Get my MCI Treatment Checklist here: https://gocogno.com/mild-cognitive-impairment-treatment/

The Mayo Clinic guidelines on how to get ready to see a primary care doctor or MCI specialist are here: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mild-cognitive-impairment/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354583

Read the Virginia Laken guest blog on why its important to bring someone with you to every appointment: http://virginialaken.com/2019/10/an-absurd-question-written-by-beth/

I know this seems silly now, in the world of instant, on-demand everything, but when I was a kid, they would show The Wizard of Oz on TV once a year.

For us kids, that was a huge deal. We looked forward to it for weeks. And if you missed it, Oh man, you had to wait a whole year for it to come back on TV again.

So really, all Im saying here is that year is a long time to wait for anything, whether its Dorothy and the witch, or whether its something really significant, like say, your next appointment with your neurologist.

For someone with MCI, you can wait months for that first visit with a neurologist. And then have to wait a year to see the neurologist again.

So you really want to be ready for that visit, to get the most out of it. And thats what I want to talk about today.

Hi, Im Tony Dearing, of GoCogno.com, the website for people with mild cognitive impairment.

If you have MCI, or youre dealing with it in your family, I dont have to tell you how important that first or next visit with the neurologist is. People spend months anxiously awaiting it and stressing out about it.

And I want to make sure that you get the most out of it.

So today, I want to share with you three resources to help you do that.

No. 1 is this excellent resource from the Mayo Clinic. It has put together this helpful resource guide that shows you want to expect from a visit to a neurologist and how to get ready for it. You can see some of the examples here.

If you dont already have this tip sheet, you should get it, and familiarize yourself with it. And heres a link to it:https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/mild-cognitive-impairment/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20354583

Tip No. 2 Familiarize yourself with the treatment guidelines for MCI and be prepared to discuss them with your neurologist.

Almost undoubtedly, your neurologist belongs to the American Academy of Neurology. And the academy has an official set of treatment guidelines for mild cognitive impairment.

There was a period of time, way too long, in fact, when these guidelines had become dated. The academy went more than 15 years without updating these guidelines.

Fortunately, thats now been rectified. The academy has actually updated the guidelines twice in the last three years.

So the current guidelines are complete and up to date, and reflect the very best, latest thinking in how MCI should be treated.

I know you want the best possible treatment, and I want to make sure you get it.

So I put together an MCI Treatment Checklist, which you can sign up for and receive. With it, youll also get my weekly brain health email, if youre not already getting it. Both are absolutely free, and here a link to get the checklist:https://gocogno.com/mild-cognitive-impairment-treatment/

Finally, heres tip No. 3. As youre preparing for that visit, make sure that you have someone, ideally a spouse or family member, whos available to go along with you.

This is really important, and to understand why, I encourage you to read a recent post on the blog Virginia Laken, who has MCI and writes about her experiences. This recent piece is a guest post written by Virginias daughter, describing a visit that her mother had with the neurologist and why it was so important that the daughter was there too. You can read that guest post here:http://virginialaken.com/2019/10/an-absurd-question-written-by-beth/

So thats three resources to help you prepare for your next visit to the neurologist. How about you? Do you have any suggestions or tips? Add them to the comments below, or send me an email at tonydearing@gocogno.com.

I hope to hear from you, and I look forward to seeing you again next week. Until then, as always, be kind to your mind.

See the rest here:
How to get ready for that all-important visit to a neurologist - GoCogno.com