I would say bone up on your knowledge , knowing your "enemy" pays , when dealing with any specialty you need to both the smartest and dumbest person in the room , know your diagnosis and any associated Co morbid conditions, the treatments and the contraindications for them all also the adverse effects associated with any medication they may try and talk you into or out of , knowing this puts them on the defense because they can't ******** you or "scare" you into or out of any particular therapy, go in with notes to reference on anything you don't know cold and be prepared to take notes of what they say , don't get backed into a corner , don't back down and don't be afraid to say I will take it under advisement or I will think about , if you don't control the room they will , nurse practioners tend to think they are God's gift to earth and are the fountain of knowledge , let them know early and often that you are the patient all treatment or care decisions will be made by you , after relevant discussion and input from them , it will tend to obset them, an educated patient is one that they door doesn't revolve for, and they can't have quick turn around rush you in prescribe and rush you out and onto the next case. This will cause a bottleneck in there schedule because most places schedule between 3-5 patients for the same fifteen minutes period , if they are lucky 2 will show up , never miss appointments because they assume you are a push over and not invested in your care. These are how I roll and how I keep my providers in line , one last thought if you see an obvious conflict with there methods or personality don't be afraid to request a different provider if they ask simply say "I can not foster or see a therapeutic relationship with my current provider" if they try and press you for details stick to what you said and just repeat it until they honor your wishes. This will make you an unforgettable patient as they so often think "that was easy, next" .
You were a soldier they controlled you , you are now a Veteran and they will run you over if you let them , the VA has been mistreating our Veterans since time Immortal, we have been continously involved in battle somewhere ever since the American Revolution and not respecting the men that do the heavy lifting . Thank you for serving with pride and honor.
Semper Fi.

Misterpain