Recent Articles
5 timeless habits for better health
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Is your breakfast cereal healthy?
When pain signals an emergency: Symptoms you should never ignore
Does exercise give you energy?
Acupuncture for pain relief: How it works and what to expect
How to avoid jet lag: Tips for staying alert when you travel
Biofeedback therapy: How it works and how it can help relieve pain
Best vitamins and minerals for energy
Should you take probiotics with antibiotics?
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Staying Healthy Archive
Articles
When You Visit Your Doctor - After a Heart Attack
After a Heart Attack
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Have you had chest pain or pressure since you were discharged from the hospital?
- How severe is it?
- How long does it last?
- Does it stay in your chest or radiate to other parts of your body?
- Did you have this pain before your heart attack? What brings it on? How frequently do you get it?
- What were you doing just prior to the chest pain?
- Do you ever get chest pain or pressure at rest?
- What relieves the chest pain?
- If you take nitroglycerin, how many doses do you usually need to take before the pain goes away?
- How often do you take nitroglycerin?
- Do you get short of breath when you lie down or exert yourself?
- Do you awaken in the middle of the night short of breath?
- Do your ankles swell?
- Do you ever feel lightheaded?
- Have you fainted?
- Do you get rapid or pounding heartbeat for no reason?
- Do you know what each of the medications you are taking does?
- Do you know the side effects of each medication?
- Are you having any side effects?
- Are you taking an aspirin every day?
- Are you doing everything you can to modify the risk factors that can worsen your coronary artery disease (cigarette smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are the most important risk factors)?
- Are you participating in a supervised exercise program?
- Are you resuming your normal activities?
- Are you sexually active?
- Have you returned to work?
- Have you been feeling depressed since your heart attack?
- Have you been able to reduce the stress in your life?
- Have you been fatigued?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Heart rate, blood pressure, and weight
- Pulses in your wrist, groin, and feet
- Listen over the major arteries in the neck, groin, and feet (for abnormal noises)
- Look at the veins in the neck to see if there is extra fluid in your body
- Heart and lungs
- Ankles and legs (for swelling)
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Blood tests for glucose, lipid panel (cholesterol levels) and C-reactive protein (CRP)
- Electrocardiogram
- Echocardiogram
- Exercise stress test
When You Visit Your Doctor - Colonic Polyps
Colonic Polyps
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have a family history of colonic polyps?
- Do you have bleeding from the rectum or bloody stools?
- Do you frequently have rectal pain or the sensation of needing to have a bowel movement?
- Do you have anemia (low blood count)?
- Do you have a family history of colon cancer?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Abdominal exam
- Rectal exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Stool testing for blood
- Complete blood count
- Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy, possibly with a biopsy or removal of a polyp (if one is found)
When You Visit Your Doctor - Crohn's Disease
Crohn's Disease
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have abdominal pain or cramping?
- Do you have diarrhea, fevers, fatigue, rectal pain, or bloody stools?
- Have you recently lost weight?
- Is there a family history of inflammatory bowel disease?
- How many times a year do you get pain flare-ups?
- Do you have episodes of joint pain or swelling?
- Are you taking any medications?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Temperature, blood pressure, heart rate
- Careful abdominal exam
- Rectal exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy
- Stool sample to look for the presence of blood, white blood cells, and to culture
- Complete blood count and other blood tests
- CT scan or MRI of the abdomen
When You Visit Your Doctor - Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you get a burning sensation in your chest or throat after eating?
- Do you ever have a bitter or sour taste in your mouth?
- Do you ever have bloating or nausea after you eat?
- How often do you get these symptoms?
- What do you do to relieve the symptoms?
- Are the symptoms related to physical exertion?
- Are the symptoms worse when you are lying down or sitting up?
- Have you noticed any black stools?
- Do you have a persistent cough?
- Do you have a history of ulcer disease?
- Are you taking any medications, especially ones that can irritate the esophagus or stomach, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen or tetracycline?
- Do you drink alcohol or smoke?
- How soon after you eat at night do you go to bed?
- Have you tried any over-the-counter medications? If so, do they help?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Chest and lung exam
- Abdominal exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Upper endoscopy (internal examination of the esophagus and stomach)
- pH probe (to assess the acid level in the esophagus and stomach)
- Manometry (to measure the pressure of the sphincter between the esophagus and the stomach)
- Stool testing for blood
- Complete blood cell count
When You Visit Your Doctor - Heart Block
Heart Block
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Have you been dizzy or lightheaded?
- Have you fainted?
- Have you been fatigued?
- Have you had chest pain?
- Do you get it with exertion or at rest?
- How frequently do you get it?
- How long does it last?
- What brings it on?
- What relieves it?
- Is this a change from your usual pattern?
- Do you get short of breath when you lie down or exert yourself?
- Do you awaken in the middle of the night short of breath?
- Do your ankles swell?
- Do you get rapid or pounding heartbeats for no reason?
- What medications are you taking (including over-the-counter medications, herbal remedies, and vitamins)?
- Do you have any other medical problems?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Heart rate, blood pressure, and weight
- Pulses in the wrist and feet
- Veins in the neck
- Heart and lungs
- Ankles and legs (for swelling)
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Electrocardiogram
- Echocardiogram
- Holter monitor
- Electrophysiologic testing
When You Visit Your Doctor - Hearing Loss
Hearing Loss
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Is your hearing loss on one side or both?
- For how long have you noticed the problem?
- Has your hearing loss been getting worse over time?
- Do you have difficulty understanding other people when they speak?
