doctors phone calls

Hi there.I have started to hate the phone i either miss the call and that individual is impossible to call back or it calls at the wrong time.

I actually prefer email now but here is the thing that drives me mad people that are unkind or unprofessional either take ages to respond or don't respond you chase then I get accused of harassing them .Autism is a fun world not!

I find the same with phone calls. They are really stressful and with a doctor phone call there's a lot of questions and a lot to process all at once and I think that's why we struggle more with calls like this. 

Have you expressed your struggles with this? If not I encourage you to. Doctors are obliged to help you and if they can offer an email or text service as some GP surgeries do then that will be a lot easier for you to cope with. My surgery used to offer this service and I found it really helpful at the time. Sadly they no longer offer this service and it's a lot more stressful again having to talk to the doctors on the phone.

I don't like using the phone never have, always get family members or my GF to make that call.

Really is weird.

No problem Haha, mine does that too sometimes!

Unfortunately I am on my own, I think pacing would work thanks! My brain tends to switch off when I'm comfortable physically lol :)

I wish they'd lead the conversation if they insist on ringing , would make it so much easier than getting annoyed with me 

Hi, Marisere. In terms of struggling on the phone, it depends on the circumstances and what state I'm in. Unexpected phone calls make me anxious and I feel incredibly nervous leading up to a phone call with a doctor/other medical professional. I sometimes struggle to process what people are telling me, or to say everything I need to say.

Do you live with anyone who could help you to take phone calls? For example, if you were able to tell your doctor that you'd like someone to speak on your behalf (with you present), they might agree to that. 

If you don't have anyone to speak for/with you, it might be worth asking if your doctor would offer you video calls (if that's something you're a bit more comfortable with). You could also write down what you want to say before the call, then take notes while you're on the phone if you're worried about forgetting what the doctor's said. It's absolutely fine for you to ask them to pause while you write something down. You could also find out whether your doctor would be willing to summarise the information in a letter or an email, just in case you weren't able to take in the information over the phone.

In terms of trying to keep as calm as possible while on the phone, I sometimes find pacing helpful (rather than sitting still) or, if I'm feeling really overwhelmed, I'll sit under my weighted blanket and use a fidget toy. 

Hope some of this helps.

Definitely 

I know that feeling - it’s why so few get my mobile number and those that do are under strict instruction to text not call.

Yes, phone calls are a known stressor for anyone on the ASD spectrum. I always opt for email or text communication. You can request any professional to contact you this way as a preference, even if you have to cite your condition. Recent disability laws have stressed this, but there is still a lack of awareness out there. I recently made this preference known to a manager of my local ASD clinic who rang me, despite all my communications being by email! There needs to be more thought and understanding. 

Yes can completely relate here , rehearsing helps yes but end up panicking when the other person diverts from what I've kind of guessed is the "script" it just doesn't feel natural at all . 

I've always hated phone calls.

Oddly enough though, I worked on a 1st line technical support call centre for 5 years. I think the structured nature of technical support helped me there. 

But when it comes to general phone calls I find them really uncomfortable. Because of all this stuff going on when I made an appointment earlier this year to ask about an autism diagnosis I ended up getting a phone consultation. Even though I had made a list of autistic traits I believe I have and had "rehearsed" the conversation in my head several times, I just couldn't get my words out in a way that properly explained how I felt. Luckily I had forwarded the list to my GP when I asked for an appointment, so I ended up just asking if he'd seen the document I'd sent in. He had me do an AQ-10 test and said he would attach it to my referral.

But yeah, phone calls are the worst. I wish I had tips to share!

yeah, text is much easier lol 

I agree. I try to avoid the phone as much as possible. I’m on pay as you go on my mobile, and I don’t think I’ve ever used all my minutes up. I only get 100 a month, and that’s about 96 too many 

oh yeah I will never pick up a phone in front of other people not a chance! I keep trying to pick up on how the other person is feeling, if they're in a bad mood I automatically go to pieces and really scatty, even though it was probably nothing I did to make them in that mood. I'm definitely going to avoid ringing people on monday mornings from now on I know that much! Awful moods! 

yeah me too, its so hard to guess when to talk and all the social cues I undoubtedly miss not to forget the depression after. Really hard fighting it off after every phone call.

Hello Marisere,

I’m the same, I’ve never liked talking on the phone. I don’t know what it is? But I seem to get more nervous speaking on the phone, especially if there are other people around me. I feel like they’re listening to me, and I feel I sound very unassertive. I’m not as bad when people aren’t in the room, but I still don’t like it. I never thought that could be a symptom of autism, but it sounds like others don’t like the phone either.

Agreed - I live with my phone on my hand practically but I rarely use it as a phone :-p I hate phone calls unless I initiate the call and it’s someone I’m really comfortable with. 

yeah, it wasnt my usual gp, wish phones weren't so intrinsic in our lives not everyone is comfortable using them :( 

I did the same with my GP until he sent me a stroppy letter so I emailed them and explained I don’t like calls out of the blue so they agreed to do it at a set time. In truth I hate all phone calls but this was as good a compromise as I could get.