If you live with MS, you will see the inside of a doctor's office more often than you might prefer. It is part of living with any chronic disease. My neurologist likes to see his patients at regular intervals and the longest I've gone between scheduled appointments was six months. Visits were much more frequent during the first year.

A positive benefit of having so many appointments is that I've developed a system of preparation which works well for my doctors and me. Ahead of time I create a “doctor visit sheet” on my computer which is then printed out to take to the appointment. It helps me to keep track of what's going on with my health, gives me a dated record, and helps my doctor in giving me the best care possible.

Creating the doctor visit file:

Using your word processing software, create a new file and label it with the name of the doctor and the date of the office visit, for example “Simsarian, 04 April 2011.” Save that file in a new folder labeled “Medical Visits.”

What information should I include on the doctor visit sheet?

Personal Information:

• Your name
• Date of the appointment
• Your occupation and/or hobbies
• Your insurance coverage - I choose to include information regarding health insurance since it might influence treatment choices.

Current Medications and Supplements:

• Prescription medications - name of medication, dosage, and frequency
• Supplements - list vitamins and herbals, include dosage and frequency
• As needed medications - name of medication and dosage, include these medications even if you haven't needed them recently

Reason for Todayʼs Visit:

• Is this a follow-up visit? Is your visit to address a specific concern?
• Did you have any tests? List them here to remind yourself to ask for the results.

Since the Last Visit:

• Most important section of your doctor visit sheet!!
• Describe any changes (good or bad) in your health since your last visit. Do you have new concerns or symptoms? Have any of your symptoms improved?
• List any significant medical events/tests done since your last visit, include the dates.
• Share any additional information which pertains to your overall health, not just MS-related concerns.

Symptoms:

• Use this section to track how your symptoms change over time.
• List new symptoms, continuing symptoms, and symptoms which may have resolved.

Potential symptoms to consider, rate each on a scale of 1-5 (0=absent, 1=mild, 3=moderate, 5=severe):

• Vision Issues or Loss of Vision (right eye or left eye)
• Double Vision
• Vertigo
• Weakness (arms/hands, right/left); Weakness (legs/feet, right/left)
• Numbness (arms/hands, right/left); Numbness (legs/feet, right/left)
• Coordination Problems (arms, right/left) or (legs, right/left)
• Balance Problems
• Trouble Walking/Falling
• Speech Problems
• Memory Loss/Cognitive Problems
• Confusion/Hallucinations
• Decreased Attention/Concentration
• Poor Judgment/Reasoning
• Fatigue (constant/intermittent)
• Bladder Problems
• Bowel Problems
• Sexual Problems

Questions for the Doctor: