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A little preparation can help you make the most of the upcoming appointment. If you are feeling too anxious to focus on these tasks, stress management techniques can teach you how to relax in a healthy way and identify the source of your anxiety before going any further.
When you are ready to start preparing for the appointment, one of the first things to do is to learn everything you can about the cardiovascular system. A cardiologist will try to explain things in as basic terms as possible, but it’s easier to understand vital health matters when you have a basic understanding of heart-related terms, such as left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery and so forth.
Once you have a general understanding of the cardiovascular system, you are still likely to have many questions about your specific medical situation. Write down a list of these questions to help make sure they will all be answered. It is common for people to have unanswered questions soon after leaving a doctor’s office. Writing those questions down in advance, and even handing the list to the cardiologist, can help ensure that all of your questions will be addressed.
The more medical information you prepare in advance, the better. The cardiologist (or his or her staff) is going to be asking for:
- Your insurance information.
- Your list of medications and dosages.
- Your medical allergies.
- Your social history. Marital status, profession, and medical habits of importance, such as smoking and alcohol consumption.
- Your doctor’s name, address and phone number.
- Any symptoms that you have been experiencing in as much detail as possible.
- Your personal medical history. You can obtain a copy of your personal medical history directly from your doctor to bring with you, or you can ask your doctor’s office to send/fax a copy of the record to the cardiologist.
- Copies of previous test results (e.g., electrocardiograms, chest x-rays, blood tests).
- Your family medical history, including family members who may have had heart disease, stroke or other cardiovascular conditions.
If you were not given specific instructions when the cardiologist appointment was made, call the office to find out whether it will be important to:
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Stop eating and/or drinking before any blood work
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Wear comfortable clothing for a stress test
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Arrange for a ride home from the office
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Make any other preparations beforehand
You may also want to know how long the appointment is expected to take and which tests (if any) you can expect. To learn more about the tests that are expected to be performed, use the Search feature at the top of the page to find the name of the test(s). Learning about the test(s) to be performed can be very helpful, but learning about a condition that might be present can be unhelpful because it can cause unnecessary anxiety before a diagnosis is made.
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