What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
A visit to the doctor should be a stream of communication that travels both ways. The doctor often has a lot of questions but it is also in the patient’s interest to be fully informed about their symptoms and diagnosis. Thus, the patient should ask as many questions as is needed to fully understand their condition.
Obviously the first question would probably be: What have I got? After this, you may query the doctor about what caused the condition and whether it can be confirmed. You will also need to know whether further testing is needed. If more tests are needed, you should find out whether any preparation is necessary for the test, what the test entails, how long the results take and what the results will tell you. It is also worth querying the safety and accuracy of the test.
You will obviously also need to find out what course of treatment is recommended and whether there are any precautions you need to take to avoid infecting other people. Before concluding the visit you also need to know whether a follow-up visit is required and, if so, when.
During the session, it is important you stop the doctor at any stage if you are feeling overwhelmed by the information or if the doctor is using too many unfamiliar medical terms. Let him know that he needs to slow down or explain certain terms. Also, be sure to ask where you can get more information on your condition or symptoms if you feel you need to know more. If you are dissatisfied with your doctor’s answers or diagnosis, it is within your rights to request a second opinion from another doctor.
Summary of what to find out from you doctor:
What is the condition?
How serious is my condition and how can I expect it to affect my home and work life?
What is the short and long term prognosis for my condition?
What caused the condition?
Is there more then one condition that could be causing my symptoms?
How can I tell if my symptoms or condition is getting worse?
Should I be tested for a certain condition?
How can I confirm the diagnosis?
What symptoms should I look out for?
How can I be tested for a condition?
What tests will be involved in diagnosing a condition and what will the tests tell me?
When will I know the results of the tests?
Do I need to prepare in any way for the test?
How safe and accurate are the tests?
Will I need to have more tests?
Do I need a follow-up visit and if so, when?
Do I need to take precautions to avoid infecting other people?
How is the condition treated?
How can I determine my risk for a condition?
What do I do if my symptoms or condition deteriorates?
It would depend on your individual situation. In general, ask what steps you can take to control the disease. I’m afraid that some doctors skimp a little on lifestyle counseling — perhaps because patients don’t like to hear it. If you’re proactive in asking about it, it will be beneficial to your health and to your relationship with your doctor.
Ask about support groups, make an appointment with a dietitian and sign up for a diabetes ed class.
Ask about books and magazines he likes .
Ask how you can better educate yourself and manage your own care – with his help-for the best results.
^Here are some questions you should ask. You should also know if you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic.
1. Should I check my blood sugar levels at home with a glucose monitor?
2. What are my goals regarding blood sugar levels?
3. What are the warning signs or symptoms that my blood sugars are too high?
4. What are the warning signs or symptoms that my blood sugars are too low?
5. How can I change my lifestyle and diet in a way that will be healthy?
6. What are the side effects of my medications/insulin?
7. Will I always need medications/insulin?
8. What are the long-term complications of diabetes, and how can I avoid them?
9. How do other factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure affect me if I have diabetes?
10. How often should I be seeing my doctor to optimize my diabetes management?
11. Discuss having a good team including an endocrinologist, diabetics teacher and an nutritionist. Your diabetics teacher and nutritionist can help you keep your glucose (sugar) under control, you need to know how many carbohydrates you can have per meal and snack.
Learn how to read food labels, when looking at the carbs ignore the net carbs look at the total carbs, that’s the number you need.
You can also ask about diabetic classes in your area, they can help as well.
I would find out how much he or she knows about diabetes first. Not that many doctors are all that well versed on the subject. In most cases, I would wouldn’t even bother with a follow up. There are no secrets at all to taking care of diabetes. It does not require obtaining a degree or any special education institutions. The information is readily available. Each and every one of us should learn as much as we possibly can about taking care of ourselves. No doctor, nurse, dietitian, or any other health care provider is going to care for us any better than we can for ourselves. My doctor has always encouraged me to learn as much as I can about it and he’s quite happy with how well I’ve been able to manage my blood sugar. My recent HbA1C was 5.8. I guess what it boils down to is, if you want to ask your doctor anything at all during a follow up, ask them what resources are available for you to learn as much as you can for yourself. They simply cannot take the time to answer all your questions… even if they had all the answers.
What questions should you ask the doctor about a symptom or diagnosis?
