Itching – Preparing for your Appointment

To better treat your itchy skin, you start by visiting your primary care physician or your family doctor. However, there might be circumstances that when you call to make a doctor’s appointment, you might be referred to a dermatologist or some other medical skin professional instead. Your doctor’s appointment has a certain time limit and in order to make the most of your appointment, you need to be fully prepared. You can follow some tips below to make you as prepared as possible for your doctor’s appointment and the things you can expect from your physician.

How to Prepare

First of all, you can list down in a small notebook all the symptoms and signs that you have experienced including the time they happened and their durations. Write down all the medicines (these include over-the-counter and prescription meds as well as herb and vitamin supplements) you are presently utilizing. You can bring the bottles with you to show to your doctor if you like and the list of the indications and dosages you take each day.

You can ask questions to your physician regarding your itchy skin. Make the most of your time and ask questions you need answers to. Never be intimidated by your doctor or anyone else. So you may not forget them write down all your questions and you can either ask these questions to your doctor during your appointment or you can give the list to your doctor who will read all your questions and answer them one by one. Just be sure your writing is eligible enough for your doctor to be able to read your writing. Some of these questions can include:

• What do you think is or are the causes of my itching?
• Do I need to undergo certain tests to get an accurate diagnosis?
• Is my itching temporary or long-term or chronic?
• What treatment plan is the best for me?
• Are there any other plans that can be as effective as the primary one you have in mind?
• Will over-the-counter drugs be enough to treat my itching or do I need to take prescription meds for my itching?
• What are the expected results?
• Will my itching dissipate on its own over a certain period of time?

What your doctor might ask you

The doctor will have important questions to ask you to help him formulate the right diagnosis and course of treatment. Some of his questions might be like these:

• Do you remember when you first noticed your itching symptoms?
• How did your skin look when you first noticed these symptoms?
• Have your symptoms remain unchanged or have changed during the course of time?
• What things or factors seem to worsen your itching?
• What factors make your itching symptoms milder or less severe?
• What are the home remedies you have used? Are they effective in relieving your itch?
• What over-the-counter and prescription drugs are you using for alleviating your symptoms?
• Did you recently take a trip?
• What is your typical diet?
• Have you been exposed to typical outdoor and indoor irritants like certain metals, chemicals or pets?

Bhakti Acupuncture
7550 France Ave S #220
Edina, MN 55435
Phone: (952) 230-1394
bhaktiacupuncture.com