If you’re going to schedule a doctor’s appointment to go over test results, ALWAYS try to schedule it for early morning. Any time you have between waking up and walking into that office is a complete waste of time.

“Sure,” you’re saying to yourself, “that’s pretty obvious.” Take my word for it, if you’re scheduling the follow-up right after you’ve had the test… and the test itself has any distraction value (like visualizing a core sample being taken from your pelvis as the doctor grunts like he’s lunging for a running forehand on the tennis court), this is not always the first thing on your mind.

If you have to, write the words “I want an early morning appointment” in permanent marker on your forehead. It’ll wash off in a few days… and a few days of ridicule is far easier to bear than a few hours of pre-appointment, self-inflicted, mental torture.