About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffWhile you may initially bring your symptoms to the attention of your family doctor, he or she may refer you to a gastroenterologist — a doctor who specializes in disorders of the digestive system.
What you can do
Before your appointment, you may want to write a list that answers the following questions:
- When did your signs and symptoms begin?
- Does anything make them better or worse?
- Do you work or live with small children?
- What types of medications and dietary supplements do you take?
What to expect from your doctor
During the physical exam, your doctor may ask you to lie down so he or she can gently press on various parts of your abdomen to check for tender areas. He or she may also check your mouth and skin for signs of dehydration. You also may be given instructions about how to bring in a sample of your stool.
- Fact sheet: Giardia infection (giardiasis). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dpd/parasites/giardiasis/factsht_giardia.htm. Accessed March 17, 2010.
- Pickering LK. Giardia lamblia (giardiasis). In: Long SS, et al. Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. 3rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Churchill Livingston Elsevier; 2008. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189644263-3/969360504/1679/269.html#4-u1.0-B978-0-443-06687-0..50268-X_4686. Accessed March 17, 2010.
- Huston CD. Giardia lamblia. In: Feldman M, et al. Sleisenger & Fordran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2006. http://www.mdconsult.com/das/book/body/189644263-3/969360504/1389/793.html#4-u1.0-B1-4160-0245-6..50111-6--cesec14_5019. Accessed March 17, 2010.
- Leder K, et al. Patient information: Giardia. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 17, 2010.
- Rohren CH (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. April 1, 2010.
- Munoz FM. Treatment and prevention of giardiasis in children. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed March 17, 2010.
Find Mayo Clinic on