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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou'll likely start by seeing your family doctor. In some cases, you might be referred immediately to a doctor who specializes in infectious diseases.
What you can do
Before your appointment, you might want to prepare a list that details certain aspects of your medical condition, so you can share it with your doctor. Topics might include:
- When did your symptoms begin? Have they gotten any worse?
- Do you have any other medical conditions you're being treated for?
- What medications or supplements do you take regularly?
What to expect from your doctor
Questions your doctor might ask include:
- Have you recently been bitten by a tick?
- Do you spend a lot of time outdoors in grassy or wooded areas?
- Have you recently removed any ticks from family pets?
- Is anyone else in your family ill?
- Have you traveled anywhere recently?
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever: Symptoms, diagnosis and treatment. http://www.cdc.gov/rmsf/symptoms/index.html. Accessed July 15, 2011.
- Bolgiano EB, et al. Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In: Marx JA, et al. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2010. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?about=true&eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05472-0..X0001-1--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05472-0&uniqId=230100505-57. Accessed July 15, 2011.
- Traub SJ, et al. Tick-borne diseases: Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In: Auerbach PS. Wilderness Medicine. 5th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2007. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/page.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50050-1--cesec8&isbn=978-0-323-03228-5&sid=1180614704&uniqId=266728234-3#4-u1.0-B978-0-323-03228-5..50050-1--cesec32. Accessed July 15, 2011.
- Sexton DJ. Clinical manifestations and diagnosis of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 15, 2011.
- Rocky Mountain spotted fever. In: Ferri FF. Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2011: Instant Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia, Pa.: Mosby Elsevier; 2011. http://www.mdconsult.com/books/about.do?eid=4-u1.0-B978-0-323-05610-6..C2009-0-38600-6--TOP&isbn=978-0-323-05610-6&about=true&uniqId=230100505-53. Accessed July 15, 2011.
- Sexton DJ. Treatment of Rocky Mountain spotted fever. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed July 18, 2011.
- Preventing tick bites. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. http://www.cdc.gov/ticks/avoid/on_people.html. Accessed July 18, 2011.
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