How to prepare for a specialist appointment
A first visit with a specialist is a strange mix of high hopes and not enough time. You wait months for it, and then it's over in fifteen minutes. Here's how I get ready so I don't waste a second of it.
Specialists go deep in one area, which is great, but it means they often don't know your back story. The more you hand them up front, the more of the visit you get to spend on what to do next.
Send your records ahead if you can
Call the office and ask what they want before you go. Test results, imaging, a list of your medications, and notes from your other doctors all help. If you can get these to them ahead of time, even better. Bring your own copies too, since records don't always travel well between offices.
Write your story in a few lines
Specialists hear a lot of "it started a while ago." Beat that with a short timeline: when the symptoms began, how they've changed, what you've already tried, and what happened. Three or four lines is plenty, and it saves you both a lot of back and forth.
Pick your top three questions
You only get a few minutes, so choose the three questions that matter most and ask them first. Usually that's "what do you think this is," "what are my options," and "what happens next." Write them down. It's easy to forget the important one when you're nervous.
Know your meds and history
Have a current list of everything you take, including doses and supplements. Know the basics of your history too: past surgeries, big diagnoses, allergies. If you keep this in one place, you can just show it instead of digging through your memory on the spot.
Bring someone, or bring notes
A second set of ears helps, because it's hard to listen and remember at the same time. If you go alone, ask if you can write things down, or repeat the plan back at the end to make sure you got it right.
I used to show up to specialists with a mental list and lose half of it the moment I sat down. Now I bring a one-page summary from Valeska, and the visit starts where it should, on what to do next.
More on this topic: MedlinePlus: Talking With Your Doctor (NIH).