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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your family doctor, general practitioner or if you're pregnant, your obstetrician. However, you may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases.
Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, as well as what information your doctor might want from you.
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.
- Try to construct a food diary, going back as far as you can reliably remember.
- Make a list of medications, vitamins and supplements that you're taking.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Preparing a list of questions ahead of time can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For listeria, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What's the most likely cause of my symptoms?
- Could anything else cause these symptoms?
- What kinds of tests do I need?
- What treatments are available, and which do you recommend?
- What types of side effects can I expect from treatment?
- I'm pregnant. What effect will this have on my baby?
- Are there any brochures or other printed materials that I can take home with me? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?
In addition to the questions that you've prepared, don't hesitate to ask questions during your appointment any time you don't understand something.
What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions to aid in the diagnosis. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have you eaten any soft cheeses, such as Brie, Camembert, feta, queso blanco or queso fresco recently? Or raw milk or cheese made from raw milk? What about processed meats, such as cold cuts or hot dogs?
- Have you consumed any foods that have been implicated in a recent food recall?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- Do you have any conditions or take any medications that affect your immune system?
- Bortolussi R. Listeriosis: a primer. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 2008; 179:795.
- Listeriosis. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/listeriosis_gi.html. Accessed Feb. 12, 2009.
- Listeria: Frequently asked questions. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~pregnant/whillist.html. Accessed Feb. 12, 2009.
- Gelfand MS. Treatment, prognosis, and prevention of Listeria monocytogenes infection. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 12, 2009.
