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Questions you should consider asking at your next doctor’s appointment!
Understanding Your Condition
- What is happening within my body to create my symptoms? What is [GBS or CIDP or MMN]?
- When determining my diagnosis what are you looking for specifically? What kinds of tests will you order?
- What are variants and mimics? How do we recognized whether I may have one?
- What are some symptoms that I could experience within the next week, month, and so on?
- I suffer from ____. Can other illnesses and hereditary complications impact my condition?
- I read____, what does ____ mean?
- Can I overcome this?
- How will this condition affect my mental health?
- Are there support groups or counseling services available for individuals coping with similar challenges?
Treatments and Managing Symptoms
- How is my condition treated?
- How will these treatments affect my quality of life?
- What does IVIg, SCIg, and Plasmapheresis treatment look like?
- Where will I have the treatment done?
- How long will it take for me to find the right treatment, right dosage, and schedule of treatment?
- Are there any changes or adjustments to treatment that might be necessary over time?
- What if my body does not respond to treatment or I begin to have troublesome side effects? Are there other options for treatment?
- Does treatment differ for variants or mimics?
- What are the risks of treatment?
- Are there non-medicinal or alternative therapies I can purse along with my current treatment?
- What role does physical therapy or occupational therapy play as part of my treatment plan?
- Are there any assistive devices you recommend for me?
Long Term Outcomes
- Is it possible for me to go into remission?
- Will my condition change over time? Will it get worse?
- Will I need to be on treatment forever?
- How often should I have follow-up appointments or check-ups?
- Are there any lifestyle changes or precautions I should be aware of?
Residual Management
- Even though my treatment is helping, I still experience ____ symptoms? What can I do to alleviate these troublesome symptoms of my condition?
- What do you recommend for pain management?
- How do I manage my fatigue?
- Could my long-term symptoms be affected by other conditions or are they solely from my neurological condition?
- Can physical therapy and/or occupational therapy help my residual symptoms?
- Are there dietary changes that might help manage my residual symptoms and support my overall health?
- Do you recommend any vitamins or supplements?
- Does my mental health affect my physical symptoms?