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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by taking your child to your family doctor or your child's pediatrician. However, when you call to set up an appointment, you may be referred immediately to an allergist, lung doctor (pulmonologist) or other specialist. 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 child's appointment, and what to expect from the doctor.
What you can do
These steps can help you make the most of your child's appointment:
- Write down any symptoms your child has had, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Note when symptoms bother your child most — for example, if symptoms tend to get worse at certain times of the day; during certain seasons; when your child is exposed to cold air, pollen or other triggers; or when he or she is playing hard or participating in sports.
- Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes your child has had.
- Make a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements that your child is taking.
- Write down questions to ask the doctor.
Time with your child's doctor is limited, so prepare a list of questions to help you make the most of the appointment. List your questions from most important to the least important. For asthma or asthma-like symptoms, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- Is asthma the most likely cause of my child's breathing problems?
- Other than the most likely cause, what else could be causing my child's symptoms?
- What kinds of tests does my child need?
- Is my child's condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What's the best treatment?
- What are the alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- My child has these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any restrictions that my child needs to follow?
- Should I take my child to see a specialist?
- Is there a generic alternative to the medicine you're prescribing for my child?
- Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What websites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared to ask your doctor, don't hesitate to ask other questions that occur to you during your child's appointment.
What to expect from your child's doctor
The doctor is likely to ask a number of questions, which may include:
- What exactly are your child's symptoms?
- When did you first notice his or her symptoms?
- How severe are your child's symptoms?
- Does your child have breathing problems most of the time, or only at certain times or in certain situations?
- Does your child have allergies, such as atopic dermatitis or hay fever?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your child's symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your child's symptoms?
- Do allergies or asthma run in your child's family?
- Does your child have any chronic health problems?
- Robinson PD, et al. Asthma in childhood. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2009;56:191.
- Liu AH. Childhood Asthma. In: Kliegman RM, et al. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 18th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/10te0024376-12/727446153/1608/440.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-2450-7..50145-6--cesec11_3422. Accessed July 18, 2010.
- Stewart LJ. Pediatric asthma. Primary Care Clinics in Office Practice. 2008;35:25.
- Expert panel report 3 (EPR-3): Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma. Bethesda, Md.: National Institutes of Health. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/asthma/06_sec3_comp3.pdf. Accessed July 13, 2010.
- Updated information on leukotriene inhibitors: Montelukast (marketed as Singulair), zafirlukast (marketed as Accolate), and zileuton (marketed as Zyflo and Zyflo CR). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm165489.htm. Accessed July 13, 2010.
- FDA drug safety communication: New safety requirements for long-acting inhaled asthma medications called long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs). U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm200776.htm. Accessed March 8, 2010.
- Bukutu C, et al. Asthma: A review of complementary and alternative therapies. Pediatrics in Review. 2008;29:e44.
- Mark JD. Integrative medicine and asthma. Pediatric Clinics of North America. 2007;54:1007.
- Lands LC. Nutrition in pediatric lung disease. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews. 2007;8:305.
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