We complain a lot about our doctors including their unwillingness to listen, hesitation in diagnosis, seeming indifference and so on.

But, I ask, are we good patients? And what is a good patient?

The US medical "system" -- where each patient visit and each patient test is an extra charge and efficiency is the pressure placed on doctors by insurance companies and their own businesses has a perverse incentive--the faster the diagnosis and the faster the patient interaction the greater the reward for the medical establishment and thus the "better" the doctor from the business side--his or her real boss.

So, with the unceasing pressure to see more patients faster, to do more tests and base treatment on test results, we, as patients, need to understand this and adjust our own behavior to match or we are surely not going to get satisfactory doctor interactions.

I start this discussion with two suggestions.

Suggestion 1: Be efficient patients. Do we really need to tell doctors our whole life story rather than our symptoms, progress and worries. I write a 1/2 page summary of why I am there including some scales -- quality of life 7 of 10 where 10 is normal; pain 5 of 10 where 10 is worst, ability to function 5 of 10 where 10 is normal etc, along with any changes since last visit and the symptoms that are bothering me and questions I have not gotten answers for from the internet. Sometimes we want the doctor to act as our friend, confidant, confessor, as well as what they are really trained in -- diagnosing and treating illness.

Suggestion 2: Stop lying to our doctors
I watched the TV show "Dr House" and his view of patients is too often correct. He says "I don't ask why patients lie, I just assume they all do."

I asked some of my doctor friends about this (I worked in a medical institution most of my life). They mostly agreed that patients do lie to cover up lifestyle choices they don't want to admit including not telling about self-treatment "remedies." They do this to get the doctor's approval or to manipulate the doctor or to hide illegal, immoral, or uwise behaviors. Some of the "unnecessary" tests are given to determine if we are lying.

I have read reasonably often on this forum of folks exaggerating their symptoms to make sure the doctor "takes them seriously." Is this really a good practice?

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Although in the best of all possible worlds, doctors would have no time constraints and actually would be interested in listening to our hour long litany of problems, we have to be realistic. That includes doing as much as we can to understand our own bodies, tracking our own symptoms, understanding our disease and treatment and medications as well as being efficient in our visits to our doctors and not always second-guessing their their treatment plans.

Finally, as MG has many variations, some much less responsive to treatment, and as MG is often accompanied by multiple other problems, we are likely a real nightmare for most doctors. The treatments are uncertain, the diagnosis uncertain, and our whining certain!