Prep for a doctor appointment.
The questions to ask, in the order that respects the doctor's time and gets you the answer to the thing you're actually worried about.
You have 15 minutes with a doctor next week. The last three times, you left the appointment realizing you forgot to ask the main thing. This prompt writes the specific questions in the right order, based on what's actually worrying you — not a generic 'questions to ask your doctor' list.
THE PROMPT
Help me prep for a doctor appointment. I'll describe the visit below.
Structure the response as:
**Symptom summary (30 seconds)**
Write the version I'd say out loud in the first 30 seconds of the appointment. Include: how long the symptoms have been present, their frequency, their pattern (constant / worse in mornings / triggered by X), and any relevant history. This gives the doctor the frame to work in.
**The one thing I'm actually worried about**
Name it directly — if I'm worried this might be [specific concern], I should say so, not dance around it. Doctors are better at reassuring / addressing specific worries than at inferring them.
**Three questions ranked by importance**
1. **The question you must ask** — the one that changes what you do about this. Rank 1.
2. **The follow-up question** — the one that gets you the reasoning, not just the recommendation.
3. **The what-if question** — what if it turns out to be [thing], what's the specific next step. Prevents a follow-up appointment.
Do not include softening questions ("is there anything I should know", "any other advice") — they eat time without producing information.
**What to bring**
Bullet list. Specific things — the log of episodes, the medication list, the previous imaging report on paper because their systems might not have it.
**Red-flag symptoms to raise proactively**
If any of these are true, the appointment agenda shifts and you should say them first. List 3-5 specific ones relevant to your description.
Describe the visit:
[SYMPTOMS, HOW LONG, WHAT'S WORRYING YOU, ANY RELEVANT HISTORY, WHAT KIND OF DOCTOR]**Symptom summary (30 seconds)**
"I've had recurring right-side lower-back pain for about eight weeks. It's worse in the mornings and after sitting for more than 30 minutes. It doesn't radiate down my leg. I've tried Advil and stretching; both help temporarily. I don't have a history of back injury. I run 15 miles a week and haven't changed anything recently."
**The one thing I'm actually worried about**
You're worried this might be a disc issue that could get worse. Say so directly: "My main concern is whether this is something that will get worse if I keep running, or whether it's the kind of thing I can just wait out."
**Three questions ranked by importance**
1. Given what I've described, is there a specific test (imaging, physical exam maneuver) that would tell us whether this is a disc issue vs muscular?
2. If it's muscular, what specifically would we expect to see change in the next four weeks — and what would tell us it's not getting better on its own?
3. If it turns out to be disc-related, what's the difference in treatment path vs muscular — and how urgent is the decision to pursue imaging?
**What to bring**
- Written log of when the pain started and any pattern (bring the pain-scale-1-to-10 notes if you've been keeping them).
- List of any medications, supplements, and doses.
- Note of any prior back imaging (even if from years ago).
**Red-flag symptoms to raise proactively**
- Radiating pain, tingling, or numbness down either leg (raises disc concern immediately).
- Any loss of bladder or bowel control (this is an emergency-room-level red flag; call the office same-day).
- Fever alongside the pain (raises infection concern).
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Pain that wakes you up from sleep and doesn't ease with position change.