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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. If you have chronic bronchitis, you may be referred to a pulmonologist, a doctor who specializes in lung diseases.
To get all the information you need from your doctor, it's good to be prepared for your appointment. Here's how.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment, and how long you've had them.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses, recent life changes or exposure to irritants in your home or workplace.
- Make a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements that you're taking.
- Tell your doctor whether you get yearly flu shots and whether you've had a pneumonia shot. If so, write down the year.
- Tell your doctor if you smoke, even if you've cut down to two or three cigarettes a day. Smoking two or three cigarettes a day may not seem like much, but it may be enough to perpetuate bronchitis.
- Go with a family member or friend, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to soak up all the information provided to you during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- If you've ever seen another physician for your cough, let your present doctor know what tests were done, and if possible, bring the reports with you, including results of a chest X-ray and pulmonary function test.
- Tell your doctor about any prescription medications you've taken for your cough that seemed to help, and whether you stopped taking them because they were too expensive.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions before your appointment will help you make the most of your time with your doctor. List your questions from most important to least important. For bronchitis, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Could I be allergic to my pet?
- Other than the most likely cause, what are other possible causes for my symptoms or condition?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What is the best course of action?
- What are the alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I manage them together?
- Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
- Would I be better off living in a warmer climate?
- If I have GERD, will treating it help my bronchitis?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover seeing a specialist?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing for me?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
- What's the best way to quit smoking?
In addition to the questions you prepare, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment anytime you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions, such as:
- Have you recently had a cold or the flu?
- Have you ever had pneumonia? (If so, he or she may want the chest X-ray from your pneumonia diagnosis.)
- Are you a smoker or have you been around smokers or other pollutants or fumes?
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- How much has your stamina decreased in the last year?
- Do you exercise? Can you climb one flight of stairs without difficulty? Can you walk as fast as you used to?
- Do you have chest pain?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- Do you snore loudly at night?
- Do you wake up in the morning feeling like you didn't get much sleep?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Does cold air bother you?
What you can do in the meantime
The following may help ease your symptoms:
- Rest. Try to get plenty of sleep a night.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Avoid exposure to tobacco smoke.
- Keep the air in your home warm and moist.
- What is bronchitis? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/brnchi/brnchi_whatis.html. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- Acute bronchitis. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/print/sec05/ch051/ch051a.html. Accessed Feb. 11, 2009.
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-ppv.pdf. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Chronic bronchitis. American Lung Association. http://www.lungusa.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=2058829&content_id={C79758B1-B58D-45C4-851D-2FD12958D1E3}¬oc=1. Accessed Feb. 25, 2009.
- Wei J, et al. Chinese medicinal herbs for acute bronchitis (review). Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews. 2008:CD004560.
- Agbabiaka T, et al. Pelargonium sidoides for acute bronchitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Phytomedicine 2008;15:378.
- Long MD, et al. Extra-esophageal GERD: Clinical dilemma of epidemiology versus clinical practice. Current Gastroenterology Reports. 2007;9:195.
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-PneumoConjugate.pdf. Accessed Jan. 25, 2009.
