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You are here : Home  AIDS Factsheet Living With HIV AIDS Fact Sheet - Medical AppointmentsAIDS Fact Sheet - Medical Appointments
GETTING THE MOST FROM OFFICE VISITS Background Information -What is AIDS? -HIV Testing -Acute HIV Infection -How HIV Drugs Get Approved -HIV Life Cycle Laboratory Tests -Normal Laboratory Values -Complete Blood Count (CBC) -Chemistry Panel -Blood Sugar and Fats -CD4 (T-cell) Tests -Viral Load Tests -HIV Resistance Testing -Monitoring Drug Levels Preventing HIV Infection -Stopping the Spread of HIV -How Risky Is It? -Condoms -Drug Use and HIV -Harm Reduction and HIV -Treatment After Microbicides -Microbicides Living with HIV -Choosing an HIV Care Provider -Medical Appointments -Telling Others You are HIV Positive -Participating in a Clinical Trial -How to Spot HIV/AIDS Fraud -Vaccinations and HIV -Medications to Fight HIV -HIV Life Cycle -Taking Current Antiretroviral Drugs -What Is Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)? -Adherence -Treatment Interruptions -Drug Interactions -Strengthening the Immune System -Immune Therapies in Development -Immune Restoration -Interleukin-2 -Immune Restoration Syndrome -Opportunistic Infections -Opportunistic Infections Side Effects and Their Treatments -Side Effects -Fatigue -Anemia -Body Shape Changes (Lipodystrophy) -Diarrhea -Peripheral Neuropathy -Mitochondrial Toxicity -Bone Problems -Depression and HIV Patient Populations -Women and HIV -Pregnancy and HIV aids -Children and HIV -Older People and HIV Alternative and Complementary Therapies -Alternative and Complementary Therapies -Ayurvedic Medicine -Chinese Acupuncture -Chinese Herbalism -Cat's Claw -DHEA -DNCB (Dinitrochlorobenzene) -Echinacea -Essiac -Marijuana -Silymarin (Milk Thistle) -Nutrition -Nutrition -Vitamins and Minerals -Exercise and HIV -Smoking and HIV
Health care office visits are usually very short. Many times, patients leave the office feeling they haven't been listened to. They may have more questions than when they arrived. This fact sheet talks about ways to prepare for your next office visit. It also offers advice on how to get the most from your health care provider. Many people get their care from a physician's assistant or a nurse practitioner. When this fact sheet talks about your "doctor" it means any of these health care professionals.
Bring information with you to help your doctor. This might include pill bottles for all of the medications and supplements you're taking, or lab reports or test results from other health care providers. KEEP TRACK OF THE TIME Be sure you show up for your appointments! That's the only way your doctor can make sure you're getting the best treatment to maintain your health. If you arrive late for your appointment, you can throw off the office schedule for the rest of the day. If you skip an appointment, you're wasting time for the doctor, the office staff, and other patients. On the other hand, it can be very frustrating to get to your appointment on time and have to wait. Usually this means that a serious health problem came up for another patient earlier in the day. If you're ever the one with that problem, you'll appreciate the doctor spending more time with you. It can be a good idea to call the doctor's office before you leave home to see if appointments are running on time, or are delayed. DON'T BE A HERO If you're having a hard time taking your medications correctly, tell your doctor! Maybe a side effect that didn't use to bother you is getting impossible to deal with. Maybe you'd do better with a simpler medication schedule. Your health care providers can't help you unless they know about these issues. Don't worry about not being a good patient or upsetting your doctor. They want the best for your health! GET YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED When you walk in to your appointment, you should know the most important questions that you want answered before you leave. It's a good idea to write these down. This will help you organize your thoughts and make it easier to know if you're missing something. Take your list into your appointment. Tell the doctor about your questions. If the appointment is ending and you don't have your answers, ask for them! Doctors have to manage their time, but you also have to manage your appointment time. You might only have fifteen minutes every few months, so make the most of it! Medications: If a new drug gets prescribed, make sure you leave with information on exactly how to take it. What's the dosage? How often? Does it matter if you take it with food, or on an empty stomach? Does it have to be kept in the refrigerator? Know what side effects to expect. Are there things you can do at home to deal with them? When should you call the office if the side effects are too severe or go on for too long? Tests: If your doctor wants you to have some medical tests, be sure you understand what the test results are supposed to show and what your doctor will do with them. When you discuss the test results, ask again if you're not sure what the test is for and what the results mean. Don't be embarrassed if you don't understand the answers to your questions. Tell the doctor that you don't understand. It's not rude to insist on getting your questions answered. That's the only way to be a better partner in your own health! TAKE THE ANSWERS WITH YOU There's usually a lot of information going quickly back and forth during a health care appointment. Be sure to take that information home with you! Some of these tips might work for you:
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