Talking about your symptoms
You will often have to describe your symptoms – pain or nausea or breathlessness or some other medical problem. It is very important to also talk about any feelings and symptoms of depression or anxiety that you have. It is actually quite difficult to do this well but it is important to let people know how you feel.
Try to be as factual and open as you can when you are describing your problem. Sometimes it is tempting to exaggerate the pain or nausea to convince the doctor and get better or more urgent therapy. Alternatively there may be a temptation to play down the symptoms to appear strong or brave. If possible, ignore both of these temptations and try to describe the problems in an honest, factual and neutral way. It may not be easy, but if you do that, your doctor or nurse will have a better understanding of your situation.
If you try to overplay or underplay your problems, there is a risk that your health professionals will be less able to help you. So as far as possible, be very honest.