Why do people consult a pulmonologist?
The main reasons are a cough lasting more than 3-4 weeks, shortness of breath on exertion or at rest, attacks of suffocation, wheezing, recurring bronchitis and pneumonia, changes in the X-ray of the lungs. The doctor evaluates the nature of cough and shortness of breath, risk factors - smoking, occupational hazards, allergies, listens to the lungs and analyzes available studies. A key study in pulmonology is spirometry: it is what distinguishes bronchial asthma from COPD and determines the degree of respiratory dysfunction, and therefore the treatment regimen. Many patients have been treated for “chronic bronchitis” for years without undergoing this simple test.
Primary and repeat appointment: what is the difference?
At the initial appointment, the doctor gets to know the patient: collects a detailed history, conducts a full examination, analyzes previously performed studies and builds a diagnostic hypothesis. This is the longest visit, and it is it that determines the entire further route.
A repeat appointment is shorter and solves another problem: to evaluate the results of prescribed studies, the effect of treatment and adjust therapy. You should not skip it - without control it is impossible to understand whether the assigned scheme is working.
How to prepare for your appointment
- collect the results of analyzes and studies, even old ones - dynamics are important
- write down the medications you are taking with doses
- formulate complaints: when did they start, what intensifies and what alleviates
- write down the questions you want to ask
What does the patient get as a result?
Conclusion with a diagnosis or preliminary diagnosis, examination plan, prescriptions with dosages and timing, as well as a guideline for the date of the follow-up visit. If the help of another specialist is required, the doctor gives a referral.