- Do you say "what?" a lot?
- When you turn on the television, do others say that it is too loud?
- Have you had any kind of ear surgery?
- Have you flown in an airplane recently?
- Do other people in your family have trouble hearing?
- Do you hear ringing in your ears?
- Do you suffer from dizziness or loss of coordination?
- Have you had multiple ear infections in the past?
- Do you currently have an upper respiratory infection (for example, a cold) or other infection?
- Have you had any head injuries or strokes in the past?
- Are you taking any medications?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Examine your ears, nose, and throat.
- Test your balance, coordination, and walking.
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Test your ability to hear.
- Formal hearing testing by an audiologist (hearing specialist)
When You Visit Your Doctor - After Hodgkin's Disease Treatment
Hodgkin's Disease (after the disease has been treated)
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Have you had fevers, heavy sweating at night, weight loss, itchy skin, or swollen lymph nodes?
- Do you have pain in any of your bones?
- Do you have a cough?
- Are you fatigued?
- Do you get lightheaded?
- Do you bruise easily or have nosebleeds?
- Do your gums bleed when you brush your teeth?
- Have you had any recent infections?
- Do you have a cough?
- Do you have sinus congestion?
- Do you have nasal discharge?
- Do you know when to seek medical attention for signs of infection?
- Do you know that you still need to practice birth control (both men and women)?
- Infertility is uncommon with newer chemotherapy regimens. If you are a woman and have undergone early menopause, have you considered hormone replacement therapy?
- Are you short of breath at rest or with minimal exertion?
- Do you get chest pain or pressure with exertion?
- Do you have swelling in your legs?
- Do you know that chemotherapy and radiation can increase your risk of developing certain other cancers?
- Are you up-to-date on all of your cancer screening tests?
- If you are a woman, have you discussed the need for regular mammograms and breast examinations with your doctor?
- Are you gaining weight?
- Are you constipated?
- Are you always cold?
- Do you have dry skin?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Neck veins
- Heart
- Lungs
- Abdomen (for enlargement or tenderness of the liver or spleen)
- Bones and spine (looking for areas of tenderness)
- Skin (looking for skin cancers)
- Lymph Nodes (neck, axilla, elbow, groin)
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Blood tests for complete blood counts, kidney and liver function tests
- CT scans of the chest and abdomen
When You Visit Your Doctor - Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- How long have you had painful joints?
- Which joints are involved and which are most painful?
- Is the pain worse or better after walking or other exercise?
- Does the pain wake you at night?
- Does it occur at rest?
- Do you have swelling or deformities in any joints?
- What activities can you no longer do because of the arthritis?
- How long ago did you stop doing them?
- How far can you walk?
- Do you have difficulty opening jars or grasping objects?
- Do you have any other conditions, such as heart or lung disease, that also limit your ability to function?
- What have you done to treat your osteoarthritis?
- What therapies help the most?
- Do you use a cane (for osteoarthritis of the knee or hip)?
- What medications do you take (over-the-counter and prescription) to treat the pain?
- How effective are they?
- Do you know the side effects of each medication?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Joint examination
- Muscles
- Gait
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Blood tests if your symptoms are atypical for osteoarthritis
- X-rays of the involved joints
- CT scans of the involved joints
- MRI scans of the involved joints
When You Visit Your Doctor - Parkinson's Disease
Parkinson's Disease
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have a tremor of the hands at rest?
- Have you noticed a slowing of your movements?
- Do you have a stooped posture or a slow, shuffling gait?
- Are you becoming more unsteady?
- Are your muscles becoming more rigid?
- Have you noticed your handwriting is getting smaller?
- Do you have any problems with speech?
- Are you depressed?
- Do you have problems with memory, concentration, or problem-solving?
- Do you have a family history of Parkinson's disease?
- Are you taking any medications?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Complete neurological exam focusing on gait, muscle tone, strength, and vision
- Mini Mental Status Exam (to test memory and concentration)
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- The diagnosis is made based on medical history and physical exam
- SPECT (Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography)
- Response to drug treatment, such as a trial of levodopa
When You Visit Your Doctor - Peptic Ulcer Disease
Peptic Ulcer Disease
Questions to Discuss with Your Doctor:
- Do you have diffuse or localized abdominal pain?
- Does the pain ever travel to the back or chest?
- Do you have nausea associated with the pain?
- Does eating make the pain better or worse?
- Do you have black or bloody stools?
- Do you ever vomit blood or material that looks like coffee grounds?
- Do you take any medications (for example, pain relievers)?
- Do you smoke cigarettes or drink alcohol?
- Do you drink caffeine-containing beverages?
- Have you ever been tested or treated for a bacteria called H. pylori that can infect the stomach lining?
- Do you have a family history of peptic ulcer disease?
Your Doctor Might Examine the Following Body Structures or Functions:
- Careful abdominal exam
- Rectal exam
Your Doctor Might Order the Following Lab Tests or Studies:
- Stool testing for blood
- Blood or breath test for the presence of H. pylori
- Upper endoscopy (internal examination of esophagus, stomach, and duodenum)
- Upper GI series
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Recent Articles
5 timeless habits for better health
What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?
Is your breakfast cereal healthy?
When pain signals an emergency: Symptoms you should never ignore
Does exercise give you energy?
Acupuncture for pain relief: How it works and what to expect
How to avoid jet lag: Tips for staying alert when you travel
Biofeedback therapy: How it works and how it can help relieve pain
Best vitamins and minerals for energy
Should you take probiotics with antibiotics?
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