Preperation for your Rheumatology consult

Preparation for your Rheumatology Consultation
	Advice from drdoc

Give your OWN story from scratch -
Not what doctors / people have interpreted it as being.
If you are going to write things down -
Write down your thoughts in point form - (don’t write a book) and expand on these as a prompt for yourself.
Avoid the "Oh I forgot to tell you" syndrome -
just as you’re about to leave the consulting room.
Make a FULL list of your medications -
This is fundamental and VERY important. It should include all prescription medications as well as over - the - counter (OTC) medications
Bring ALL your X-rays -
Even if you think they would be irrelevant. Leave it to the doc to decide what he wants to see.
Make a priority list of your problems -
Try to ensure that your Doctor has understood all the problems as they affect you as a patient.
Don’t get too bogged down in fine detail -
But give your doctor an idea of trends of change of your problem.
Onset
Precipitating factors
Duration
Progression
Impact on daily life and function.
Ask Questions -
Don’t be scared to ask questions - there is NO such thing as a stupid question...
Ask your doc if he has literature to review on the problem -
It is always good to educate yourself regarding the problem

Key questions that require answers
1	Age / sex and general medical background
2	Are the symptoms worse in the morning.
3	Is there morning stiffness.
4	How long does that stiffness last in the morning.
5	Is there active swelling visible now ? , or are the joints just "feeling" swollen.
6	What are the joints involved.
7	Are there any skin rashes especially psoriasis, or sun sensitivity.
8	Is there any history of mouth / genital ulcers.
9	Is there any history of bowel disturbance - especially diarrhoea / blood in the stools / mucus in the stools.
10	Is there any history of eye problems.
11	What aggravates the symptoms / any history of trauma
12	Is there a family history of arthritis.
13	What is the sleep pattern like.
14	What is the impact on daily life.

That’s a start
Regards and good luck from
drdoc

Return to arthritis index page
Return to drdoc on-line homepage

Copyright
drdoc on-line
Cape Town
South Africa
June 2000
Updated Sept 2001