PREPARING TO A MEDICAL APPOINTMENT

Before going to a medical appointment, always try to pay attention to the details of your flares. The following observations can be very useful for your healthcare professional:

  • Try to remember your first flare. Were you ill? Did you take any different medicine? Did you notice swelling on any part of the body?
  • What about subsequent flares? Have they presented with similar symptoms? Was there anything different?
  • How long does a single lesion (hives) last? What about swelling (angioedema)?
  • Is there something you believe is a triggering factor? Any food or drug? Anything that could make flares worse?
  • List all drugs you take on a daily basis, as well as those you take occasionally. Everything you keep in your medicine cabinet that you use sporadically.
  • If you have ever been submitted to a test, please, take the results to the appointment.
  • You can also start to write a flare diary – to learn more about this, please click on “how to write a diary of flares
  • Another important measure is to take pictures of the lesions when in flare. It’s quite usual a patient presenting with no lesion on the appointment day. Photographing hives or bumps is very useful for your healthcare professional.
  • Bring a list of all drugs you have taken to treat your urticaria. Take notes of dosages and try to remember how you responded to those drugs