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Preparing for your appointment
By Mayo Clinic staffYou're likely to start by first seeing your primary care doctor or a general practitioner. In some cases, he or she may eventually refer you to a lung specialist (pulmonologist) because sarcoidosis most commonly involves the lungs. The pulmonologist might then refer you to other specialists, if needed.
Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be prepared. Here's some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.
What you can do
- Be aware of any pre-appointment restrictions. At the time you make the appointment, be sure to ask if there's anything you need to do in advance, such as restrict your diet. For certain tests involved in diagnosing sarcoidosis, there may be special instructions you need to follow beforehand.
- Write down any symptoms you're experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.
- Write down key personal information, including any past jobs where you may have been exposed to environmental toxins, especially manufacturing or farming jobs.
- Make a list of all medications, including vitamins or supplements, that you're taking.
- Take a family member or friend along, if possible. Sometimes it can be difficult to soak up all the information provided to you during an appointment. Someone who accompanies you may remember something that you missed or forgot.
- Write down questions to ask your doctor.
Your time with your doctor is limited, so preparing a list of questions ahead of time will help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For sarcoidosis, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:
- What is likely causing my symptoms or condition?
- Other than the most likely cause, what are other possible causes for my symptoms or condition?
- Do I need any tests?
- Is my condition likely temporary or chronic?
- What is the best course of action?
- What are the alternatives to the primary approach that you're suggesting?
- If I'm not feeling any symptoms, do I need treatment?
- I have these other health conditions. How can I best manage them together?
- Are there any restrictions that I need to follow?
- Should I see a specialist? What will that cost, and will my insurance cover seeing a specialist? (You may need to call your insurance provider yourself to get some of these answers.)
- 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, don't hesitate to ask questions anytime during your appointment 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 may reserve time for other points you'd like to discuss further. Your doctor may ask:
- When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
- Have your symptoms been continuous or occasional?
- How severe are your symptoms?
- What, if anything, seems to improve your symptoms?
- What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?
- Have you had a previous chest X-ray that can be sent for? It's possible that there are early changes on the X-ray that were overlooked. A previous X-ray may also serve as a valuable baseline with which to compare a current chest X-ray.
What you can do in the meantime
If you have painful bumps on your shins (erythema nodosum) or are experiencing pain in your joints, taking aspirin or ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin, others) usually helps relieve the pain.
Diagnosing sarcoidosis may involve more than one visit to your doctor, as well as visits to labs, specialists and hospitals. Knowing this ahead of time may help you prepare for the process.
