Tell Me More Christine Meyer

“My doctor doesn’t listen”. Miscommunication between patients and their healthcare team can have a tremendous impact on patient trust AND their health. With 20 years of practice, Dr. Christine Meyer has had thousands of conversations with patients-not all of them great. Join us as we explore the keys to restoring patient trust, creating a better patient experience, and improving healthcare outcomes simply by having better conversations.

When a patient comes to me with complicated symptoms, I typically order a series of tests to arrive at a diagnosis. But what happens if those tests all come back normal?

There are conditions that can’t be identified by CAT scans, blood tests or ultrasounds. And sometimes testing only adds to a patient’s anxiety and makes them feel worse.

So, how do you decide when testing is necessary and when it isn’t?

On this inaugural episode of Tell Me More, I sit down with my pediatrician husband, Christopher, to discuss how his approach to testing differs from mine and why testing children often does more harm than good.

We explain why American doctors tend to over-rely on tests, and I share a case study of a patient whose tubal ligation post ablation syndrome couldn’t be diagnosed with a CAT scan, ultrasound or lab work.

Listen in to understand how poor communication leads to patient mistrust and learn how to diagnose patients and communicate clearly—without over-relying on tests.


Key Takeaways

How my pediatrician husband Christopher’s testing philosophy differs from mine

The question Christopher asks before ordering a test for a patient

Why doctors in India look down on American physicians for our overreliance on tests

How my patient with tubal ligation post ablation syndrome couldn’t be diagnosed through testing

Why testing in children often does more harm than good

An example of a young leukemia patient who could have been diagnosed sooner with lab work

Why doctors tend to write off patients when their tests come back normal

How power of suggestion makes us believe a problem is much worse

How a doctor’s inability to communicate leads to patient frustration and mistrust

The power in showing confidence and humility in communication with patients


Connect with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Meyer’s Website

Dr. Meyer on Facebook

Dr. Meyer on Twitter

Dr. Meyer on LinkedIn

Email: christine@christinemeyermd.com


Resources

Atul Gawande

For many years, Keri suffered from debilitating gastrointestinal issues, fatigue, weight fluctuation, and depression before she was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

And she has had more than her fair share of conversations with doctors.

How did the experience improve once Keri felt heard? How did effective communication impact her health? And what does effective doctor-patient communication look like?

On this episode of Tell Me More, Keri joins me to describe the mental and physical symptoms of hypothyroidism and discuss how long it took to get an accurate diagnosis.

Keri explains the power in building trust with your healthcare team and shares her maddening experience with a doctor who discounted how she felt because her numbers were “normal.”

Listen in for Keri’s advice to listeners who think they might have hypothyroidism and learn why doctors can’t rely on data alone to treat human beings.


Key Takeaways

How long Keri suffered from GI issues before she was diagnosed with hypothyroidism

Keri’s experience with a doctor who discounted how she felt because her numbers were “normal”

How Keri’s fatigue, GI issues, weight gain and depression were symptoms of hypothyroidism

How often Keri checks her TSH, T3 and T4 to make sure they’re in the range she feels best

The power in finding a doctor who makes you feel heard

Why asking open-ended questions facilitates more effective communication with patients

The frustration of retelling your story over and over to new doctors (especially with a chronic condition)

How hypothyroidism impacts your mental health

Keri’s advice for listeners who think they might have hypothyroidism


Connect with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Meyer’s Website

Dr. Meyer on Facebook

Dr. Meyer on Twitter

Dr. Meyer on LinkedIn

Email christine@christinemeyermd.com

Danielle doesn’t feel like a medical miracle. But after experiencing a stroke at the age of 33, being misdiagnosed for several months and enduring complications from brain surgery, her health journey is truly extraordinary.

Unfortunately, Danielle and her husband Stan had a number of difficult conversations with the not-so-sympathetic specialists who treated her along the way.

What were those conversations like? Should we tolerate a certain amount of arrogance from medical professionals at the top of their field? And what is the best way to approach healthcare conversations when your life is at stake? 

On this episode of Tell Me More, Danielle joins me to explain why her husband, Stan questioned her initial diagnosis of AVM and walk us through her interactions with the three high-profile neurosurgeons she went to for a second opinion. 

Danielle describes how she learned that she had been misdiagnosed and was still in danger, sharing her experience with surgery to fix the irregular connection in her brain and why she didn’t love her doctor’s bedside manner—but trusted his confidence.

Listen in to understand why it’s crucial to have an advocate when your health is compromised and learn to listen to your gut in challenging conversations with healthcare providers.


