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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, in some cases when you call to set up an appointment you may be referred immediately to a specialist called an endocrinologist.
Here's some information to help you prepare for your appointment and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance to prepare for common diagnostic tests.
- Write down all symptoms and changes you're experiencing, even if they seem unrelated to each other.
- Write down key personal information, including any recent life changes or a noticeable difference in your ability to tolerate stress.
- Make a list of your key medical information, including recent surgical procedures, the names of all medications you're taking and any other conditions for which you've been treated. Your doctor will also want to know about any recent injuries to your head.
- Take a family member or friend along, 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.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Create a list of questions ahead of your appointment so that you can make the most of your time with your doctor. For hypopituitarism, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Other than the most likely cause, what are possible causes for my symptoms or condition?
- What kinds of tests do I need now?
- Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What treatment approach do you recommend?
- If you recommend surgery, what will my recovery be like?
- How long will I need to take medications?
- How will you monitor whether my treatment is working?
- Under what circumstances might my medications need to be adjusted?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
- 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 me?
- 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:
- What are your symptoms, and when did you first notice them?
- How have your symptoms changed over time?
- Have you noticed any changes in your vision?
- Do you experience severe headaches?
- Has your appearance changed, including your weight or the amount of your body hair?
- Have you lost interest in sex? If you're a woman, has your menstrual cycle changed?
- Are you currently being treated or have you recently been treated for any other medical conditions?
- Have you recently had a baby?
- Have you had any recent head injuries or have you had neurosurgery?
- Have any of your family members been diagnosed with pituitary or hormonal conditions?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Hypopituitarism. American Academy of Family Physicians. http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/hormone/912.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Snyder PJ. Diagnosis of hypopituitarism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Hypopituitarism. Merck Manual. http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec13/ch162/ch162c.html. Accessed August 1, 2008.
- Snyder PJ. Treatment of hypopituitarism. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html.Accessed August 1, 2008.
