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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffStart by seeing your family doctor or a general practitioner. If your doctor determines you may have a liver problem, such as alcoholic hepatitis, you'll likely be referred to a gastroenterologist.
Because appointments can be brief, and there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready 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, such as restrict your diet.
- 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. Let your doctor know how much alcohol you regularly consume. It's a good idea to track your alcohol consumption for a few days by writing it down, because people tend to underestimate the amount they've consumed.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along. Sometimes it can be difficult to absorb 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.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your appointment. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For alcoholic hepatitis, 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? How should I prepare for them?
- Is my condition temporary or chronic?
- What treatments are available? Which one do you recommend?
- Are there any alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- What resources are available to help me stop drinking? Which ones will my insurance pay for?
- I have other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any dietary restrictions that I need to follow?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover it?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take with me? What websites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared, don't hesitate to ask questions any time 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 points you want to discuss. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- How often do you drink alcohol, and how many drinks do you usually consume?
- Have you ever had hepatitis or yellowing of the skin before?
- Do you use any other recreational drugs?
- Are your family members or friends concerned about your drinking?
- Do you get angry or anxious when the subject of your drinking is discussed?
- Do you feel guilty about drinking?
- Do you drink in the morning — do you need an eye-opener?
What you can do in the meantime
Stop drinking alcohol if you think it may be causing your health problems. If you believe you're dependent on alcohol, your doctor can recommend the treatment options that might work best for you. However, if you need help to stop drinking while you're waiting to see your doctor, Alcoholics Anonymous or counseling may be helpful.
- O'Shea RS, et al. Alcoholic liver disease. American Journal of Gastroenterology. 2010;105:14.
- Carithers RL, et al. Alcoholic liver disease. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisinger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/book/player/linkTo?type=bookHome&isbn=978-1-4160-6189-2&eid=4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-6189-2..X0001-7--TOP&uniq=200844987-3. Accessed July 14, 2010.
- Alcohol-induced liver disease. American Liver Foundation. http://www.liverfoundation.org/abouttheliver/info/alcohol/. Accessed July 14, 2010.
- Hacker JF, et al. Alcoholic liver disease. American College of Gastroenterology. http://www.acg.gi.org/patients/cgp/cgpvol2.asp#Alcoholic%20Liver. Accessed July 14, 2010.
- Cirrhosis. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://digestive.niddk.nih.gov/ddiseases/pubs/cirrhosis/index.htm. Accessed July 14, 2010.
- Milk thistle. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- SAMe. Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database. http://www.naturaldatabase.com. Accessed July 20, 2010.
- Hepatitis C FAQs for the public. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/C/cFAQ.htm. Accessed July 20, 2010.
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