Key Takeaways

Danielle’s experience of having a stroke as a 33-year-old mom

Why Danielle’s husband Stan questioned her initial diagnosis of AVM

How the neurosurgeon reacted to a request for a second opinion

Danielle’s interactions with the 3 high-profile specialists her husband sought out

How Danielle learned she had been misdiagnosed

How the vascular neurosurgeon delivered the news that Danielle was still in danger

Why we tolerate arrogance in a physician when paired with skill

How Danielle was blindsided by the possibility of needing a craniotomy

The relationship between a positive attitude and a positive health outcome

How Danielle’s doctor reacted to her complications from surgery

Danielle’s advice on listening to your gut when talking to healthcare providers

Why it’s crucial to have an advocate if your health is compromised


Connect with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Meyer’s Website

Dr. Meyer on Facebook

Dr. Meyer on Twitter

Dr. Meyer on LinkedIn

Email christine@christinemeyermd.com

A lot of us feel a little blue during the holiday season. But for some, that blueness is much more significant. It can be a medical diagnosis of clinical depression or anxiety that disrupts their lives. 

And as good as medicine has gotten over the years, we still do a pretty rotten job when it comes to talking to patients about their mental health. There's this stigma that if life is pretty good, and you have a lot going for you, you should just be able to pick yourself up by the bootstraps.

So, how can clinicians broach the subject of mental health with patients who may need support? And how do you start a conversation with your doctor if you happen to be struggling?

On this episode of Tell Me More, I introduce you to a patient of mine named Amy who describes the physical symptoms she’s experienced off and on since college and discusses how she was finally diagnosed with anxiety and seasonal depression.

We explore why it’s crucial for clinicians to be open to feedback if medication isn’t working, and Amy explains what she did beyond taking citalopram to engage in self-care and improve her mental health. 

Listen in for Amy’s advice to clinicians on being compassionate to patients with mental health issues and learn how to open up to your doctor to improve your mental wellness and enhance your quality of life!


Key Takeaways

How Amy experienced mental health symptoms in college but didn’t understand the diagnosis

Why it’s crucial for clinicians to show their work and explain the why behind a treatment

Amy’s physical symptoms of brain fog, exhaustion, IBS and a short fuse

How Amy was finally diagnosed with anxiety and seasonal depression (and how those conditions manifest differently in different seasons of life)

What Amy did to improve her mental health beyond taking medication

Amy’s willingness to share her mental health challenges with others

How having a full serotonin bucket gives Amy the mental clarity to pause before she reacts

Amy’s advice to clinicians on how to speak to patients with mental health issues

What drove Amy’s decision to stop taking her medication (and how she felt when she had to start again)

Amy’s advice for listeners on how to talk to clinicians about your mental health

Why it’s crucial for clinicians to be open to feedback if the first prescription isn’t working


Connect with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Meyer’s Website

Dr. Meyer on Facebook

Dr. Meyer on Twitter

Dr. Meyer on LinkedIn

Email christine@christinemeyermd.com

11 years ago, Kim woke up with a headache that refused to go away. After five days of suffering, she went to her primary care doctor and was diagnosed with adult-onset migraines.

But four months and 23 medications later, she was admitted to the hospital for pain control. None of the treatments had worked.

That’s when the hospital neurologist accused Kim of faking her symptoms to get attention. And Kim started to wonder if she was losing her mind.

On this episode of Tell Me More, Kim joins me to discuss the physical symptoms she experienced in the four months leading up to her hospitalization and describe how the chronic pain led to suicidal ideations. 

She walks us through the long list of specialists she saw and treatments she tried before a neurosurgeon asked the right questions and discovered her displaced cervical spine.

Listen in to understand what the neurosurgeon who saved Kim did differently from the neurologist who dismissed her and learn how to confront a doctor who does you wrong in a way that makes them better.


Key Takeaways

How Kim was initially diagnosed with adult-onset migraines (yet medication didn’t help)

The symptoms of dizziness, lightheadedness and nausea Kim suffered in addition to her headache

Kim’s experience of trying 23 different medications and countless treatments with no relief

How Kim’s chronic pain and dizziness led to suicidal ideations

Kim’s reaction to the hospital neurologist who accused her of faking symptoms for attention

The neurosurgeon who discovered Kim’s displaced cervical spine and resolved her pain

Kim’s post-op confrontation with the neurologist who dismissed her

Why a good physician will not be offended if you advocate for yourself and ask for a second opinion

Kim’s advice to PCPs on creating a team of colleagues to support patients who aren’t doing well

What the neurosurgeon who saved Kim did differently than the other doctors she’d seen


Connect with Dr. Meyer

Dr. Meyer’s Website

Dr. Meyer on Facebook

Dr. Meyer on Twitter

Dr. Meyer on LinkedIn

Email christine@christinemeyermd.com