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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. However, he or she will likely refer you to a doctor that specializes in inflammatory disorders (rheumatologist).
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your appointment. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For ankylosing spondylitis, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Are there any other possible causes for my symptoms?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Is this condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What treatments are available?
- Which treatment do you recommend?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any restrictions on activity that I need to follow?
- What medications can I take to relieve my pain?
- Should I have physical therapy? Are there exercises I can do at home that might help?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment at any time that you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Are your symptoms worse in the morning, or after long periods of inactivity?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- Have you taken medications to relieve the pain? What helped the most?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
What you can do in the meantime
If you're in pain, you can try taking over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others), unless you have a history of allergy to these medications or a history of gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Yu DT, Patient information: Ankylosing spondylitis, http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 10, 2008.
- Mercier LR, Ankylosing spondylitis. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2009. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/109354214-4/0/1701/48.html?printing=true. Accessed Nov. 5, 2008.
- Ankylosing spondylitis. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=ankylosingspondylitis. Accessed Nov. 6, 2008.
- Taurog JD. The Spondyloarthritides: Anklyosing Spondylitis. In: Fauci AS, et al. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine. 17th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2008. http://www.accessmedicine.com/content.aspx?aID=2862756&searchStr=ankylosing+spondylitis. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Song IH. Benefits and risks of ankylosing spondylitis treatment with nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. Arthritis and Rheumatism. 2008;58(4):929-938.
- Yu DT. Treatment and prognosis of ankylosing spondylitis in adults. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Nov. 10, 2008.
