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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffCall your doctor right away if you have symptoms of gangrene. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you may be told to go to the emergency department or call 911 for emergency medical help.
If you have time before you leave home or on the way to the hospital, use the information below to get ready for your medical evaluation.
What you can do
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, and for how long. It will help your doctor to have as many details as possible about when your symptoms first appeared and how they may have worsened or spread over time.
- Write down any recent injury or trauma to your skin, including cuts, bites, injections, surgery or possible frostbite. If you have recently used injectable recreational drugs, this is critical information to share with your doctor.
- Write down your key medical information, including any other conditions with which you've been diagnosed. Also write down all medications you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along. Gangrene is a medical emergency. Take someone who can soak up all the information your doctor provides and who can stay with you if you need immediate treatment.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Prepare a list of questions so that you can make the most of your time with your doctor. For gangrene, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Are there other possible causes for my symptoms or condition?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- Do I need to be hospitalized?
- What treatments do I need?
- How soon do you expect my symptoms will improve with treatment?
- Will I have a full recovery?
- How long will recovery take?
- Am I at risk of long-term complications from this condition?
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 will help your doctor quickly determine next steps in making your diagnosis and starting care. Your doctor may ask:
- What are your symptoms?
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- How painful is the affected area?
- Do your symptoms seem to be spreading or getting worse?
- Have you had any recent injuries or trauma to your skin, such as cuts, wounds, bites or surgery?
- Have you recently had any prolonged exposure to extreme cold that made your skin change color or turn numb?
- Do you use injectable drugs, including recreational drugs?
- Have you been diagnosed with any other medical conditions?
- What medications are you taking or have you recently taken, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, herbs and supplements?
- Meislin HW, et al. Soft tissue infections. In: Marx JA, et al., eds. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/141947879-3/849444931/1365/420.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02845-4..50140-2_7293. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Stevens DL. Necrotizing fasciitis, gas gangrene, myositis and myonecrosis. In: Cohen J, et al. Infectious Diseases. 2nd ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby; 2004. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/141947879-5/849445124/1209/32.html#4-u1.0-B0-323-02407-6..50012-X_334. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Stevens DL. Necrotizing infections of the skin and fascia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Abrahamian FM, et al. Management of skin and soft-tissue infections in the emergency department. Infectious Disease Clinics of North America. 2008;22:89.
- May AK. Skin and soft tissue infections. Surgical Clinics of North America. 2009;89:403.
- Kaide CG. Hyperbaric oxygen: Applications in infectious disease. Emergency Medicine Clinics of North America. 2008;26:571.
- Neschis DG. Clinical manifestations and evaluation of chronic critical limb ischemia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Sepsis and septic shock. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec06/ch068/ch068a.html. Accessed June 4, 2009.
- Anderson DJ, et al. Skin and soft tissue infections in older adults. Clinics in Geriatric Medicine. 2007;23:595.
- Sheps SG (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 6, 2009.
