What to bring
- A complete medication list including doses — supplements and over-the-counter products included, since both interact
- Recent laboratory results, if you have them
- Imaging reports, and the images themselves where possible; a radiologist's report is more useful than a recollection of what someone said about it
- Names of other treating providers
- Relevant surgical and family history
What to write down beforehand
A timeline of the problem: when it started, what makes it better or worse, how it has changed. This is consistently the most useful thing a patient brings and is easy to lose track of when asked on the spot.
What you have already tried, and what happened. What you are actually hoping for — return to a specific activity, reduced reliance on medication, a diagnosis — since that shapes what is worth pursuing.
Questions worth asking
- What do you think is going on, and what would confirm it?
- What are the options, including doing nothing?
- What would you suggest, and why that rather than the alternatives?
- What should improvement look like, and by when?
- What would make you reconsider?
Bringing someone with you is reasonable. Two people remember more of a consultation than one.
This article covers general science and published research. Whether any approach is appropriate for you is a clinical question, answered by a licensed provider through a good-faith exam.
Movera Wellness Institute. Medical services are provided by licensed California practitioners. Supervising physician: Dr. Arnold S. Kremer, DO (CA license #20A4242).