A visit to the doctor should be a stream of communication that travels both ways. The doctor often has a lot of questions but it is also in the patient’s interest to be fully informed about their symptoms and diagnosis. Thus, the patient should ask as many questions as is needed to fully understand their condition.
Obviously the first question would probably be: What have I got? After this, you may query the doctor about what caused the condition and whether it can be confirmed. You will also need to know whether further testing is needed. If more tests are needed, you should find out whether any preparation is necessary for the test, what the test entails, how long the results take and what the results will tell you. It is also worth querying the safety and accuracy of the test.
You will obviously also need to find out what course of treatment is recommended and whether there are any precautions you need to take to avoid infecting other people. Before concluding the visit you also need to know whether a follow-up visit is required and, if so, when.
During the session, it is important you stop the doctor at any stage if you are feeling overwhelmed by the information or if the doctor is using too many unfamiliar medical terms. Let him know that he needs to slow down or explain certain terms. Also, be sure to ask where you can get more information on your condition or symptoms if you feel you need to know more. If you are dissatisfied with your doctor’s answers or diagnosis, it is within your rights to request a second opinion from another doctor.
Summary of what to find out from you doctor:
What is the condition?
How serious is my condition and how can I expect it to affect my home and work life?
What is the short and long term prognosis for my condition?
What caused the condition?
Is there more then one condition that could be causing my symptoms?
How can I tell if my symptoms or condition is getting worse?
Should I be tested for a certain condition?
How can I confirm the diagnosis?
What symptoms should I look out for?
How can I be tested for a condition?
What tests will be involved in diagnosing a condition and what will the tests tell me?
When will I know the results of the tests?
Do I need to prepare in any way for the test?
How safe and accurate are the tests?
Will I need to have more tests?
Do I need a follow-up visit and if so, when?
Do I need to take precautions to avoid infecting other people?
How is the condition treated?
How can I determine my risk for a condition?
What do I do if my symptoms or condition deteriorates?
Here are some things I ask…..
What do I need to do to avoid amputation..?
What do I need to do to control this with diet and exercise…..?
Always ask what you can do yourself to control this disease.
It would depend on your individual situation. In general, ask what steps you can take to control the disease. I’m afraid that some doctors skimp a little on lifestyle counseling — perhaps because patients don’t like to hear it. If you’re proactive in asking about it, it will be beneficial to your health and to your relationship with your doctor.
Ask about support groups, make an appointment with a dietitian and sign up for a diabetes ed class.
Ask about books and magazines he likes .
Ask how you can better educate yourself and manage your own care – with his help-for the best results.
^Here are some questions you should ask. You should also know if you are Type 1 or Type 2 diabetic.
1. Should I check my blood sugar levels at home with a glucose monitor?
2. What are my goals regarding blood sugar levels?
3. What are the warning signs or symptoms that my blood sugars are too high?
4. What are the warning signs or symptoms that my blood sugars are too low?
5. How can I change my lifestyle and diet in a way that will be healthy?
6. What are the side effects of my medications/insulin?
7. Will I always need medications/insulin?
8. What are the long-term complications of diabetes, and how can I avoid them?
9. How do other factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure affect me if I have diabetes?
10. How often should I be seeing my doctor to optimize my diabetes management?
11. Discuss having a good team including an endocrinologist, diabetics teacher and an nutritionist. Your diabetics teacher and nutritionist can help you keep your glucose (sugar) under control, you need to know how many carbohydrates you can have per meal and snack.
Learn how to read food labels, when looking at the carbs ignore the net carbs look at the total carbs, that’s the number you need.
You can also ask about diabetic classes in your area, they can help as well.
I would find out how much he or she knows about diabetes first. Not that many doctors are all that well versed on the subject. In most cases, I would wouldn’t even bother with a follow up. There are no secrets at all to taking care of diabetes. It does not require obtaining a degree or any special education institutions. The information is readily available. Each and every one of us should learn as much as we possibly can about taking care of ourselves. No doctor, nurse, dietitian, or any other health care provider is going to care for us any better than we can for ourselves. My doctor has always encouraged me to learn as much as I can about it and he’s quite happy with how well I’ve been able to manage my blood sugar. My recent HbA1C was 5.8. I guess what it boils down to is, if you want to ask your doctor anything at all during a follow up, ask them what resources are available for you to learn as much as you can for yourself. They simply cannot take the time to answer all your questions… even if they had all the answers.
well that depends on what you need/want to know at that time. Only you know that.