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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffIf you have signs and symptoms common to diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, make an appointment with your family doctor or a general practitioner. After an initial evaluation, your doctor may refer you to a specialist such as a rheumatologist, physiatrist, orthopedic surgeon or neurologist.
Because appointments can be brief, and 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've been experiencing, and for how long.
- Write down your key medical information, including any other conditions with which you've been diagnosed as well as the names of all medications, vitamins or supplements that you're taking.
- Write down any possible causes of injury to the affected area.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your appointment. For diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis, 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 tests do I need?
- Which treatment approach do you recommend?
- What self-care steps can help me manage this condition?
- Do I need to follow any activity restrictions?
- How often will you see me for follow-up visits?
- If the first treatment approach doesn't work, what will you recommend next?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- 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
A doctor who sees you for signs and symptoms common to diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis is likely to ask you a number of questions, including:
- What are your symptoms, and when did you first notice them?
- Have your symptoms gotten worse over time?
- Are your symptoms worse in the morning?
- Do you have any difficulty moving the affected joint?
- Do your symptoms include difficulty swallowing?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions?
- What medications are you currently taking, including prescription and over-the-counter drugs as well as vitamins and supplements?
- Have you previously taken any long-term, prescribed medications, such as for acne or other skin conditions?
- Have you ever had an accident or injury that might have caused trauma to the affected area?
What you can do in the meantime
If you're in pain, try applying heating pads or cold packs. Over-the-counter pain relievers also may help. Acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) or naproxen (Aleve, others), may work well. But avoid NSAIDs if you have a history of allergy to these medications or a history of gastrointestinal bleeding.
- Esdaile JM. Diffuse idiopathic skeletal hyperostosis (DISH). http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed April 13, 2010.
- Alparslan L, et al. Imaging modalities in rheumatic disease. In: Firestein GS, et al. Kelley's Textbook of Rheumatology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: W.B. Saunders Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194678336-3/982047756/1807/375.html#4-u1.0-B978-1-4160-3285-4..10053-1--s1130_1650. Accessed April 13, 2010.
- Srikulmontree T, et al. Chronic neck pain. American Family Physician. 2009;79:595.
- Bearcroft PPW, et al. Joint disease. In: Grainger & Allison's Diagnostic Radiology. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingstone Elsevier; 2009. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/194678336-4/982052379/1611/54.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-10163-2..50053-1--cesec9_2701. Accessed April 13, 2010.
- Chang-Miller A (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 18, 2010.
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