Coming Appointment

[dani nero]

It seems I'm getting that appointment with a new doctor soon, but I'm worried about being sent home for the third time while being told, and I quote "eat less bread and pasta and you'll feel better" without even asking what I eat.

It would be really nice to get some heads up and tips on how to convince them to take me seriously in case the doc is as horrible as the previous one. What questions should I ask, and what should I be aware of?

I put together a list of my symptoms which I plan on taking with me

amenorrhea

constipation

muscle weakness

anxiety, depression & panic

elevated heartbeats

shallow breath

fatigue

bloat

rash

bent nails

yellow teeth

brain fog

non-stop sinus and cold symptoms

swollen lymph nodes (on and off)

sore throat (on and off)

dry eyes

angular chelitis

Scalp & other "place" itch (on and off)

dry skin

[stanleymonkey]

take any old test results with you

prepare a list of questions you want to ask, I got to see the head of department for my daughter and I wish now I'd prepared because there were things I never for to ask

a family history if there are autoimmune conditions - on my husbands side there is crohns, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, anaemia and our pediatricians said that combined with positive genes and diet response is enough to convinced him she has celiac

[dani nero]

take any old test results with you

prepare a list of questions you want to ask, I got to see the head of department for my daughter and I wish now I'd prepared because there were things I never for to ask

a family history if there are autoimmune conditions - on my husbands side there is crohns, hypothyroidism, hyperthyroidism, anaemia and our pediatricians said that combined with positive genes and diet response is enough to convinced him she has celiac

Thanks. I'll put together a family history :-) Knowing what to ask is why I'm posting here.. What type of questions do you wish you asked at the time?

[BabsV]

When you discuss the symptoms you might want to mention which ones seem to be "worst," have lasted the longest or impact your life the most. Also, to what degree do they impact your life? For example, I spent months telling my doctors I was having pain issues but it was only after I said, "Some days my pain is at 8 or 9 out of 10 on a scale of 1 to 10 and it means I cannot function even close to normally -- I am tired, cranky and snapping at everyone!" that they finally decided it needed to be addressed. Gesh. A big part of that miscommunication was my fault...I'm kicking myself since we're still trying to address the pain issues now that I am 7 months gluten-free and they are still a problem (my 6-month blood tests show a nice drop in antibody levels so now we're looking at other things that might be causing the problem, as my doctor said last time, "You can't automatically blame EVERYTHING on Celiac!" even though some days I want to!)

Also, if you have specific questions like, "Could some of this be related to thyroid problems," or anything else you feel might be an issue bring it up. My GP at the moment is very nice but not very knowledgeable about Celiac. He is however, willing to entertain anything I bring up as something to investigate -- I was the one who pushed for blood tests soon after diagnosis and they showed me slightly (very slightly) anemic.

Share what you have done in terms of the diet, cleaning the house, checking medicines, etc. Then you can't be dismissed with a simple, "You need to do better with the diet" and a pat on the head.

Make the doctor realize that you view the doctor-patient relationship is a partnership and you will give 110% in terms of regaining your health. Hopefully she or he won't be too autocratic (I'm in Poland right now and a lot of the doctors are Old School and just want to proclaim, not actually listen...)

Good luck!