Neurologist appointments may be stressful especially if you are going for the first time. Having your questions ready and being well prepared before your visit on what questions to ask your neurologist, will make your visits more informative, and worth your time, patience, and money (1).
After visiting with your neurologist, you may get anxious and inquisitive about what to come and what to expect from your doctor going forward(2).
Questions To Ask Your Neurologist
Below is a list of questions you should ask your neurologist:
- What is my clinical diagnosis? You must be aware of your diagnosis and a thorough explanation of it. Always ensure to ask your neurologist what diagnosis is working for you and ask for explanations on why that is the diagnosis and pointers of features you are manifesting that explain your diagnosis (3).
- Are you experienced enough to treat my condition? Your neurologist must be experienced to be able to manage your condition well, you should ask what ideas he has on the conditions and if he is well equipped to manage your condition (4).
- Have you managed a similar condition in the past and what was the outcome? To gain more confidence in your neurologist, you want to ask if he has other patients with the same diagnosis as you and the outcomes of the patients and to give you a hint of what the management is like.
- Who else will be on my care team? You are entitled to have pieces of information about who and who will be on your care team and if possible, get introduced to them, especially if your condition will require that you should be admitted to the hospital so that you can have a quality interpersonal relationship with the care team (4).
- Do you have enough infrastructure and equipment to ascertain my diagnosis and monitor the progress of my treatments? Most of the time, quite a several investigations and laboratory tests will be done to confirm your diagnosis. For example, a CT scan can help at times. You also need to know because these tests will also be done along the line to monitor your response to treatment (4).
- How many times will I be present for consultation or must consult the team members? In case where you will not be admitted as an in-patient, you need to know how often you should come to the office for consultation, how many times you should or can call in when you have complaints and know which hours of the day they will be available to consult if you will be calling in (5).
- What are the positive signs of improvement you will be looking for during my treatment? When the prescribed treatment is working, there will be signs to show that you are improving. Ask your neurologists for these signs so that you can monitor them especially if you are an outpatient, you can also keep your health care team informed of such signs if you first notice them (5).
- What are the possible causes of my condition? As much as knowing your diagnosis is important, you also need to know the causes of your condition and things that predisposed you to the disease. This is to help you eliminate the causes especially if they are modifiable (1).
- What are the best treatment options for my condition? On your visit to your neurologist, you should ask about the treatment options and how they expect each treatment to work for you and know if at any time your neurologist will consider referring you to neurosurgery. Information about your treatment options will also give you an idea of the cost or help you estimate the total cost of your treatment (1).
- What side effects should I expect from my medications? Every drug has its side effects and as such, you should prepare yourself ahead of the possible effects of your medications. For example, if you get hyperpigmentation of the skin from certain drugs, knowing about the potential side effects from your doctor, will help reduce your anxiety about those side effects as they appear (1).
- What are the lifestyle changes that will promote my recovery? Certain conditions might require some alterations and modifications to your lifestyle. For instance, it may be required that you exercise regularly and reduce your weight. You should discuss lifestyle changes or any additional recommendations specific to your condition with your doctor (6).
- For how long will my treatment last? Having an estimate of how long your treatment will last most times help you get prepared psychologically. Although this isn’t the same for everyone as patients may respond differently. Your doctor can usually give you a rough estimate of how long the treatment will be needed for (6).
- How will my condition affect my quality of life? The effects of your condition on your quality of life should be explained to you by your neurologist and that is largely dependent on your diagnosis as well as the severity before you present to the neurologist.
- What makes you the best physician to treat my condition? Yes, this is a good question you should ask your neurologist and one important thing is to be sure your neurologist has your best interest in mind when he or she manages your care.
Rest assured that at Superior Neurology, we are a group of well-trained medical personnel passionate about helping all our patients succeed and get the best neurology care. Our clinic is the highest-rated neurology clinic in Murphy. We have the top-rated neurologists in Murphy, Texas.
References:
1.https://migrainebuddy.com/preparing-for-your-neurologist-appointment-all-you-need-to-know/#:~:text=Questions%20To%20Discuss%20With%20Your%20Neurologist&text=What%20kind%20of%20tests%20do,treatment%20options%20for%20my%20diagnosis%3F
2. https://www.brainandlife.org/articles/five-questions-to-ask-your-neurologist
3.https://njbrainspine.com/the-10-questions-to-ask-your-neurosurgeon-finding-the-right-fit-by-roy-vingan-md/
4.https://www.childrenshospital.org/departments/neurology/patient-resources/questions-ask-when-seeking-child-neurologist
5. https://cavernoma.org.uk/questions
6. https://www.cedars-sinai.org/programs/neurology-neurosurgery/getting-started.html