As we learned when we were small, it’s better to get it over with.

When you have something to tell the doctor which makes your face red just thinking about it, what can you do?

Write it down. Hand it to the doctor and say, “This explains the problem. It’s hard for me to talk about without getting embarassed.”

Once the doctor reads your notes, you can talk about it more comfortably.

Patients greatly under-estimate how much doctors and nurses have seen. It is not likely that you have a problem they never have seen before. Even if that were true, so what?

When you need help, you need help.

If writing it down has no appeal, then the minute the doctor enters the room, say, “I have something embarassing to tell you. I want to get it over with so I am going to say it right now.”

You then will be able to start problem-solving with your doctor.

The only mistake you can make is not telling the whole truth to your physician.