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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have painful and inflamed joints, you're likely to start by first seeing your primary care doctor or a general practitioner. However, in some cases you may be referred to an infectious disease or joint specialist. If you see a joint specialist already for an existing illness such as arthritis, you may start by seeing this doctor first.
Because appointments can be brief, and because 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 other medical conditions you may have and any recent infections.
- Make a list of all medications, as well as any vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- 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.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For septic arthritis, 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?
- How long are my symptoms likely to last?
- What is the best course of action?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- What can I do to ease joint pain? What medications can I take?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover seeing a specialist? (You may need to ask your insurance provider directly about coverage concerns.)
- 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:
- 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?
- Have you had any recent infections?
- Do you have any chronic illnesses?
- Have you ever had joint surgery or joint replacement?
What you can do in the meantime
Avoid activities that seem to make your symptoms worse. To ease joint pain, try resting your affected joint and applying warm compresses. Pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) and aspirin also may help.
