Appointments and Diagnosis

Hi, !


I am glad you reached out! I know it can be frustrating to feel like not much progress was made at an appointment, especially when they are scheduled months apart! We do have a sister site dedicated to Lupus, which you are welcome to check out, especially if you want to know what to ask your doctor at the upcoming appointment -- https://lupus.net/. Also, I wanted to share an article about some of the best questions to discuss with your rheumatologist -- https://rheumatoidarthritis.net/living/5-rheumatologist-questions. These questions will still be helpful, even if your doctor is leaning away from an RA diagnosis, as it will help you both decide how to proceed. If possible, we suggest writing down all your questions and concerns. I do this, because even though I tell myself I will TOTALLY remember everything, I never do if I don't write it down. Also, some people like to bring a family member or friend to an appointment to either take notes or remind the person of things they may forget to mention to the doctor. You can also ask for copies of all your medical records and some doctors will even let you record appointments on your phone if you think you will forget something they say. These may not all be applicable in Canada and individual doctors and offices have different rules, but I wanted to share some of our community member's tips and tricks for making the most of doctor's appointments.


If you have any further questions, please reach out. And feel free to reach out on the Lupus site as well, if you would like!


Best, Erin, RheumatoidArthritis.net Team member.

The time when you are first getting your diagnosis is an overwhelming and confusing time for sure. For your nest follow up appointment I think it’s best to keep a list of all the questions you come up with and put them on your phone. Then, as long as the doc is OK with it, record your conference with the doctor. I can’t tell you how many times I forgot what the doctor said, especially when I wanted to research it later. It helps to have a record of it. Let us know if there’s anything else we can do to help. Keep on keepin’ on, DPM

Both Erin and Daniel offered some great advice and resources. I also want to add something that I think you may find helpful. Many of our members have mentioned about the benefits of journaling their day to day with RA. As we all know, living with RA brings on new experiences, and especially new aches and pain. With appointments being months in between it will be critical to document how your days are going. It will definitely help you and your doctor to see how RA is truly affecting you. We’d love to get an update of how your next appointment goes if you’re open to it. Hope all of this helps! Best wishes, Latoya (Team Member)