everyone involved in your medical care.
Coordinate Care: Encourage your specialist and PCP to communicate directly with each other, especially if there are changes in your treatment plan or if you are undergoing complex procedures or therapies. This facilitates coordination of care and ensures that everyone involved is working together to optimize your health outcomes.
EXPLORE MORE
The Rocky Mountain MS Center has recently launched its “Health Care Provider Toolkit,” a new resource for medical professionals of any discipline who may not have a lot of experience treating MS patients in their practice. You can direct anyone on your extended medical team to these resources at MSCenter.org/provider-toolkit.
