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Old 04-03-2014, 01:51 PM
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en bloc en bloc is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Shenandoah Mountains, VA
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10 yr Member
en bloc en bloc is offline
Senior Member
en bloc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: Shenandoah Mountains, VA
Posts: 1,250
10 yr Member
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My suggestion is to write out a short summary of your history and specific list of symptoms (in order of significance) to give him/her. It is very easy to forget important points during the visit, especially when the doctor starts to focus on one particular thing.

Get your records together. They will be interested in ANY testing you've had in the past (even if not much)...so include your thyroid records (since thyroid can be related to PN).

Don't forget a comprehensive list of meds and supplements you take or have recently taken (you indicated you've recently stopped some things).

Keep in mind that he/she will likely NOT be able to address ALL your problems in the first visit. So focus on the most important things.

You should inquire about EMG/NCS tests as well as skin biopsy. He/she will likely run several labs as well. If you have any spine problems then make sure you get MRI orders to properly look at those areas.

Most important is to relax and just tell them what bothers you most and how you hope to improve your quality of life.

To add:**I made these suggestions because neurologists can be, well, in a different class. Just ask them, they'll tell you...LOL They can be a bit arrogant in my experience. So my point is to stay focused on your biggest problems...but be open to their suggestions as well. Telling you about my first (or any one of the many) experiences with neurology is not going to help you...because just like you & I are different, so are the doctors. You can get an attentive one, or one that dismisses everything you say. Did you get a name from someone...that is always helpful (knowning someone who has experience with that particular doctor)?

And to answer your question about tests? Labs are a non-issues. The EMG & NCS can be a bit uncomfortable to some, but it's not horrific. The skin biopsy is minimally invasive, but again not too bad. The numbing shot is the worst part.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Last edited by en bloc; 04-03-2014 at 02:52 PM.
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