Question (Q): How often do you have headaches?  Answer (A): All the time.

Q: How long have you had these headaches?  A: As long as I can remember.

Q: How often do you get up to go to the bathroom?  A: All the time.

Q: How often do your joints hurt?  A: All the time.

Q: How long does the pain last?  A: All the time.

Q: How long have you had this problem?  A: All my life.

Q: How much weight have you gained in the past 2 months?  A: 20 pounds.

Q: What activity do you do?  A: I sit there All The Time.

Q: What kind of job do you do?  A: I sit All the Time.

Q: How often do you eat in the day?  A: All the time.

Q: How often do you exercise?  A: Never.

Conclusion: 30 year old female who eats all the time, has headaches all the time,
goes to the bathroom all the time, sits all the time, and never exercises.

                                 
COMMENTS:

1. When you go to the doctor, the doctor assumes you are there
      for a solution to a problem.  If you are not able to clearly
      tell them the problem, you will likely get an answer that
      won't work for you.

2. Your doctor has to assume that you care as much about 
      your own health as the doctor does.  If you do, you will
      be observant and have details to offer that might be
      helpful to the doctor in determining what your problem
      is and what they can do to help you with it.

3. When you give vague answers, you give the doctor a mandate
      to solve a puzzle and you give him only a handful of the
      pieces.  It's difficult--very.  So, when the doctor asks a
      question, it is because they want as specific an answer as
      you can provide.  Where did it happen, how long did it
      last, how did it feel, when did it happen, did it happen
      before or after you ate, etc., etc., etc.

4.  You can be sure that the doctor asks questions because
      they think they need to know this information.  They
      have plenty of things to keep them busy otherwise, and
      they are trying to solve your problem so they can move
      on to the next one.  In other words, no matter how
      inane you might think the question is, there is usually
      a very good reason for asking.  That means, there is
      a very good reason for you to answer as specifically as
      you can.

5. If you shrug your shoulders and answer in generalities
      (all the time, sometimes, everywhere, kind of), you
      are communicating that your problem is not that
      important to you.
      Just like a job interview, if you want a solution, you
      need to come across as someone who has a true concern.

6. Your doctor really does want to help you.  Please take the
      time to gather enough information about yourself and
      your condition so that you are able to provide as many
      specific answers as possible.