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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou'll likely start by seeing your family doctor or primary care provider. But in some cases, when you call to set up an appointment, you might be referred instead to a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases. If your symptoms are severe, you might be instructed to seek urgent care.
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, 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. List your international travel history, with dates and countries visited and medications taken while traveling. Bring a record of your immunizations, including pre-travel immunizations.
- 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 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 dengue fever, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- What's the best course of action?
- How long will it be before I'm feeling better?
- Are there any long-term effects of this illness?
- Do you have any brochures or other printed material that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend?
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
Be prepared to answer questions from your doctor, such as:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Does anything seem to make your symptoms better or worse?
- Where have you traveled in the past 12 months?
- Were you bitten by mosquitoes while traveling?
- Have you been in contact recently with anyone who was ill?
- Dengue fever overview. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/topics/DengueFever/Understanding/overview.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Epidemiology of dengue virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, et al. Dengue hemorrhagic fever - U.S.-Mexico border, 2005. MMWR. 2007;56:31. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5631a1.htm. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Clinical presentation and diagnosis of dengue virus infections. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Rothman AL. Prevention and treatment of dengue virus infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Dengue and dengue haemorrhagic fever. World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs117/en/print.html. Accessed Aug. 12, 2009.
- Zielinski-Gutierrez E, et al. Protection against mosquitoes, ticks, and other insects and arthropods. In: Brunette GW, et al. CDC Health Information for International Travel 2010. Atlanta, Ga.: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service; 2009. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-2/protection-against-mosquitoes-ticks-insects-arthropods.aspx. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
- West Nile virus questions and answers: Insect repellent use and safety. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dvbid/westnile/qa/insect_repellent.htm. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
- Tsai T, et al. Flaviviruses (yellow fever, dengue, dengue hemorrhagic fever, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile encephalitis, St. Louis encephalitis, tick-borne encephalitis). In: Mandell GL, et al. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2005. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/154687162-3/0/1259/1219.html?tocnode=51380756&fromURL=1219.html#4-u1.0-B0-443-06643-4..50152-5_5152. Accessed Aug. 17, 2009.
