The Consulting room
This is the history of
events leading to the presenting problem.
Your doc should want to know everything about your health, as many
problems interact. Remember - you may not realise the relevance of many
aspects of your story, which might seem quite innocent to you. This is why
it is no good to ask doctors advice in the corridor or at parties. If you
do not seek you will not find. This applies especially in all aspects of
medicine.
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 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 - especially:
Age / sex and general medical background.
Onset
Precipitating factors
Duration
Progression
Are the symptoms worse in the morning.
Is there morning stiffness.
How long does that stiffness last in the morning.
Is there active swelling visible now ? , or are
the joints just "feeling" swollen.
What are the joints involved.
Are there any skin rashes especially psoriasis,
or sun sensitivity.
Is there any history of mouth / genital ulcers.
Impact on daily life and function.
Even if you think they would be irrelevant. Leave it to the doc to decide what he wants to see.
Don’t be scared to ask questions - there is NO such thing as a stupid question...
It is always good to educate yourself regarding the problem
Now it's time for the examination - Let's go into the examination room
